Staff Attorney

PURPOSE DIGNITY ACTION • Seattle, WA

12h • Remote

About The Position

The Staff Attorney will offer trauma-informed legal services to clients in the LEAD and CoLEAD programs, all of whom were referred and approved for program participation because of their exposure to enforcement and legal system sanctions. LEAD and CoLEAD are pre-booking community-based alternatives (not court-based). Participants tend to have a wide array of longstanding barriers and obstacles that need to be addressed to improve chances of stabilization, recovery and thriving; the effort to tackle many of these obstacles benefits from help from legal counsel.

The attorney will provide representation across a wide range of participants’ legal needs. Common practice areas include eviction, immigration, family and dependency law, public benefits issues, debt relief, warrant quash assistance, and post-conviction relief. However, the legal practice is defined by its varied scope rather than a single focus area. Due to the varied scope, the position will require the Staff Attorney to learn new areas of law to provide direct representation, or connect clients to existing legal aid providers in the community.

LEAD clients face a variety of challenges, including homelessness, mental illness, and substance use, that can complicate their ability to engage with legal services. Legal services will be provided through the principles of harm-reduction—meeting clients where they are in a way that is responsive to their specific needs. The attorney will work closely with client case managers at the LEAD direct service provider agencies (presently, Evergreen Treatment Services REACH Program, Community Passageways, and Downtown Emergency Service Center’s (DESC) Community Outreach and Advocacy Team (COAT)), and case managers with PDA’s lodging-based CoLEAD program, to ensure that the legal representation plan aligns with the client’s broader social service goals.

The Staff Attorney may be part of PDA’s broader work of advancing criminal legal system reform to address racial disparities in the criminal legal system. This work may be done using policy advocacy, impact litigation, and/or legal representation, and limited lobbying.

The Staff Attorney will work on a team of four attorneys and two paralegals.

Requirements

• J.D.
• Member, in good-standing, of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA); or ability to quickly obtain APR 8(c) admission, with full WSBA admission by May 2026.
• Combination of criminal and civil practice experience desired; experience specifically with immigration, housing, or family matters preferred.
• Exceptional legal representation, research, oral and written advocacy skills;
• Demonstrated capacity for flexibility, creativity, and innovation, as well as the ability to work on tight and sometimes unpredictable timelines;
• The ability to issue spot, independently and efficiently learn new legal practice areas, and offer representation with a high level of competence
• Demonstrated cultural competence and sensitivity in working with diverse clients, communities, and colleagues;
• Experience providing legal services to individuals who have difficulty consistently engaging in their own representation, including those with mental illness, substance use disorder, and other disabilities;
• Demonstrated commitment to partnership with non-attorney colleagues, with strong conflict management skills and the ability to tactfully engage with external partners

Nice To Haves

• Combination of criminal and civil practice experience desired; experience specifically with immigration, housing, or family matters preferred.

Benefits

• 401k match of up to 4% of salary, beginning after six months of employment
• Annual, 2% of salary, profit sharing contribution to 401k, provided in most years
• Generous medical and dental benefits for employees and family members
• Flexible Spending Agreement for both medical and dependent care needs
• 15 days vacation per year, increasing annually up to 20 days vacation per year, after 5 years
• 12 personal/sick days annually;
• Monthly $50 employer cell phone contribution if required by position

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree