Senior/Supervising Bilingual Staff Attorney – Central Valley Workers’ Rights & Community Justice

Position Summary

The Senior/Supervising Bilingual Staff Attorney will lead Movement Legal’s Central Valley workers’ rights project and supervise our Central Valley office, providing strategic oversight, direct representation, and supervision of legal and support staff. The role combines litigation, community lawyering, and program leadership, with a focus on building an integrated legal services model that responds to the evolving needs of farmworker communities.

The supervising attorney will manage day-to-day operations of the project, mentor attorneys and legal staff, collaborate closely with Central Valley Empowerment Alliance and other partners, and identify opportunities for systemic impact. While employment law will be the core focus, the role is grounded in a holistic approach—addressing interconnected legal issues such as housing, immigration, and other social determinants of wellbeing.

Core Responsibilities

Leadership & Supervision

• Supervise and mentor staff attorneys, legal assistants, and community advocates, ensuring high-quality legal work and professional growth.
• Oversee intake systems, case assignments, and workflow to maintain responsive and effective services.
• Provide training on legal strategy, trauma-informed practices, and movement lawyering.

Legal Services

• Provide direct legal advice and representation in employment-related matters, including wage theft, health/safety violations, retaliation, and leave protections.
• Handle administrative claims before DLSE, Cal/OSHA, and other state agencies; pursue litigation where appropriate.
• Identify and develop high-impact cases with potential for policy or organizing outcomes.

Community Engagement & Advocacy

• Design and conduct Know Your Rights workshops in collaboration with community partners.
• Co-create popular education materials in English and Spanish (and, where possible, indigenous languages).
• Work with community organizers to integrate legal strategies into broader campaigns for worker justice.

Program Development

• Track systemic issues and emerging threats impacting Central Valley farmworkers.
• Help expand the scope of services beyond employment law to address immigration, housing, and other intersecting needs.
• Support grant reporting, funder engagement, and strategic planning for long-term program sustainability

Required Qualifications

• Must live within 60 mins of Tulare County or be willing to relocate (stipend available)
• Active license to practice law in California, in good standing
• Minimum five years of legal experience in labor/employment law or workers’ rights or related fields
• Bilingual in English and Spanish (spoken and written); additional language fluency (Mixteco, Ilocano, Hmong etc.) strongly preferred
• Experience supervising attorneys or legal staff
• Strong litigation, legal research, and writing skills
• Commitment to racial, economic, and immigrant justice
• Willingness to work evenings/weekends in alignment with community needs and to travel within agricultural regions

Preferred Qualifications

• Lived experience in immigrant, low-wage, or rural communities
• Experience working in partnership with community-based organizations or grassroots campaigns
• Familiarity with trauma-informed, culturally competent, and non-punitive legal practices
• Ability to develop and facilitate trainings for attorneys, non-attorneys, and community advocates
• Experience managing grants or program budgets
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest and social justice

We Strongly Encourage You to Apply If:

• You’ve been a worker, organizer, or advocate before becoming a lawyer.
• You believe the law should serve people, not systems.
• You’re ready to build something with and for the community—not just represent it.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Movement Legal is an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek applicants from marginalized communities including BIPOC, immigrants, formerly incarcerated people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those from working-class backgrounds. We hire for mission and values alignment, not credentialism.

• Relocation stipend
• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision (dependents included)
• 8% employer 401(k) contribution.
• $500 FSA contribution + dependent care FSA.
• Two weeks paid organization-wide end-of-year closure.
• Generous PTO, sick leave, and parental leave.

Bilingual in English and Spanish (spoken and written); additional language fluency (Mixteco, Ilocano, Hmong etc.) strongly preferred