Bilingual Staff Attorney – Workers’ Rights & Community Justice
In partnership with the Central Valley Empowerment Alliance (CVEA), California Center for Movement Legal Services (Movement Legal) is launching a new legal services initiative to support farmworkers in the Central Valley from Merced County to Kern County with labor violations, wage theft, workplace retaliation, and wraparound legal needs.
The attorney will provide direct legal services to farmworkers facing employment-related harm. Working collaboratively with CVEA and other community organizations, the attorney will help tailor services to the evolving needs of the community. While the work will be employment-law heavy, the approach is holistic and rooted in the understanding that workers’ rights extend beyond the workplace—addressing interconnected issues such as housing access, and other social determinants of wellbeing. The position blends litigation and community lawyering, focused on access, dignity, and system-level impact.
Core Responsibilities:
Provide legal advice and direct representation in employment matters, including wage theft, health/safety violations, retaliation, and leave protections.
Assist with administrative claims before DLSE, Cal/OSHA, and other state agencies.
Support field-based legal clinics and pop-up services in collaboration with CVEA.
Conduct know your rights workshops and develop outreach materials.
Supervise intake, scheduling, and client communication.
Support training and mentorship of support staff on triage, legal navigation, and systems advocacy.
Track systemic issues and identify cases with high-impact or organizing potential.
Coordinate holistic support for clients by identifying and connecting them to appropriate legal services, both within the organization and through external partners.
Assist with grant reporting and other outward facing communications.
Required Qualifications:
Must live within 60 mins of Tulare County and have an active license to practice law in California, in good standing.
1 to 4 years of experience in labor/employment law or workers’ rights advocacy.
Bilingual in English and Spanish (spoken and written).
Additional language fluency (Mixteco, Tagalog, Ilocano, Hmong) strongly preferred.
Strong legal research and writing skills.
Demonstrable commitment to racial, economic, and immigrant justice.
Ability to work some evenings/weekends in alignment with community schedules.
Comfortable with mobile, on-site legal work in agricultural areas and community settings.
Preferred Qualifications:
Lived experience in immigrant, low-wage, or rural communities.
Experience working in collaboration with community-based organizations or organizers.
Familiarity with trauma-informed legal practices and non-punitive intake structures.
Ability to mentor or train non-attorney community advocates.
Compensation and Benefits:
Salary: $80,000–$90,000 depending on experience
Relocation Stipend
100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision (dependents included) -8% employer 401(k) contribution -$500 FSA contribution + dependent care FSA
Two weeks of paid time off during the organization’s annual end-of-year closure
Generous PTO, sick leave, and parental leave
To Apply:
Please send a resume and a brief cover letter to: Margaret DeMatteo, Directing Attorney
Email: mdematteo@movementlegal.org
Subject line: Bilingual Staff Attorney – Workers’ Rights
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We strongly encourage you to apply if you’ve been a worker, organizer, or advocate before becoming a lawyer; you believe the law should serve people, not systems; you’re ready to build something with and for the community—not just represent it.
Equal Opportunity Statement Movement Legal is an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek applicants from marginalized communities including BIPOC, immigrants, formerly incarcerated people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those from working-class backgrounds. We hire for mission and values alignment, not credentialism.