Staff Attorney

About YSRP: The Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP) seeks to end the practice of prosecuting youth in the adult criminal legal system. In the meantime, YSRP seeks to lessen the duration and impact of adult criminal sentences on children and their families who are primarily low-income and Black and Brown. Through individual cases and systemic policy advocacy, we work to transform the experiences of children prosecuted in the adult criminal legal system, and to ensure that children who have contact with the adult system can return home and live full lives with dignity. We partner with court-involved youth, their families, and lawyers to develop holistic, humanizing narratives that mitigate the facts of each case in an effort to avoid adult incarceration and provide decision-makers with actionable alternatives. With a commitment to honoring our client-partners’ agency and self-determined goals, we make crucial connections to community resources, providing our youth and Juvenile Lifer client-partners with connections to supportive services including in the areas of education, healthcare, housing, and employment. Finally, we work to raise awareness of the issues that face young people in the adult criminal legal system and to reform the system. For more information about YSRP’s mission, values, and work, please visit our website.

About the Position: YSRP seeks an experienced attorney to support our Case Advocacy team. This is a Philadelphia based staff position that reports to the Legal Director.

The Staff Attorney will be responsible for the following key duties:

• Case Oversight: Manage and maintain a caseload of individual youth facing charges in the adult criminal legal system. Casework includes but is not limited to:
  • Partnering with criminal defense attorneys representing youth facing charges in the adult criminal legal system to provide comprehensive mitigation support and reentry planning in their cases;
  • Supervising law student interns and other volunteers in working closely with the young person themself, and their family/support network to develop mitigation reports and preliminary reentry plans for submission to the court, and continuing to support them through any period of incarceration and once they return to the community. (Note: The Staff Attorney will sometimes work on cases individually or take over cases from students or volunteers.); and
  • Securing cases and establishing attorney partnerships; conducting regular jail, prison and juvenile detention facility visits; visiting family members’ homes; and attending court, writing reports, investigating, and providing courtroom and other forms of support.
• Youth Advocacy Project (YAP): Supervise YSRP’s graduate student pro bono program at the University of Pennsylvania through which law and social work students work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams on behalf of youth charged as adults in Philadelphia. This includes coordinating with students to develop and implement student trainings and providing direct supervision to students each semester on individual cases. Please note: This is not an academic/clinical program, but a pro bono project run by student volunteers; prior clinical teaching experience is not required.
• Case Consultation and Technical Assistance (in coordination with Legal Director):
  • Respond to outreach from attorneys in other jurisdictions regarding Direct File Juvenile and/or related case questions.
  • Share resources, including sample motions, with attorneys handling Direct File Juvenile and/or related case questions.
  • Conduct and/or participate in trainings, including Continuing Legal Education programs, related to YSRP’s work.
• Know Your Rights (KYR): KYR is a program that aims to support children charged as adults held in adult custody in Philadelphia by teaching them about their legal process. The program is facilitated by YAP students and supervised by the Staff Attorney. This includes:
  • Attending biweekly in-person sessions with YAP students at Riverside Correctional Facility providing information about the legal system to the children;
  • Attending meetings to plan and debrief the sessions;
  • Developing curriculum and materials; and
  • Onboarding and training YAP students.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor degree;
• At least two (2) years experience practicing law (Philadelphia, Montgomery, and/or Delaware County criminal trial practice preferred); and
• Prior supervisory experience preferred.

Skills & Values:

• Demonstrated alignment with YSRP’s mission and values as a racial justice organization;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, sense of humor, and compassion;
• Outstanding, demonstrated organizational, administrative, and analytical skills;
• Self-motivated, resourceful team player with the ability to multitask and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment;
• Ability to work collaboratively with youth, families, and community partners. including responding to communication from youth client-partners and family members;
• Demonstrated interest in YSRP’s mission and/or experience working with youth;
• Experience liaising with community-based organizations;
• Experience with Google Workspace;
• Comfortable working a hybrid schedule;
• Willingness to work evenings and to travel as needed; and
• Ability to handle sensitive information confidentially.

Compensation:

Starting salary for the Staff Attorney is $85,000. This is a full-time, exempt position. YSRP offers a comprehensive benefits package, including 100% employer-paid health and dental insurance, retirement benefits, short-term disability and life insurance, Health Reimbursement Arrangement, and generous paid time off.

Logistics:

This is a hybrid position. YSRP staff are expected to be in the office at least two days per week, with a final schedule to be mutually agreed upon between the Staff Attorney and the Legal Director.

How to Apply:

Submit your resume along with answers to the following questions (in place of a cover letter) by email to hiring@ysrp.org with “Staff Attorney Applicant” and your last name in the subject line:

1. Why do you want to work at YSRP?
2. How do your skills align with this job?
3. In what ways do you prioritize racial justice and/or ending mass incarceration in your life and experience?

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates will only be contacted if selected for further consideration. No phone calls, please.

We aim to recruit a diverse pool of candidates, and Black, indigenous and other people of color, and people who are directly impacted by incarceration -- or who have a family member who has been directly impacted -- are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.