Senior Civil Rights Attorney

CAIR San Diego•San Diego, CA

15d•$90,000 - $115,000•Hybrid

About The Position

To support the growing and complex civil rights legal needs of the American Muslim community, CAIR San Diego is seeking a Senior Staff Attorney – Civil Rights to join our dedicated legal team. This role offers a meaningful opportunity to lead impactful civil rights work in a grassroots, community-centered organization committed to justice, dignity, and empowerment. The Senior Staff Attorney will play a key role in identifying systemic issues and advancing creative, strategic legal solutions to address civil rights violations affecting American Muslims, including employment discrimination, law enforcement harassment, school bullying, and other areas of concern. This position combines direct legal advocacy, leadership, and community engagement in a collaborative and mission-driven environment.

Requirements

Law degree from an American Bar Association-accredited school
California State Bar admission
At minimum five years of full-time experience advocating for, representing and/or litigating on behalf of clients in areas such as employment law, religious discrimination, public accommodation, denial of benefits by governmental and private actors in courts and administrative agencies
Strong time management skills with a demonstrated ability for meeting deadlines
Demonstrated problem-solving skills with outstanding attention to detail
Comfort working productively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
Excellent oral and written communication skills including public speaking experience
Experience working with people from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds
Access to a working vehicle and the ability to drive throughout the San Diego Area
High degree of self-motivation and creativity
A strong commitment to civil rights and CAIR's mission
Basic computer proficiency including knowledge of MS Office, and MS Outlook
Access to reliable transportation

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of cloud applications such as SharePoint, Office365, WestLaw Next, Lexis Nexis and social media applications
Conversational proficiency in Arabic, Farsi or Urdu

Responsibilities

Conduct intakes and investigate legal claims through effective communication with an incredibly diverse community
Manage individual caseload and oversee work of staff on civil rights matters
Identify, develop, and lead litigation in federal and state courts. Prepare pleadings, motions, and briefs; conduct discovery; present oral arguments; and handle appeals
Assist Executive Director, and development team with research, preparation, and submission of grant applications and reports
Develop community education materials, co-create webinars, and provide Know Your Rights (KYR) presentations
Communicate with outside parties such as attorneys, employers, law enforcement agents, administrative agencies, media contacts, etc.
Work to educate and empower community members on their rights through community presentations and material distributions
Travel for outreach including participating in community events and coalition meetings
Teach and mentor Staff Attorneys, supervise staff, law clerks, legal fellows, and volunteers
Assist other staff in the production of internal and external reports
Advance CAIR's administrative and legislative advocacy by providing legal analysis and technical assistance to colleagues in CAIR's other departments; government officials and staff; the media; organizers; and advocates and attorneys nationwide
All CAIR staff are required to assist in general duties such as answering phones, weekly outreach, fundraising and other office tasks.