Senior Attorney

The Social Justice Legal Foundation seeks a creative and skilled litigator with excellent judgment for the role of Senior Attorney. This is a unique opportunity to help develop and lead a docket of trial-focused public interest cases during a period of great threat to civil rights and the rule of law. Our Senior Attorneys drive the impact litigation program by litigating complex trial-level cases, managing select cases in collaboration with pro bono counsel and co-counsel, and overseeing the legal work of our early-career fellows. This role requires strong collaboration across teams, strong litigation skills, and strong project management skills.

We are seeking a candidate with 6+ years of legal experience who is able to start in April 2026. We will also consider a candidate with 4-6 years of legal experience for a Staff Attorney position with us.

Ideal candidates will also have one or more of the following:

• Substantive expertise in state or federal litigation that protects the rights of underserved or historically excluded groups
• Experience working within coalitions and community partnerships to build trust, identify issues ripe for litigation, and navigate stakeholder needs and views
• Experience developing investigations into corporate or government actors
• Experience within, or relationships with, local and state government offices seeking to enforce civil rights
• Experience leading litigation case teams of 5+ people or multiple co-counsel

We are currently a hybrid organization with all staff working together from our downtown Los Angeles office every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and remotely the remainder of the week, except when meetings or events require otherwise. We strongly prefer candidates who will reside in Los Angeles as of their start date. For this role, we will also consider highly qualified candidates outside Los Angeles with the expectation that they work from our offices on a regular schedule in the first six months of the role.

Key Responsibilities

Community & Docket Development

• Identify topics for investigation through relationship networks and by maintaining subject matter expertise
• Participate in coalition or community spaces, seek to understand their issues and needs, and consider the possible role of litigation in advancing those issues and needs
• Develop litigation strategy and expertise in emerging areas of threat, including new attacks on civil rights and civil liberties and constitutional violations
• Manage investigations or supervise more junior attorneys in developing investigations, including by interviewing plaintiffs, conducting legal claims research, and seeking and analyzing public records

Impact Trial Litigation

• Handle all phases of litigation, including drafting and editing complaints and briefs, managing discovery, taking and defending depositions, arguing motions, managing settlement and mediation efforts, preparing witnesses for trial, and serving as trial counsel
• Identify appropriate assignments for fellows, review fellow work product, provide meaningful feedback and iterative review, and coordinate fellow workload with Fellowship Director
• Move cases forward proactively, including by managing pro bono and co-counsel relationships and teams
• Ensure that SJLF's position and approach in cases is consistent with broader organizational goals and values
• Maintain full accountability for timely, excellent work on cases for which you are the lead

Desired Qualifications & Skills

The following list of core competencies and experiences is meant to provide insight into the general level of experience we seek in candidates. We encourage all qualified candidates and those with relevant or transferable experience to apply, even if you are new to mission-based work, returning to work after a gap in employment, or transitioning from a different sector.

Requirements:

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school
• Active membership in good standing with the California State Bar or, if located in another state, membership in good standing of that state’s bar with the ability to become admitted in California as soon as possible
• 6+ years of experience conducting all aspects of civil trial litigation in state and federal courts
• Experience with civil discovery, including written discovery, depositions, and non-party discovery
• Excellent writing and editing ability with a strong voice and eye for persuasive analysis

Preferred/Pluses:

• Experience developing affirmative litigation in state and/or federal courts, including researching potential theories, developing potential clients, and building factual records
• Familiarity with legal doctrines of civil rights or civil liberties litigation. Experience with the federal Administrative Procedure Act is a plus
• Experience supervising, mentoring, or providing developmental feedback to attorneys at various stages of their careers
• Experience successfully managing multiple projects and cases simultaneously and prioritizing competing deadlines under pressure
• Strong interpersonal skills, collaboration, initiative, and organizational abilities
• Comfort with litigation deadlines, including the ability to work some long hours (e.g., before the close of discovery, pre-trial) and occasionally travel for cases as needed
• Track record of building strong, trust-based relationships with clients, particularly individuals and communities impacted by systemic injustice
• Proficiency in Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or other languages spoken by our constituencies is a plus

Compensation & Benefits

SJLF is committed to providing excellent pay and benefits. The starting salary for this role is $130,000–$155,000 based on years of relevant experience and our compensation framework. Benefits include 100% employer-covered health insurance and 99% covered dental and vision insurance, 50% dependent healthcare coverage, paid sabbatical at years 5 and 10, 16 weeks of paid parental leave after the first year, a 403(b) plan with 5% employer contribution, health and dependent-care FSAs, generous vacation and sick leave, 12 paid holidays and a year-end flexible closure between December 25 and January 1, long-term disability insurance, a commuter benefit, coverage of bar dues, and a professional development budget. This role is also eligible for a language bonus of $3,000 per year if the candidate regularly uses non-English language skills to communicate with our clients or community partners.

About Social Justice Legal Foundation

SJLF is a nonprofit civil rights group fighting for justice and accountability through trial litigation. With a small and mighty team of seasoned litigators, we develop novel cases in areas ripe for strategic litigation on behalf of and alongside historically excluded communities. At the same time, our two-year fellowship trains young lawyers in the nuts and bolts of trial litigation, giving them hands-on experience translating community needs and solutions to the courtroom. SJLF believes that public trial enables full participation in an open, multicultural democracy by broadcasting unheard stories and unearthing hidden facts. Since our launch in 2021, we have developed high-impact cases challenging conditions of immigration detention, police misconduct, the over-policing of people of color, punitive fines and fees, the criminalization of poverty, and violations of prisoners’ rights.

SJLF is committed to providing excellent pay and benefits. The starting salary for this role is $130,000–$155,000 based on years of relevant experience and our compensation framework. Benefits include 100% employer-covered health insurance and 99% covered dental and vision insurance, 50% dependent healthcare coverage, paid sabbatical at years 5 and 10, 16 weeks of paid parental leave after the first year, a 403(b) plan with 5% employer contribution, health and dependent-care FSAs, generous vacation and sick leave, 12 paid holidays and a year-end flexible closure between December 25 and January 1, long-term disability insurance, a commuter benefit, coverage of bar dues, and a professional development budget. This role is also eligible for a language bonus of $3,000 per year if the candidate regularly uses non-English language skills to communicate with our clients or community partners

Proficiency in Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or other languages spoken by our constituencies is a plus