Access to Justice Project
Staff Attorney
March 2024
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Who We Are
Public Justice, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that takes on the biggest systemic threats to justice of our time – abusive corporate power and predatory practices, the assault on civil rights and liberties, and the destruction of the earth’s sustainability – is seeking to hire a staff attorney with at least four years of relevant litigation experience in our Access to Justice Project.
Public Justice connects high-impact litigation with strategic communications and the strength of our partnerships to fight these abusive and discriminatory systems and win social and economic justice. In particular, we ensure access to the civil justice system, protect students’ civil rights, fight to end modern-day debtors’ prisons, enforce the nation’s most important environmental laws, and much more.
The Access to Justice Project seeks to make the civil court system a fair, equitable, and effective tool for those with less power to win just outcomes and hold those with more power accountable.
The Project challenges and removes the key inequities that block access to justice through the civil courts and creates new opportunities to make the civil courts an effective tool for equitable justice. To achieve this outcome, Access to Justice works with a network of litigators, organizations, and others who share our vision, and in partnership with them, identifies, assesses, and prioritizes key barriers and opportunities for a just and equitable civil court system.
The Access to Justice Project works toward these goals primarily through strategic high-impact litigation, but also supports coalition advocacy and works to educate and engage on these topics. The Project’s current areas of focus are combatting the use of forced arbitration, restrictive standing doctrines, excessive court secrecy, federal preemption of state-law claims, undue limitations on class actions, limits on accountability for law enforcement and detention abuses, and the narrowing of the use of disparate impact theories.
For more information about the litigation and advocacy work of the Access to Justice Project, visit our website here.
What We Are Looking For
The person selected for this position will focus on impact litigation that furthers the ability of consumers to bring certain types of federal statutory claims. That includes work in the areas of standing, class actions, and arbitration. This position has a term of three years, which may be extended at the end of the term depending on funding.
This is an exempt position and reports to the Director of the Access to Justice Project. Our strong preference is for this position to be based in our Washington D.C. office, but we will consider applications from especially qualified candidates seeking to work in our Oakland, CA, office or remotely from other parts of the country. Because Public Justice handles litigation, education, and advocacy nationally, the position will entail some travel.
Key Responsibilities:
• Serve as lead counsel or co-counsel in the investigation and development of impact litigation that furthers the relevant strategic goals of the Access to Justice Project and the mission of Public Justice.
• Participate in the full range of litigation tasks involved in the Access to Justice Project, primarily legal research and analysis, briefing, and oral arguments, client representation, and, occasionally, factual investigation, discovery, and settlement negotiation.
• Review requests for representation and develop appropriate cases, appeals, amicus briefs, and special legal projects.
• Develop and engage in a broad range of legal advocacy through and outside the courts (including drafting and reviewing legislation; drafting rulemaking petitions, comments to agencies, letters, fact sheets and other materials; and participating in meetings and events). regarding the relevant Access to Justice Project’s advocacy priorities.
• Participate in developing and implementing a communications plan to educate lawmakers, trial lawyers, grassroots supporters, and others about the barriers hindering access to and effective use of civil courts.
• Build networks and collaborate with allies to fight corporate and governmental abuses and ensure a robust and equitable civil court system.
• Participate in strategic planning and other planning initiatives for the Access to Justice Project.
• Supervise legal fellows, externs, and law clerks engaged in relevant Access to Justice projects as needed.
Experience, Skills & Qualifications
• J.D. degree and at least four years of relevant litigation experience, which can include a clerkship or fellowship.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and speaking skills and the ability to modulate writing and speaking style for different types of audiences.
• Excellent outreach and networking skills.
• Litigation experience with progressively increasing responsibilities for case management.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks at a time and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Self-motivation and proven ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to develop a long-range plan and to set intermediate goals towards achieving those long-range objectives, including the ability to be flexible and shift goals as necessary.
• Familiarity with, or interest in and ability to quickly gain familiarity with, the Access to Justice Project’s areas of substantive focus.
• Sensitivity to the needs and concerns of, and ability to work well with, individuals and groups from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to follow-through.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Healthy sense of outrage and desire to change the world for the better.
Salary
We offer a mission-focused work environment, a teamwork and community-oriented approach, and a competitive compensation package. Our attorneys are paid on a salary scale based on years out of law school. The annual salary for a staff attorney who is four years out of law school is $99,000.
Benefits
• Four-day work week
• Flexible schedule
• Three weeks of paid vacation
• Two weeks of sick leave
• Two personal days each year
• All federal holidays and some local holidays off (Public Justice acknowledges there are various religious and cultural holidays that are important to our team. We encourage team members to take any days necessary for observing holidays and celebrations that are central to their faith tradition or communities.)
• Employer-sponsored health plan
• 401 (k) plan
How to Apply
Your application should consist of two electronic files:
• (1) Cover letter that conveys why you are drawn to Public Justice’s mission and the objectives of this position and how your experience fits with those objectives. Please specify in your cover letter whether you are applying to work in the Washington, D.C. office, the Oakland, CA office, or remotely.
• (1) Resume.
• (1) Law school transcript (official or unofficial).
• (1) Contact information for three references.
• Separate PDF file of (2) Writing sample, preferably a legal brief or memorandum unedited or only lightly edited by another, including a cover sheet explaining the extent of editing by someone else.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials by Thursday, May 2, 2024, at which point applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Please submit both files to staffattorney@publicjustice.net with the subject line: “A2J Staff Attorney.” For more information, please visit our website at www.publicjustice.net.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access
We recognize that creating a truly equitable, inclusive, and diverse organization is an ongoing journey, and we’re proud and excited to share our journey with you. Please read our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy, available here.
Public Justice is an equal-opportunity employer and values a diverse workplace. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equitable employment opportunities are available to all applicants. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, national origin, citizenship of immigration status, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. People of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and gender diverse people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, people living with disabilities, veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.
Public Justice is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodations during any part of the hiring process, please email mmediavilla@publicjustice.net.
Studies have shown that members of marginalized groups tend to underestimate their qualifications and are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications in a job description, despite the reality that applicants rarely ever meet 100% of the qualifications. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization and are most interested in finding the best candidate for the role. That candidate may come from a background less traditional to our field of work, and that’s okay! We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.