Staff Attorney

Open Communities Alliance (OCA) is a Connecticut-based civil rights non-profit. We work to confront the state’s deep levels of residential segregation in order to provide low-income families of color access to opportunity, spur investment in higher poverty communities, and counteract racial disparities.

Position Overview

OCA seeks a Staff Attorney with a diverse range of legal and advocacy skills, including the ability to successfully litigate in state and federal court or aptitude to do so, advocate for administrative changes at the state and municipal levels in support of affordable housing and equitable zoning policies, conduct community trainings on fair housing and civil rights topics, and develop and advance statewide reforms. The successful candidate will be an attorney with demonstrated legal skills and the capacity to develop those skills to creatively use legal knowledge in a broad range of forums and settings to protect the rights of lower-income people and people of color.

The Staff Attorney must be deeply committed to social justice and prepared to work as part of a team to apply the principles of the Fair Housing Act to the systems that generate segregation and its impact in Connecticut and assist a representative group of individual clients.

Responsibilities

The Staff Attorney will report to the Legal Director. Responsibilities will include:

1. Case Development and Execution: In partnership with OCA’s Legal Director and Senior Staff Attorney, and typically with the assistance of pro bono counsel, develop and maintain a focused caseload of fair housing and civil rights actions in federal and state courts and administrative hearings. Under supervision, conduct intake and manage a small caseload of individual clients with legal advice, referral and representation in administrative matters. (50% of time)
2. State & Municipal Advocacy: Review state and municipal policies and advocate for changes that advance equitable housing policy. This includes testifying at hearings and before state agencies. (10% of time)
3. Community Engagement & Education: Build relationships with community partners serving people impacted by housing segregation, and provide education toto impacted families and the professionals serving them about fair housing and other legal rights (20% of time)
4. Policy Development: Assist the organization to continue to develop its legislative proposals to increase affordable housing production and reduce segregation. (20% of time)

Time percentages are approximate and the Staff Attorney may also work on other aspects of OCA’s legal priorities.

We are looking for candidates who:

• Have 1-5 years of litigation experience in state or federal court or experience that demonstrates the potential to litigate in federal court if the candidate has not done so previously, ideally with additional work or educational background in the fields of housing, land use, or civil rights.
• Have experience successfully managing the demands of several active projects, preferably including experience managing projects from conception through execution.
• Have demonstrated flexibility and adaptability in prioritizing and balancing shorter and longer-term priorities in a fluid environment responsive to changing political, financial, and legal realities.
• Possess the following competencies and attributes: team-oriented, creative and strategic thinker/problem solver; self-aware and curious; ambitious and collaborative work ethic; detail-oriented and organized; easily able to communicate with and build relationships across differences.
• Are committed to contributing to an inclusive and equitable workplace culture that values diverse viewpoints and lived expertise.
• Are excited about and committed to OCA’s mission as well as broader social change, including being part of an advocacy ecosystem in which OCA provides one part of a broader solution.
• Possess excellent legal research, writing, and oral argument skills.
• Live in Connecticut or are willing to relocate.
• Are admitted to practice in Connecticut or are eligible for admission without examination (OCA can cover admission fees).*
• Have a strong command of Westlaw, Zoom, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) .

The ideal candidate will operate with a strong equity and diversity lens, contributing to organizational values of objectivity, integrity, civility, and diversity and supporting the inclusive culture of OCA.

For more about Connecticut admission without examination, please visit: https://www.jud.ct.gov/cbec/faq.htm.