Senior Staff Attorney

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: Senior Staff Attorney

Mother’s Outreach Network (MON), a nonprofit organization located in Washington, D.C., seeks to fill a full-time position for Senior Staff attorney with a minimum of 5 – 7 years of legal experience.

ABOUT MOTHER’S OUTREACH NETWORK

Mother’s Outreach Network, Inc., (MON) based in Washington DC, is a non-profit, tax-exempt, racial justice and antipoverty advocacy organization that pursues the inclusion and empowerment of Black mothers in the struggle for family preservation by transforming government income and child welfare laws, policies, and practices from punitive to empowering. MON uses movement-lawyering strategies that will build parents’ power to transform systems and that will aid in harm reduction against impacted constituents. MON does so through three primary programs:

• The legal program, which provides representation, advice, and referrals for mothers who are facing adverse administrative decisions, with a focus on matters before the DC Child and Family Services Agency, that negatively impact family preservation and economic security;
• The advocacy program, which seeks to transform income and child welfare/family regulation system policy at the local and federal level; and
• The community engagement program, which includes outreach events, know-your-rights workshops in law and civic activism, as well as community-driven research and mutual-aid.

Staff Attorney Role

Mother’s Outreach Network is seeking a Senior Staff Attorney for its Community Law Program with a minimum of 5 – 7 years legal experience, a critical role in the organization. The position will be responsible for helping to shepherd, develop, and grow MON’s legal practice as a national model for tracking and identifying issues affecting parents and guardians being involved with the child welfare system and living in the low-income wards of Washington, D.C. In addition to providing high-quality legal services to individual clients, the staff attorney will work within MON’s infrastructure to gather information to guide and support MON’s advocacy work.

The Senior Staff attorney will vigorously pursue defensive and affirmative representation to prevent removals of children from their families. This will include representation during the early phases of involvement with District of Columbia’s Child Protective Services. The efforts will also include assistance with third party custody matters and representation for appeals for removal from the Child Protection Register.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working in an organization that is rapidly growing. The culture of the organization requires a contributor who can thrive in a fast-paced environment with the Executive Director, the Associate Director of Advocacy, and other staff. The position reports to the Associate Director of Advocacy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Staff Attorney is required to:

• Manage a full case-load.
• Represent and provide varied pre-petition legal services to mothers who are undergoing investigation by the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) or have open in-home family cases and are being monitored by CFSA as they seek to mitigate the conditions leading to agency involvement and to retain custody of their children.
• Represent parents who have been placed on DC Child and Family Services Agency’s Child Protection Register. This includes conducting outreach to engage clients, client intakes, client interviews, case-related investigations, and referrals, performing discovery, participating in mediations and hearings, communicating with clients, coordinating follow-up with constituents.
• Represent and provide brief legal services to parents who seek assistance in our advice clinics, and community education programs.
• Coordinate and engage in community education, outreach, and communications related to legal programs, our legal clinics, and clinic operations.
• Training will be provided on an ongoing basis
• Recruit and supervise pro bono attorneys and other legal volunteers.
• Other duties related to the position as assigned by the Executive Director and as supported by funding.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

• A commitment to MON’s position regarding the child welfare system to overhaul government laws, policies, and practices from punitive, policing-style family interventions to uplifting, problem-solving supports that help families meet basic life needs such as food, housing, and health care;
• The candidate must possess a Juris Doctor, and have or be able to obtain, DC Bar membership;
• A minimum of 5-7 direct legal services, administrative advocacy and/or litigation experience, including in clinical courses during law school, and preferably within a small law practice or nonprofit setting, commensurate with the role;
• The ability to work independently while contributing to the success of the team;
• Background in criminal law, family law, special education, or civil rights law are highly desirable;
• Poverty-centered focus with attention to racial equity analysis and how these issues impact no and low-income Black mothers;
• Ability to work evenings and weekends for meetings, as needed;
• Experience representing Black families in the child welfare system a plus;
• The ability to work independently as well as part of a team;
• Trauma-informed and culturally competent, sensitive, and compassionate advocacy skills;
• Strong work ethic;
• Excellent legal research and writing skills;
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks at a time and to thrive in a fast-paced environment;
• Enthusiasm to learn, take direction, and accept constructive feedback;
• Ability to work and meet with others in a hybrid environment;
• Flexible, positive and passionate about Mother’s Outreach Network’s mission and values.

COMPENSATION

This is a full-time salaried position, and the salary is $90,000 -$95,000 per year. A health, dental and vision benefits package is provided: health insurance is covered by 100% for the employee and available to dependents. All federal holidays and all holidays observed by the District of Columbia are observed, as well as the week between Christmas and New Year. Qualified attorneys may be eligible for up to $12,000 per year of loan repayment assistance.

TO APPLY

If you are interested, please email a resume, a list of three professional references, a writing sample, and a cover letter that describes why you are interested in this position and how your work history and goals relate to the position, to Melody Webb at careers@mothersoutreachnetwork.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position is open until filled.

Mother’s Outreach Network is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and insist on equity and inclusion in our work environment and in the world. If you have the passion for our mission and have the skill sets to help us fulfill this mission, we welcome you as you are.

Visit https://www.mothersoutreachnetwork.org for more information about the organization.