ABOUT PUBLIC COUNSEL

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.

ABOUT CONSUMER RIGHTS & ECONOMIC JUSTICE (CREJ)

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.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Directing Attorney the new Staff Attorney will:

1. Litigate impact cases as part of co-counsel teams, including working on a bail-related anti-trust class action;
2. Assist the Directing Attorney in coordinating the team’s policy advocacy efforts;
3. Provide direct legal services to low-income consumers across a range of consumer matters including debt, quiet title, auto, fraud and predatory lending;
4. Assist Directing Attorney and team with research and writing projects and internal and external grant reporting;
5. Other duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL JOB SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Admission to the California Bar;
• Demonstrated litigation skills;
• Excellent oral advocacy skills;
• Excellent legal research and writing skills;
• The ability to quickly assimilate complex case facts;
• Good attention to detail;
• Demonstrated negotiation skills;
• Spanish-language fluency desirable;
• Policy advocacy experience desirable;
• Consumer law experience desirable;
• 1-7 years’ experience as an attorney;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well as part of a team;
• Experience working with low-income, racially diverse, and non-English speaking clients;
• A commitment to economic, racial, and social justice.

JOB TYPE AND BENEFITS

• Full-time, Exempt position
• Bargaining
• Salary range $65,000- $79,000 depending on number of years’ experience
• Public Counsel offers a competitive benefits package including:
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with both HMO and PPO options, 
• The option to enroll in a Flexible Spending Account, 
• A 403(b) retirement plan with elective contribution and an employer contribution after a year of employment, and 
• Employer-paid life insurance and disability plans.
• Generous paid time off
• Parking and transit benefits

HOW TO APPLY

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. 

PUBLIC COUNSEL VACCINATION POLICY AND COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

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. Though generally this position is office-based, currently all staff must work remotely from their homes. Public Counsel will assess when the physical office will reopen in a manner consistent with public health and local and state emergency orders.

PUBLIC COUNSEL EEO POLICY

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.