Workers' Rights Attorney

About Washington Lawyers'​ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) works to create legal, economic, and social equity through litigation, client and public education, and public policy advocacy with a primary focus on racial justice. For the last 55 years, the Committee has been on the cutting edge of civil rights advocacy in the region bringing precedent setting litigation to address discrimination. Our work focuses on injustices in housing, employment, the criminal legal system, education, public accommodations, and the civil rights of immigrants. We partner with individuals and communities facing discrimination and with the legal community to achieve justice. The Committee’s staff is unionized with the National Organization of Legal Service Workers Local #2320, UAW. For more information on the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, please go to www.washlaw.org.

About the role

The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (the “Committee”) seeks an experienced attorney to supervise the Committee’s Workers’ Rights Clinic, develop and maintain partnership with community organizations and organizations led by impacted persons, and pursue opportunities for systemic litigation and advocacy.

Responsibilities

As part of its work, the Committee hosts the Workers’ Rights Clinic at which low-income workers can receive a consultation with a trained volunteer who provides legal assistance and advice under the supervision of an experienced employment law attorney. At present, the clinics are held both virtually every week and in-person one Saturday morning each month in the facilities of other community-based organizations in a City location convenient to low-wage workers. The Committee also seeks to deepen its partnerships with community and impacted-person led organizations to identify and surmount legal and other barriers facing low-income workers and workers of color. The position is focused on legal supervision of the Workers’ Rights Clinic and the identification of patterns from the docket that are appropriate for systemic litigation and advocacy. The attorney will participate in litigation or advocacy as time permits. The position also includes building and maintaining collaborative engagement with community partners.

The attorney will be responsible to:

• Ensure that the Clinics provide high quality advice and brief service through the supervision and training of volunteers;
• Develop and maintain expertise in wage and hour, discrimination, and other workers’ rights laws;
• Identify and lead the implementation of opportunities to build worker power through clinic activities;
• Manage the Workers’ Rights Advocate, including providing feedback and direction on work requirements;
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community partners;
• Identify opportunities for systemic advocacy or litigation within the Committee’s practice areas; and
• Collaborate with other Committee staff on cross cutting issues.

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and qualifications:

• Passion for civil rights and racial equity advocacy, including working with marginalized communities;
• Experience working with community-based organizations and organizers;
• Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations;
• Ability to contribute to the creation of a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture that encourages and celebrates differences;
• D.C. Bar membership (in good standing), or the ability to waive in to the DC Bar; and
• Bilingual ability in Spanish language (professional fluency) preferred but not required.