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 Opportunity Under Law (OUL) was formed in 2014 to expand Public Counsel’s longstanding economic justice and impact litigation practice. Public Counsel’s Opportunity Under Law combats economic injustice in all its forms using a model of community-based, strategic campaigns combining impact litigation, organizing, and communications. These campaigns affect large groups of people within California and nationwide and address structural inequities and discrimination on the basis of race, wealth, disability, gender, and/or immigration status. Current areas of focus include education equity, children’s rights, combatting homelessness, immigrants’ rights, criminalization of poverty, and low-wage workers’ rights. For more information, visit https://publiccounsel.org/programs/opportunity-under-law/. 

Reporting to the Director and Supervising Staff Attorney of Public Counsel’s Opportunity Under Law Project, the new Staff Attorney will join the OUL team in litigating complex federal and state impact cases to promote civil rights and economic justice. The Staff Attorney will be responsible for working on existing cases and campaigns and developing new impact litigation opportunities in collaboration with the Director of OUL, Project staff, staff in Public Counsel’s other projects, and volunteer attorneys, and complete other job duties as assigned.

• Juris Doctor degree and a member in good standing of the California Bar;
• Three to five years of litigation experience (including clerkships and fellowships) preferred;
• Demonstrated ability to litigate independently and under pressure, preferably in a civil rights or public interest context;
• Experience and competence in working closely with community-based organizations and people of diverse cultural, geographic, and economic backgrounds, including individuals who are low-income and racially diverse;
• A commitment to economic, racial, and social justice and community lawyering;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; 
• Spanish-language proficiency preferred.

• This position is available immediately and is a full-time, exempt position. Salary is commensurate with abilities and experience; the salary range for a Staff Attorney with 3-5 years of experience is $68,725-$72,775. 
• This position is part of the bargaining unit.
• 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 a discretionary employer contribution after a year of employment, and 
• Employer-paid life insurance and disability plans.
• Generous paid time off and compensatory time up to 40 hours per calendar year 
• 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. 

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 is generally office-based, but remote work has been permitted during the pandemic. As of June 6, 2022, all employees with Public Counsel will be required to work in the office at least one day per week, at the discretion of the head of department. This policy is subject to redesign by leadership. Public Counsel will work in a manner consistent with public health and local and state emergency orders. 

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.