Prisoners' Rights Impact Litigation Attorney

Full-Time and Exempt Employee

Disability Rights Washington’s (DRW) Amplifying Voices of Incarcerated Individuals with Disabilities (AVID) Program seeks a litigation attorney with a demonstrated interest in conducting impact litigation and other systemic advocacy to enforce the legal rights of incarcerated individuals with disabilities who are subject to or at risk of abuse, neglect, or other human and civil rights violations. This attorney will be responsible for working independently and with a team of attorneys to advance Disability Rights Washington’s mission and advocacy priorities and may engage in a range of activities, including individual and systemic advocacy and litigation, report writing, policy advocacy, and coalition building/ support.

You can view our Employment page here to see other open positions at DRW. If you would like to be considered for more than one open position, you may apply using the same application materials but you should be clear in the materials how your experience/qualifications relate to each position.

DRW understands the importance and contribution of candidates with lived experience. DRW encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including individuals of all races, colors, religions, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, ages, national origins, marital statuses, disabilities, and veteran status backgrounds. Disabilities include, but are not limited to, mental health conditions, physical and sensory disabilities, learning and intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic health conditions.

Candidates must be dedicated to actively engaging in anti-racist advocacy and applying Disability Justice principles to DRW’s work. Information about Disability Justice can be found here: https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/10-principles-of-disability-justice.

While full-time remote work is typical for much of the work week, all DRW attorneys must live in Washington state and be able to conduct regular statewide travel by car to do outreach or meet in person.

Reasonable Disability Accommodations

DRW is committed to providing reasonable disability accommodations at all steps of the hiring process. If you are unsure about what may be considered a disability or what accommodations may work for you, the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides information about potential accommodations that are searchable by disability, work-related function, and accommodation. Applicants for DRW employment seeking reasonable disability accommodations for the application and hiring processes can contact Jodi Rose, DRW’s Operations & Events Lead, by calling (800) 562-2702 or by emailing info@dr-wa.org.

Job Overview

DRW’s Amplifying Voices of Incarcerated Individuals with Disabilities (AVID) Program seeks an impact litigation attorney to join our team in conducting litigation and systemic advocacy to enforce and advance the legal rights of incarcerated individuals. This position will require a licensed attorney with the ability to conduct systemic investigations, develop complex advocacy strategies, and represent both classes and individuals.

The ideal candidate would have lived and/or professional experience relating to DRW’s practice areas, which include, but are not limited to: addressing discrimination, improving community re-entry from institutionalization or incarceration, improving conditions of confinement for people experiencing incarceration, and/or ending abuse and neglect. An ideal candidate would also have experience conducting informal and formal advocacy and negotiations with state actors and agencies and working with community, stakeholders, and coalitions to advance policy priorities and amplify the voices of people most impacted by harmful practices and institutions. Because DRW has unique access authority, AVID Program attorneys often monitor in some of the most secluded and segregated carceral settings, including solitary confinement and restrictive housing.

The attorney for this position must have a commitment and capacity to produce high quality legal analyses and to provide effective advocacy through complex civil litigation as well as informal and alternative dispute resolution. All DRW attorneys must demonstrate dedication to DRW’s values of inclusion, diversity, and equity as well as the principles of disability justice, individual autonomy, community integration, decarceration, universal accessibility, freedom from restraint, and respectful language. DRW seeks applicants who enjoy working in a team environment and are seeking to join in our mission to “advance the dignity, equality, and self-determination of people with disabilities.”

This job involves unsupervised contact with vulnerable adults and/or children.

Salary

The position is intended for someone with 5 to 15 years of experience with a salary range of $84,607 to $103,639.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

Legal Advocacy

• Conducts legal research and gathers relevant information
• Helps clients define problems
• Provides legal advice and counseling
• Designs action plans for advocacy on behalf of clients
• Designs advocacy plans for systemic impact on behalf of clients
• Takes assertive action to implement action plans
• Provides appropriate follow-up once matters are resolved
• Represents people with disabilities on issues pertaining to service requests, advocacy projects, and litigation

Educating Policy Makers

• Engages in policy analysis/advocacy
• Prepares public comment or policy reports/writing

Monitoring/Investigation

• Conducts monitoring of facilities and/or community-based settings where people with disabilities are served
• Conducts investigations into abuse, neglect, and rights violations
• Collects accurate and sufficient information regarding complaint allegations, as well as relevant written policies, regulations, directives, and client records
• Interviews witnesses and other involved parties as necessary to ascertain facts

Technical Assistance

• Conducts interviews service recipients to define problems, understand relevant information, and design action plans to provide self-advocacy support
• Carefully researches information for the purpose of assisting a service recipient in resolving their issue
• Provides written and oral information and appropriate referrals to service recipient

Conflict Resolution

• Effectively utilizes conflict resolution and advocacy skills to resolve both internal and external conflicts

Timely Paperwork and Reporting

• Submits all required reports, timesheets, and other documentation in an accurate and timely manner

Work Conditions

• Works both at home and in an office environment as coordinated with supervisor and co-workers and has extensive local and statewide work-related travel.
• Works a standard workweek consisting of 35 hours, generally between the hours of 8:30 am – 5:00pm daily (unless an alternative schedule is approved), but must be willing to work evenings, weekends, or extended hours when necessary.
• Maintains clear background check status as required by assigned Program (e.g., for AVID Program, maintains clear DOC background check status)

Workload Monitoring

• Maintain a reasonably ambitious workload and keep their immediate supervisor informed when there is insufficient work to perform and when there is a risk that work won’t be completed on a timely basis.

Qualifications

Employee Commitment

All DRW employees are expected to have a commitment to the values expressed in DRW’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Philosophy Statement

Education

It is required that a DRW Attorney have a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited school of law and be a member in good standing of a state bar association and a member in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association within one year of assuming the position.

Experience Specific to the Position

It is desired that a DRW Attorney have:

• Lived and/or professional experiences involving disability rights issues or public interest law
• Experience working in a non-profit, public interest, or public relations setting
• Deep roots in the disability community with knowledge and experience in the independent living and self-advocacy movements
• At least five years’ experience as a practicing attorney

Abilities Specific to the Position

A DRW Attorney will have:

• Demonstrated ability and desire to litigate
• Demonstrated skills in the areas of investigation, interviewing, legal research, case strategy, case review, administrative law, and advanced advocacy techniques
• Demonstrated ability to discuss a range of current issues facing the disability community including issues related to the disability delivery systems and disability law
• Demonstrated ability to effectively present information to a wide variety of audiences using a variety of media
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate meetings and discussions
• Demonstrated ability to maintain ethical and organizational standards, communicate a position well, respectfully consider other positions, and treat people of different positions and backgrounds with respect and dignity
• Demonstrated knowledge of the disability service delivery systems and disability law
• Demonstrated ability to perform all of the responsibilities set forth in this position description
• Demonstrated understanding of anti-racist concepts and a working knowledge of disability justice principles

General Abilities

An employee in this position is expected to have these general abilities:

• Be an effective team member
• Effectively communicate verbally
• Effectively relate to people with all kinds of disabilities
• Exercise initiative, ingenuity, and sound judgment
• Organize and manage time
• Set work goals and create work plan of activities
• Take direction and coordinate work with others
• Use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, and internet
• Work under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• Work independently
• Perform basic math functions

It is desired that an Attorney have:

• Multi-lingual ability in languages common to Washington State residents

Transportation

• Given the people we serve live in communities all over the state, the attorney must be able to get to various locations around the state, many of which are not served by public transportation and some of which may not have access to taxi or ride-hailing services.

Background Check

• This position involves unsupervised contact with vulnerable adults and/or children.
• DRW conducts background checks of conviction and arrest records on final candidates prior to extending offers. The hiring process will be conducted in compliance with Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17 and Washington’s Fair Chance Act, RCW 49.94. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain and correct background information. A criminal background does not automatically eliminate candidates from consideration. If a criminal background exists, the nature of the offense will be considered in the context of the essential functions of the position.

About Disability Rights Washington (DRW)

DRW is a private nonprofit organization that advances the dignity, equality, and self-determination of people with disabilities. We are designated by the governor of Washington as the independent federally mandated protection and advocacy system for Washington State. We work to pursue justice on matters related to human and legal rights. Our Board of Directors, which is majority Black, Indigenous, people of color, and majority disabled, sets the priorities of our work in consultation with two advisory councils and input from the community to ensure leadership by the most impacted and “nothing about us without us.” Information about our priorities can be found here: https://www.disabilityrightswa.org/priorities/.

DRW is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. DRW encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including individuals of all races, colors, religions, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, ages, national origins, marital statuses, disabilities, and veteran status backgrounds.

For information about us, please visit: http://www.disabilityrightswa.org/.

To Apply

Please fill out the online application here: https://disabilityrightswa.org/now-hiring-prisoners-rights-impact-litigation-attorney/and include a cover letter and resume. You may also mail your application to: Disability Rights Washington, Attn: Jodi Rose, 315 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 850, Seattle, WA 98104.

DRW is committed to promoting universal accessibility and fairness in our interview process. At least three business days before an interview, DRW will tell applicants the names, pronouns, and titles of DRW interviewers and will provide the interview questions, which will be the same for all applicants. During interviews, DRW will provide a visual description of the interviewers and turn on captions for online interviews. We also know that other efforts to make our process more accessible may be needed based on individual needs and we will provide reasonable accommodations for any portion of the application or interview process. You can request accommodations by contacting Jodi Rose, DRW’s Operations & Events Lead, using the information provided above. If you are not sure if you would benefit from an accommodation, you can review the Job Accommodations Network (JAN) website, which provides many ideas about possible accommodations that have worked for others, and you are more than welcome to call Jodi to discuss ideas you have or what we have done in the past. JAN is located here: https://askjan.org/soar.cfm.

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will be accepted until the position is filled. The first review of applications will take place no sooner than July 7, 2025, with the hope of contacting selected applicants the following week. Applicants will only be contacted if they are selected for an interview. The interview process will include two rounds of interviews. If selected as a finalist, DRW may ask the applicant for contacts to verify previous employment.

• Position Title: Impact Litigation Attorney
• Company Name: Disability Rights Washington (DRW)
• Location: Seattle office or work from home. Most DRW attorneys work mainly from home and Seattle office space may be shared.
• Posted: May 28, 2025
• Education and Experience required: Juris Doctor degree from an accredited school of law and be a member in good standing of a state bar association and a member in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association within one year of assuming the position. See above for fuller description.
• Job Category: Attorney
• Job Type: Exempt
• Salary: The annual salary range for this position is between $84,607 for 5 years of experience and $103,639 for 15 years of experience.
• This position is eligible for membership in DRW’s collective bargaining unit.
• Generous benefits including 401k contribution, medical, dental, vision care, Health and Flex Spending account options, Costco Membership, Life Insurance, Long-Term Disability, vacation, sick, holiday, parental, and other types of leave, and a 35-hour work week.