Supervising Staff Attorney, Consumer Rights & Economic Justice

Public Counsel is the largest pro bono public interest law firm in the country. Founded in 1970, it is dedicated to advancing equal justice under law and addressing economic, racial, social, and other inequities by delivering free legal and social services to the most vulnerable members of our community. Public Counsel operates eight legal projects: Children’s Rights, Community Development, Consumer Rights & Economic Justice, Homelessness Prevention, Immigrants’ Rights, Veterans’ Rights, the Audrey Irmas Project for Women & Girls’ Rights, and our impact litigation project, Opportunity Under Law. 

Public Counsel has a full-time staff of over 130. We are committed to building a diverse staff and encourage applications from people of color, people with disabilities, and people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities.

Public Counsel’s Consumer Rights & Economic Justice (“CREJ”) Project is one of the oldest projects within Public Counsel. Our mission is to advance economic justice by providing legal counsel for, and advocacy on behalf of low-income individuals and their families, addressing inequalities in bargaining power, opposing those who take advantage of the vulnerable, and holding wrongdoers accountable.

Public Counsel’s Appellate Self-Help Clinic has been operating out of the Second District Court of Appeal since 2008. With new grant funding we are expanding the clinic from one to three days per week. The Appellate Self-Help Clinic is part of the Consumer Rights & Economic Justice (“CREJ”) Project, which also includes the Federal Pro Se Clinic.  

This is a part time (3 days per week) Supervising Staff Attorney position for an attorney with up to 10 years of Appellate Law experience. The successful candidate will join the Consumer Rights & Economic Justice team. 

The principal responsibilities will be to: 

• Manage the provision of appellate self-help services in the Second District State Court of Appeal three days per week; 
• Manage existing grants and ensure deliverables are accurately accounted for and reported; 
• Assist the Directing Attorney in pursuing grant opportunities and assist in grant writing in relation to appellate and access to justice work; 
• Directly supervise paralegal/administrative staff members and pro bono volunteers in the delivery of appellate self-help services; 
• Liaise with court staff at all levels to ensure the smooth-running of clinic operations; 
• Conduct outreach to organizations throughout the Second District Court of Appeal geographical area to publicize the clinic; 
• Develop self-help and instructional materials for litigants, including videos; 
• Assist the Directing Attorney to build up a network of pro bono contacts; 
• Provide training where necessary to enable pro bonos to effectively serve self-represented litigants; 
• Work with local law schools to develop externship programs; 
• Work with the Directing Attorney in matters of administration, policy, strategy and otherwise as needed to ensure transparent and effective delivery of appellate self-help services; 
• Contribute to the team and organization as a whole by taking part in organization-wide activities, including integrating diversity, equity and inclusion policies into our work and workplace.

• Admission to California Bar;
• Extensive post-law school experience as an attorney, up to 10 years of experience;
• Certified Appellate Specialists will be considered with up to 10 years of post-law school experience;
• Extensive experience in and knowledge of appellate procedure and practice;
• Demonstrated interest in public interest work;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well as part of a team;
• Experience working with low-income, diverse ethnic groups, and non-English speaking clients desirable;
• Experience in grant writing, grant management and grant reporting desirable;
• Supervisory experience desirable;
• Experience in policy advocacy or a willingness to engage in policy advocacy work desirable;
• Experience in developing pro bono networks desirable;
• Spanish-language fluency desirable;
• A commitment to economic, racial, and social justice and community lawyering.

• Part-time, Exempt position working 3 days per week
• Bargaining
• The full-time salary range for a Staff Attorney with 10 years of experience is $86,500 plus a Supervisor supplement of $5,000. Note: Base salary will be prorated to account for part-time status.

• This position is currently funded from 6/1/2022-12/31/2023. Public Counsel cannot guarantee employment past this time.
• This position is based at the Second District Court of Appeal in Downtown Los Angeles 

• • Public Counsel offers the following benefits to part-time employees working more than 20 hours:
• Holiday and sick time pay,
• After six months, part-time employees accrue vacation time, and
• A 403(b) retirement plan with elective contribution and an employer contribution after a year of employment.  

• Parking and transit benefits

We value lived experiences and experiences working with clients across a range of settings. Please consider discussing such experiences in your cover letter, especially if they are not reflected in your resume. 

Please click on this link to apply: 

https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/1070844/Public-Counsel/Supervising-Staff-Attorney—Consumer-Rights-Economic-Justice 

Public Counsel requires vaccination against COVID-19 for all employees, including new hires. Pursuant to federal and state laws, Public Counsel will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship.

Public Counsel follows all emergency state and local orders arising from the current COVID-19 crisis. 

Public Counsel is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate against employees or prospective employees on the basis of union membership or activity, race, religious creed, religious observance, ethnicity, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or predisposition, military service, military and veteran status, pregnancy, child birth and related medical conditions, marital and family status, national origin, ancestry, age, medical conditions as defined by state or federal law, or disability, or any other basis prohibited by law.

All qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

Our leadership team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities discipline, discharge and general treatment during employment.