Staff Attorney or Senior Attorney

Youth Law Center

9d•Remote

About The Position

The Youth Law Center (YLC) is seeking a full-time Staff Attorney or Senior Attorney to contribute to their work on behalf of youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. This role requires prior advocacy experience with youth-serving systems and a California bar license or willingness to obtain one. The attorney will join a collaborative team, with responsibilities shaped by organizational priorities and the candidate's expertise. The work may encompass areas such as education, mental health access, public benefits, housing, and healthy transitions to adulthood for system-impacted youth. A key focus may involve systems reform and policy advocacy concerning technology, digital platforms, data systems, and artificial intelligence, aiming to ensure public systems use technology to expand access and create opportunities for young people. Responsibilities will differ based on the Staff or Senior Attorney level but will include providing technical assistance to legal aid providers, supporting community advocates and directly-impacted youth and families, conducting advocacy at various levels, educating stakeholders on legal and policy opportunities, collaborating across YLC teams, and utilizing tools like litigation and legislation to improve outcomes for system-impacted youth.

Requirements

Current active bar license or willingness to obtain California licensure, either by passing the California bar exam or applying for RLAA status
Demonstrated ability as an advocate in juvenile justice, foster care, education, health, youth homelessness, or a closely-related field
Substantive experience and knowledge of civil legal practices impacting systems-involved youth, including education, public benefits, health access, housing, foster care entries and extended care, and others
Interest in and ability to engage with emerging issues related to technology, digital systems, data use, and artificial intelligence as they affect systems-impacted youth’s access to education, benefits, services, legal protections, and opportunity
Creativity and thoughtfulness in challenging the status quo
Ability to think strategically and analytically and to identify policy issues
Excellent interpersonal, listening, and communication skills, including the ability to facilitate, write persuasively and clearly, and to build strong partnerships and coalitions
Experience and ability to communicate and collaborate with diverse groups of people, including families and youth (especially older youth with lived experience) and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace
Deep commitment to elevating the voices of young people impacted by the foster care and juvenile justice systems and the voices of the organizations that work on their behalf
Capacity to take initiative on identified goals, manage multiple tasks simultaneously, work independently, and meet deadlines
Flexibility and adaptability in response to changing priorities and circumstances
Ability to work individually and collaborate effectively with others in a fully remote environment
Ability to travel regularly for a variety of meetings, events, and other activities
A minimum of one year of post-law school experience as a practicing attorney (Staff Attorney Level)
Experience using a variety of advocacy strategies, such as litigation, direct service, and/or policy advocacy (Staff Attorney Level)
A minimum of five years’ post-law school experience as a practicing attorney (Senior Attorney Level)
Prior experience with project coordination, leading small project teams, and/or supervising staff (Senior Attorney Level)
Experience developing and executing a variety of advocacy strategies, such as litigation, direct service, policy advocacy, training and public education, and/or strategic communications (Senior Attorney Level)

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with AI tools or governance issues is helpful but not required

Responsibilities

Supporting CA civil legal aid providers through technical assistance, training, and advocacy support to address the individual legal needs of youth impacted by systems and their families
Supporting community advocates, organizers, and directly-impacted young people and their families in their efforts to address the unique needs of systems-impacted children, youth, and young adults, with a focus on ensuring that, whenever possible, young people have every opportunity to live in the community with family with appropriate supports
Conducting advocacy at the local, state, and systems levels on issues affecting systems-impacted youth, including the role of technology, access to mental health and other community-based services, and related priorities
Educating stakeholders on new legal and policy opportunities to better meet the needs of systems-impacted youth
Collaborating across YLC’s legal, policy, and program teams to advance organization-wide advocacy goals
Using a variety of tools—such as litigation, legislation, media, and narrative change work—to improve outcomes for students impacted by the foster care and juvenile justice systems

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and life insurance
EAP
Healthcare and dependent care FSA plans
Pre-tax commuter benefits plan
401k with up to 4% employer match
Remote workstation equipment
Remote work expense reimbursement
Health plan premiums are currently 100% employer-paid for staff and all enrolled family members
Unlimited paid vacation
13 accrued sick days
11+ paid holidays annually
Paid parental leave after one year of service