Supervising Attorney - Workers' Rights

UFW Foundation • Bakersfield, CA

3d • $85,000 - $105,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The UFW Foundation is seeking a Supervising Attorney to build and lead its new Workers' Rights program. This role involves not just managing cases but also creating the program's structure, team, and operational playbook. The program aims to address critical issues faced by farm workers, such as heat-related illnesses, wage theft, and workplace retaliation. The attorney will oversee a docket of cases, conduct investigations, build partnerships, and supervise a team of legal professionals. This is an opportunity to create a vital program from the ground up, ensuring farm workers have the legal protections they deserve.

Requirements

• Active California bar membership, in good standing.
• Minimum 3 years of workers’ rights experience.
• Functional bilingual proficiency in Spanish and English, sufficient to conduct a client intake or explain legal options directly without an interpreter.
• Valid driver's license and reliable vehicle access for regional travel.

Nice To Haves

• 5 years of workers' rights experience.
• Experience building, launching, or substantially redesigning a legal services program or initiative from the ground up.
• Experience identifying systemic violations suitable for class actions, amicus work, or policy engagement.
• Experience owning funder reporting, program metrics, or grant compliance data.
• Track record building relationships with worker centers, grassroots organizations, or pro bono networks.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a docket of cases, including individual actions, class actions, and amicus briefs to enforce labor standards.
• Handle individual representation for wage theft, workplace retaliation, misclassification, and sexual harassment, in administrative proceedings (wage claims, unemployment, OSHA, retaliation) and in state or federal court.
• Conduct intake interviews, assess client needs, and give clients a clear analysis of their case, relief options, and next steps.
• Investigate employer policies and practices that violate wage, safety, or health protections.
• Identify systemic violations suitable for class actions, amicus work, or policy engagement, and analyze proposed legislation and enforcement policy affecting worker protections.
• Design and operationalize protocols for a legal services program that doesn't exist yet.
• Own funder reporting, program metrics, and case management data quality for grant compliance.
• Build and strengthen relationships with worker centers, grassroots organizations, and other nonprofit partners.
• Supervise and mentor a regional team of attorneys, legal assistants, and fellows, reviewing work product before filing.
• Distribute and monitor caseload across the team, holding a consistent quality and compliance bar.
• Recruit, train, and mentor pro bono and low-bono attorneys to take on cases.
• Provide training and technical assistance to your team and coordinate with your supervisor.
• Identify patterns across cases, such as shifts in DHS state agencies’ practice, and translate them into advocacy or program adjustments.

Benefits

• Salary: $85,000–$105,000 annually, depending on experience, with yearly increases tied to individual, team, and organizational performance.
• Health coverage: medical, dental, and vision, with the majority of premiums paid by UFW Foundation and pre-taxed.
• Retirement: the Juan de la Cruz Pension Plan (automatic enrollment, guaranteed 6.5% interest), a 403(b) with a 2% dollar-for-dollar match after 90 days providing employees contribute a minimum of 2% of their annual salary, and a Fidelity 401(k) available from your date of hire.
• Time off: 2–4 weeks of vacation depending on tenure, 16 paid holidays including a floating personal day, 6 paid sick days, 1 mental health day, and 5 days of bereavement leave per immediate family member.
• Support: a no-cost Employee Assistance Program, free access to thousands of professional development courses, and a 20% discount on immigration services for you and your family.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed