Staff Attorney

Children's Rights•New York, NY

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a full-time staff attorney with 2-4 years of applicable litigation experience to join our nationally recognized impact litigation program and support our commitment to government accountability and social justice for children, with a desired start date by September 8, 2026. This is an exceptional opportunity for an early-career litigator to play a meaningful role in complex, high-impact cases from investigation through trial, settlement, monitoring and long-term implementation. Staff attorneys receive substantial responsibility, close mentorship, and the opportunity to work along with leading advocates, experts, and community partners to achieve lasting change for children and families. About Children’s Rights Children’s Rights is a premier 30+-year-old national children’s advocacy nonprofit organization based in New York City that uses civil rights impact litigation, policy expertise, and public education to hold governments accountable for keeping all kids safe and healthy. Our work addresses a range of historical and emerging social justice issues impacting children. Recent legal and advocacy campaigns have targeted dangerous conditions and the unnecessary placement of youth in congregate care facilities in the foster and juvenile carceral systems the lack of community-based mental health services for Medicaid-eligible children, the unjust treatment of immigrant children and families in federal custody, the unsafe administration of powerful and dangerous psychotropic drugs to children in the foster system without adequate oversight, the unnecessary and devastating surveillance, investigation and separation of Black children from their families, systemic discrimination against LGBTQIA+ youth in custodial settings, and the grave outcomes for older youth “aging” out of child-serving systems. Position Summary: Children’s Rights attorneys, working with local advocates and lived experts, investigate specific problems in failing systems, develop lawsuits or other advocacy campaigns where appropriate, conduct extensive discovery, work with substantive experts, prepare cases for trial or negotiated settlement, and negotiate, and where necessary, enforce implementation of court ordered reforms.

Requirements

2 to 4 years of applicable litigation experience
Highly motivated and passionate about the work
Interested in further developing litigation skills, including strategy formulation, under high-quality supervision
Interested in developing professionally to take on increasing leadership roles in complex impact litigation
Outstanding research, writing and analytical skills
Fluency with litigation and discovery, technological tools and Microsoft Office Suite
Sound strategic judgment and emotional intelligence
Strong communication/interpersonal skills and ability to develop relationships
A healthy sense of humor
A passion for social justice and the broader aspects of systemic reform and its policy implications

Nice To Haves

Judicial clerkships
Law firm or public interest experience
Experience in one or more of the following areas: complex federal litigation, class action litigation, civil rights litigation, child welfare, juvenile justice, constitutional law, disability rights, immigration, Medicaid, education, LGBTQIA+ rights, or other areas related to Children's Rights' mission.
Individuals whose personal, professional, or community experiences—including direct or lived experience with the public systems our work seeks to improve—bring valuable perspectives to our advocacy.

Responsibilities

Conduct factual investigations and legal research in support of complex impact litigation.
Draft pleadings, motions, briefs, discovery requests, and other litigation filings.
Take and defend depositions and engage in all phases of discovery, with increasing levels of responsibility.
Participate in witness preparation, evidentiary hearings, trials, settlement negotiations, and appellate litigation, as appropriate.
Collaborate closely with clients, community partners, impacted youth and families, co-counsel, experts, and government officials.
Monitor compliance with court orders and negotiated settlements, including reviewing performance data and participating in implementation discussions with government agencies, court-appointed monitors, and other stakeholders.
Serve as an active member of multiple litigation and advocacy teams.
Perform other duties as organizational needs require.