Attorney - Rural Justice Initiative, North/NW, TX

Disability Rights Texas•Plainview, TX

15h

About The Position

The Rural Justice Initiative (RJI) Attorney is a project-funded, time-limited attorney position at Disability Rights Texas (DRTx), supporting a five-year initiative to expand civil legal services for low-income Texans in designated rural communities and legal-desert counties. The attorney provides direct legal services to eligible Texans with disabilities in the assigned North/NW Texas service area, handling a range of disability-related civil legal matters rather than working primarily on a single substantive issue team. Matters may include special education, disability discrimination and accommodations, housing, public benefits, access to government programs and services, and disability-related disaster issues. The attorney is expected to maintain a meaningful local presence in or near the assigned counties and be reasonably available for in-person client services, outreach, clinics, partner meetings, and court or administrative proceedings. The role involves collaboration with DRTx staff, local residents, schools, community organizations, legal aid partners, Community Justice Workers, pro bono attorneys, and other local institutions to identify unmet needs, provide representation and education, and strengthen referral pathways and local access to legal assistance. The position reports to the RJI Attorney Project Coordinator. The position requires regular travel throughout the assigned rural service area and periodic travel elsewhere in Texas. It involves use of computers, telephones, videoconferencing systems, case-management systems, and other communication tools, with work taking place in offices, courthouses, hearing locations, schools, libraries, clinics, community organizations, and other rural community settings. The position is funded by project-specific grant funds and is not intended to be permanent beyond the RJI project period or available funding. Continued employment is contingent on the project, funding, and organizational need.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
Licensed to practice law in Texas and in good standing.
At least three years of relevant legal experience.
Experience providing legal services, advocacy, or representation to low-income or underserved populations, or demonstrated ability to develop such expertise.
Demonstrated ability to independently manage legal matters and provide client representation.
Ability to develop working knowledge across multiple areas of disability-related civil law.
Knowledge of federal and Texas laws affecting people with disabilities, or ability to acquire such knowledge within a reasonable period.
Strong legal analysis, research, writing, negotiation, and oral advocacy skills.
Ability to communicate legal concepts effectively to clients, community members, attorneys, and non-attorney partners.
Ability to develop professional relationships and credibility with people and organizations in rural communities.
Ability to work independently while communicating and collaborating effectively with supervisors and colleagues located elsewhere in the state.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, judgment, and follow-through.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, substantial travel, client responsibilities, and project deadlines.
Reside within or sufficiently near the assigned geographic service area to meet local-presence and community-engagement requirements. The listed North/NW Texas counties are Parmer, Hall, Floyd, Crosby, Garza, Borden, Castro, Bailey, Motley, King, Stonewall, Scurry, Swisher, Lamb, Cochran, Yoakum, Gaines, Fisher, Briscoe, Hale, Hockley, Terry, and Dawson.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly throughout rural Texas, including to communities with limited transportation options, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Ability to attend in-person court proceedings, administrative hearings, clinics, outreach events, client meetings, and community activities in the assigned service area.
Ability to maintain Texas law licensure and comply with continuing legal education requirements.
Ability to collaborate with attorneys and staff employed by other RJI partner organizations and work effectively with people from diverse socioeconomic, geographic, cultural, linguistic, and disability backgrounds.
Commitment to high-quality legal services for low-income Texans with disabilities and to increasing access to justice in underserved rural communities.

Nice To Haves

Experience in public interest, legal aid, disability rights, special education, housing, public benefits, or other civil legal services.
Experience practicing in rural communities or representing clients in geographically isolated or underserved areas.
Experience developing relationships with community organizations, schools, healthcare organizations, government entities, or other community-based institutions.
Civil litigation and/or administrative hearing experience.
Experience providing community legal education or participating in legal clinics.
Spanish bilingual proficiency, written and spoken.
Existing professional or community ties to the assigned RJI service area.

Responsibilities

Represent and advocate for eligible clients in designated RJI communities through advice and counsel, negotiation, mediation, administrative complaints and proceedings, and litigation in administrative hearings and state and federal courts.
Evaluate requests for assistance and determine eligibility under DRTx policies, project requirements, funding restrictions, organizational priorities, and case-acceptance procedures.
Maintain an assigned caseload spanning disability-related civil legal matters while balancing travel, clinics, education, community engagement, and litigation commitments.
Provide legal services relating to special education rights, including matters under IDEA, Section 504, the ADA, and applicable Texas Education Code provisions.
Assist with other disability-related civil legal issues within DRTx priorities and RJI parameters, including discrimination, reasonable accommodations, housing, public benefits, Medicaid, access to government programs and services, and disability-related disaster issues.
Conduct legal research, analyze facts and applicable law, develop legal strategies and interventions, and consult with the RJI Attorney Project Coordinator as needed.
Prepare legal documents, including pleadings, briefs, memoranda, administrative complaints, discovery, correspondence, and settlement documents.
Interview clients, witnesses, community members, and other stakeholders, and review records and evidence.
Provide legal services through community-based clinics, mobile or regional outreach, and other RJI service-delivery models.
Build and maintain productive relationships with community organizations, schools, libraries, healthcare providers, disability organizations, faith-based organizations, legal aid providers, and other trusted local institutions.
Collaborate with RJI partner organizations, Community Justice Workers, community navigators, intake personnel, pro bono attorneys, and other project personnel.
Provide legal guidance, technical assistance, training, and mentorship to project staff, community partners, pro bono attorneys, and other legal service providers, consistent with role, competence, policy, and supervision requirements.
Develop and deliver community education, Know Your Rights presentations, legal clinics, and other educational programs in coordination with the RJI Attorney Project Coordinator and approved plans.
Identify emerging legal needs, recurring barriers, service gaps, and systemic issues affecting low-income people with disabilities in assigned communities, and communicate them to project leadership.
Support sustainable local legal capacity by developing referral relationships, pro bono partnerships, community access points, and other resources.
Maintain accurate and timely case and project records and collect information required for DRTx and RJI grant reporting, evaluation, and performance requirements.
Participate in project training, cross-training, case rounds, coalition activities, and professional development, including training related to IDEA, Section 504, the ADA, Texas Education Code, ARD procedures, evaluations, discipline, TEA complaints, and due process.
Travel regularly throughout the assigned rural service area and periodically to other Texas locations for representation, hearings, trials, clinics, outreach, training, meetings, and other work activities.
Apply relevant laws, regulations, professional rules, DRTx policies, grant requirements, and ethical standards.
Manage workload and competing priorities independently while meeting deadlines, project deliverables, and organizational expectations.
Communicate regularly with the RJI Attorney Project Coordinator about cases, deadlines, strategy, community commitments, workload, and matters requiring consultation or escalation.
Perform other job-related duties consistent with the position and the purposes of the RJI.