Lawyers for America Partnership Fellowship at Disability Rights California. Located in Downtown, Oakland, California

Transcription

1 Lawyers for America Partnership Fellowship at Disability Rights California Located in Downtown, Oakland, California We are pleased that you are interested in the Lawyers for America (LfA) program. LfA is a two-year fellowship program, designed to meet the growing demand for study that integrates doctrinal and practical knowledge, improves employment prospects for law graduates, and closes the justice gap. The first (3L) year of LfA consists of a closely supervised full-time, full-academic-year placement at a government or non-profit law office partner site, complemented each semester by classroom study intended to deepen the fellows learning from practice. After graduation, fellows take the summer off to study for and take the California Bar. They then return to the same partner site for a second year, as exceptionally well trained, acculturated first-year attorneys. If you have any questions about this fellowship, please contact LfA Academic Director Mai Linh Spencer, at spencerm@uchastings.edu, Organization Please provide any information about your organization (mission, history, size, office location(s), etc.) that you think would be helpful to student applicants. Disability Rights California (DRC) is a statewide private, non-profit disability rights organization federally mandated to advance and protect the human and legal rights of Californians with disabilities. We are the largest disability rights law firm in the country, the largest legal services organization in California, and employ over 200 employees at our four Regional Offices located in Oakland, Sacramento (including a satellite office in Fresno serving the central valley), Los Angeles, and San Diego, as well as at smaller satellite offices throughout the state. Our mission is to advocate, educate, investigate and litigate to advance and protect the rights of Californians with disabilities. Disability Rights California provides a full range of legal services including outreach and training, policy advocacy, information and referral, counsel and advice, and direct representation in individual and class action litigation. We provide services pursuant to our Advocacy Plan, which can be found on our website at Our legal work includes providing direct representation in both benefits and civil rights

2 Lawyers for America Partnership Proposal cases, such as special education, regional center services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, housing discrimination, healthcare, In-Home Supportive Services to allow people with disabilities to live in the community, ADA discrimination, and mental health rights. Last year alone, DRC provided services to over 23,000 individuals with disabilities and impacted thousands more through our systemic litigation. Disability Rights California is committed to providing services to ethnic and language distinct communities, immigrant communities, rural and lowincome communities, people who are homeless, individuals from the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex community, individuals from distinct disability communities, veterans, and children and youth in the foster care or juvenile justice systems. To achieve these overall goals, we have dedicated staff who are responsible for conducting outreach to underserved communities to ensure that our caseload reflects California s diversity. Our staff speak multiple languages and we translate our publications into the primary languages spoken throughout the state. Workplace If your organization has more than one office location, please note the location to which the fellow would be assigned in the first and second years. For each of the above offices, please note (approximately) how many FTE attorneys and non-attorney staff work in that office. The fellow would be assigned to work at DRC s Bay Area Regional Office in downtown Oakland at 1330 Broadway, Suite 500, which serves people in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. There are approximately 15 attorneys and advocates as well as and six administrative and support staff working in that office. The fellow may also work with attorneys and advocates in DRC s other regional offices in San Diego (serving Imperial, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties), Los Angeles (serving Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties), Sacramento (serving California s 32 northern counties) and Fresno (serving the central valley). Supervision What is the name and job title of the person you expect to be the fellow s primary supervisor and the LfA liaison? Please describe that person s experience supervising law students, including whether those students 2

3 Lawyers for America Partnership Proposal earned academic credit. Will other attorneys be giving the fellow assignments as well? The fellow s primary supervisor will be Elizabeth Zirker. Ms. Zirker is a graduate of Berkeley School of Law and has been at DRC since She started as a Borchard Fellow in Law and Aging at DRC and has since been promoted to a Staff Attorney II position. In that capacity, she has supervised both attorneys and advocates, in addition to over 10 law clerks. Ms. Zirker has extensive legal experience in both benefits and civil rights law, including representing clients at administrative hearings, in court, and as part of the litigation team in a number of class action law suits. Her resume is attached. The fellow will have the opportunity to work with other legal advocates and attorneys in the office, and throughout the agency, on specific cases and issues. What formal training will the fellow be provided by your office at the start of the fellowship? Please describe the duration, nature, and scope of that training. The fellow will receive both formal and informal on-the-job training opportunities. All employees receive a full day orientation and have the opportunity to participate in our three-day all staff conference, which will take place in October or November This conference will offer MCLE accredited courses in both procedural and substantive law practice, as well as an opportunity for full day skills training with feedback from seasoned practitioners. During the first month of the internship, the fellow will receive training on the major substantive areas of the law that s/he will be engaged in and have the opportunity to meet with each office staff to better understand how we work together as a team. Major subject matter areas covered will include: housing discrimination, ADA discrimination, healthcare benefits, In- Home Supportive services, special education and mental health law. Attorneys or advocates who specialize in these areas will be responsible for assembling materials and designing the trainings. Interns will have the opportunity, depending on what is going on in the office, to observe intake, client interviews, administrative hearings and court proceedings. What additional training opportunities (regular in-services, conferences, observation opportunities, etc.) will be available to the fellow during the two-year fellowship? 3

4 Lawyers for America Partnership Proposal The fellow will have the opportunity to attend regular DRC case conference and impact team meetings, internal and outside substantive trainings available to DRC attorneys. Supervisors will be asked to participate in periodic formal written evaluations during the 3L year. What additional (more immediate) evaluation and feedback structures will you implement for the fellow throughout the fellowship? Do you anticipate that you will implement a regular meeting to check in with the LfA fellow(s)? How often? The fellow and his/her supervisor will develop a work plan which will identify all work activities, projects, trainings and responsibilities of the fellow. It will be updated monthly. The fellow s primary supervisor will check in with the fellow at least once per week over the course of the fellowship. In addition, each attorney with whom the fellow does substantive work will check in with him/her on a regular basis about the progress of the work, will be available for questions whenever necessary, and will provide feedback on an ongoing basis. Does your office currently employ, or has it recently employed, postgraduate fellows and/or volunteer attorneys? Does your office host externs earning academic credit? Would the LfA fellow(s) supplement or replace other fellows/volunteers? Yes. There are currently three full time and one part time employees who began their careers at DRC as either a fellow or volunteer attorney. There is currently one fellow at the Oakland office who is scheduled to leave in December, She is not receiving academic credit. The LfA fellow should supplement our current work study and volunteers, not replace them. Fellow s Work and Professional Development To maximize her/his professional development, the fellow should be assigned lawyering tasks of increasing complexity and responsibility during the course of the entire fellowship. The second semester should build on the first, and the post-graduate year should include tasks typical of an entry-level attorney. Below, please describe as concretely and specifically as possible the work that the fellow will perform in her/his first semester. 4

5 Lawyers for America Partnership Proposal During the first semester, the fellow will be expected to conduct client intake, provide legal advice, research legal issues, draft legal memos, conduct document review, represent clients at administrative hearings and participate at case conferencing, statewide substantive advocacy team meetings and on work teams. In addition, s/he may be asked to do the following: analyze a bill; prepare testimony before a public entity on an issue important to our clients; develop one publication for our website; and/or develop an outreach/training for consumers. Please briefly describe what additional skills and experiences you anticipate that the second semester will offer. By the second semester, depending on the fellow s interest and building from his/her first semester experience, we would expect that the fellow would, in addition, be able to take a lead role in representing client(s) at administrative hearing and participate on a litigation team. Such participation could include working with clients, legal research, drafting pleadings and document management. S/he will be able to organize and conduct one training to our client community, independently, and/or testify in a public forum. Finally, describe the fellow s responsibilities during the post-graduate year. During the second year, the fellow will be responsible for talking on the responsibilities of a staff attorney in the office. A copy of that job description is attached. By the end of the year, the fellow would be qualified to apply for any open staff attorney position in our agency. Given that DRC employs over 200 staff and there is periodic staff turn-over, there is a possibility of continued employment beyond the fellow term. Preferred pre- and co-requisites What, if any, classes must a fellow take before starting work at your organization? Include both substantive/doctrinal classes, as well as skills classes. What classes would you prefer that candidates take before starting? Please note whether fellows could take these classes during the fellowship. There are no required classes for the fellowship, however, the Hastings Disability Rights Law class is strongly recommended and offered in the Spring. This class is co-taught by Kim Swain, Managing Attorney at DRC. Helpful classes for a fellow to take before or during the fellowship include Civil Procedure, Legal Research and Writing, Administrative Law, Evidence 5

6 Lawyers for America Partnership Proposal and any other courses on disability-related topics and any skills courses or clinics. If there are other requirements or preferences (e.g., prior experience in a particular field or language ability), please note them here. There are no additional requirements, however, a variety of skills would be helpful or desirable. These include experience working with or sensitivity to individuals with disabilities; experience working with or sensitivity to individuals from ethnic or language distinct communities; ability to read, write and speak Spanish or an Asian language, or ability to communicate using American Sign Language, with sufficient fluency to do client intakes and conduct trainings; experience in the disability rights movement and/or extensive contacts in the disability community; experience with and/or extensive contacts in ethnic or language distinct communities; and familiarity and/or extensive contacts with one or more of the following: homelessness, criminal justice, substance abuse or Gay/Lesbian/Bi- Sexual/Transgender/Intersex (LGBTI) communities. In addition to 16 total units of fieldwork credit, LfA fellows will earn 8 total units through accompanying classroom work during the academic year. One classroom unit each semester will be earned through the LfA seminar, which is attended by all fellows in all placements and, possibly, other parttime, single-semester externs. If there is an area of professional skills development that would ideally be covered in the seminar, please note that here. Client interviewing skills, professional ethics, written and oral advocacy, and case planning. LfA fellows are expected to work an average of 32 hours/week at the partner site. To earn the classroom units, they will need to take a limited course load on campus. What days/times would the fellow need to be consistently available, e.g. for weekly staff meetings or a particular court calendar? We will try to accommodate those scheduling needs to the extent possible. The Bay Area Regional Office at DRC holds case conference meetings at noon on the first Tuesday of every month, and staff meetings at 10:00 a.m. on the second Tuesday. Depending on area of work interest, substantive impact teams meet quarterly on a variety of substantive law areas. Staff on site engage in weekly case triage meetings in mental health, discrimination and benefits issues. 6

7 Access to Justice Lawyers for America Partnership Proposal An important aspect of the UC Hastings and LfA mission is to increase individuals access to justice and serve the public. To the extent possible, please describe how an LfA fellow(s) will expand the legal services provided by your office or otherwise serve the public. The fellow will contribute to DRC s mission to advocate, educate, investigate and litigate to advance and protect the rights of Californians with disabilities. S/he will provide direct services to underserved clients, 100% of whom are people with disabilities and over 90% of whom are indigent. It is anticipated that the fellow will provide services to approximately 50 additional clients during the school year and gradually work to represent clients at hearings and in systemic litigation during his/her second year. Finally, please feel free to tell us anything else you think might be useful for the LfA program or student applicants. This fellowship is a good match for individual who are interested in learning a broad range of public interest skills from client interviewing to systemic litigation. On the ground training in civil rights, public benefits and healthcare are also readily available. The Bay Area Regional Office is home to a number of experienced attorneys, including two of our Directors of Litigation and our Investigations Unit. The fellow will have access to those attorneys and the ability to work on systemic issues affecting people with disabilities throughout the California. 7

8 ADMINISTRATION 1831 K Street Sacramento, CA JOB DESCRIPTION STAFF ATTORNEY I [Specify Regional Office] Disability Rights California offers a scent free* environment SALARY RANGE (Depending on Experience): FRINGE BENEFITS: Disability Rights California provides a generous benefit package that includes: medical; dental; flexible spending accounts (e.g., medical and dependent care); basic life, short and long-term disability insurances; voluntary vision, supplemental life and long-term care; paid holiday, sick, and vacation time-off; and a significant company contribution to the retirement plan. AGENCY DESCRIPTION: Disability Rights California is a well-established, innovative non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the rights of Californians with disabilities. Disability Rights California works to achieve fairness and justice for people with disabilities through quality representation, advocacy, investigations of abuse and neglect, peer/self advocacy services, community partnerships, legislative and regulatory advocacy work, education and outreach. Our legal work includes individual and impact litigation. *Disability Rights California requests that employees (and applicants) refrain from wearing scented products (e.g. scented perfumes/colognes or lotions etc.) in all locations. This includes an employee s regular work site and other Disability Rights California offices, regional centers, state hospitals or other facilities.

9 Staff Attorney I (Regional Office) Page 2 of 5 JOB DESCRIPTION: The Staff Attorney shares responsibility with other legal and advocacy staff for providing information, technical assistance, outreach and training and representation in administrative and judicial proceedings to clients with disabilities. The Staff Attorney works under the direct supervision of the Associate Managing Attorney and in collaboration with other Disability Rights California attorneys and advocates in their legal, advocacy, and outreach efforts. JOB RESPONSIBLITIES: 1. Provide information and short-term assistance to Disability Rights California clients. 2. Represent clients in negotiations, mediations and judicial and administrative proceedings. 3. Participate in impact litigation. 4. Participate in public policy activities including, but not limited to, the reviewing and drafting of legislation and regulations. 5. Engage in community-based advocacy, outreach, and training to disability communities and organizations, particularly to underserved communities. 6. Prepare training materials, publications, reports and special projects. 7. Assist with Disability Rights California organizational development and planning, including the planning and development of Disability Rights California s Advocacy Services Plan, and participate in statewide and regional teams, usually including two substantive Workgroups. 8. Supervise and mentor law clerks and other staff as assigned. 9. Other duties as assigned.

10 Staff Attorney I (Regional Office) Page 3 of 5 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: (Applicants MUST meet EACH of the minimum qualifications to be considered for an interview) 1. J.D. Degree 2. California State Bar membership; or eligible to practice under the Registered Legal Services Attorney Program (admitted to practice in another state and eligible to practice in California for three years under the California State Bar rules for the Registered Legal Services Attorney Program, and required admittance to the California Bar within three years.) 3. Paid or voluntary legal experience in any combination of the following: a) a social services, human services, community-based, public interest, civil rights or health care environment; b) as an attorney in the practice of public interest law; or c) directly representing clients in administrative hearings and/or litigation. Judicial clerkships or externships may be counted as up to one year of experience. 4. Ability to conduct research and analyses of pertinent legal authority. 5. Ability to analyze complex problems and develop creative solutions. 6. Effective communication skills sufficient to represent clients in legal hearings, meetings, negotiations or administrative proceedings, to actively promote legal, policy and legislative developments at state and local government levels, and to develop and conduct trainings. 7. Experience working with or sensitivity to individuals with disabilities. 8. Experience working with or sensitivity to individuals from ethnic or language distinct communities. 9. The ability to work independently with appropriate supervision.

11 Staff Attorney I (Regional Office) Page 4 of 5 DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Knowledge of laws, rights, and services as they pertain to people with disabilities, and/or direct representation of people with disabilities. 2. Experience in client representation, particularly in public interest and civil rights law. 3. Ability to read, write and speak Spanish or an Asian language, or ability to communicate using American Sign Language, with sufficient fluency to do client intakes and conduct trainings. 4. Experience in the disability rights movement and/or extensive contacts in the disability community. 5. Experience with and/or extensive contacts in ethnic or language distinct communities. 6. Familiarity and/or extensive contacts with one or more of the following: homelessness, criminal justice, substance abuse or Gay/Lesbian/Bi-Sexual/Transgender/Intersex (LGBTI) communities. To be considered for this position, applicants MUST submit the following: 1) Disability Rights California Application Form 2) Resume 3) Cover Letter which MUST indicate: a) your personal & professional motivation for seeking this position b) a discussion of how you meet EACH OF THE MINIMUM and ANY OF THE DESIRABLE qualifications for this position. If your letter does not contain a specific description of how you meet the minimum qualifications, your application may NOT be considered. 4) Sample of legal writing (i.e., a legal argument, letter or analysis) consisting of no more than 10 pages of text.

12 Staff Attorney I (Regional Office) Page 5 of 5 Disability Rights California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action* Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, race or disability. *In keeping with Federal regulations, Affirmative Action applies to the following persons of color: American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander or African-American. We value diversity of culture, disability and other life experiences, and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. Disability Rights California endorses and supports the intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the California Fair Employment and Housing act (FEHA) and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are applicants or employees who need accommodations.