Attorney, Dependency (Thurston County)

ATTORNEY, DEPENDENCY PROGRAM

Thurston County, WA

At-Home Office

Full-time, Salaried

SUMMARY:

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) seeks a passionate, collaborative, and innovative attorney,

committed to social justice and anti-racism, to provide holistic legal services to dependent youth and

children.The attorney would carry a caseload in Thurston County. Applicants must be a member of the

Washington State Bar Association or qualify for admission by motion from another state under Washington

State Court Rule APR 3(c)(1).

LCYC is expanding its dependency practice to align with the expansion of the Office of Civil Legal Aid’s

(OCLA) Child Representation Program (CRP) throughout the State as a result of House Bill 1219 (2021),

guaranteeing the right to counsel to all children and youth in dependency proceedings over the age of 8. We

aim to hire dedicated dependency attorneys, offering significant training, support, and supervision. LCYC is

committed to providing holistic legal services that include best practices and at a minimum, meet the Child

Representation Standards of Practice.

This position is based in Thurston County but will require occasional travel to other counties. LCYC is a

virtual non-profit. The attorney will work from home and meet with clients in the community, schools,

homes, and at court. Attorneys must be able to travel within the county they are working in and occasionally

travel outside of the county, including rural areas. The attorney will appear in court as required and attend

various meetings, such as Family Team Decision Making meetings. As part of our holistic advocacy, the

attorney may also provide legal advice and advocacy on a range of civil legal issues such as orders of

protection, housing access, eviction prevention, record-sealing, legal financial obligations, name and

gender marker changes, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and public benefits. Applicants do not need

existing expertise in all civil legal areas, but they do need to arrive at LCYC with a commitment to continual

learning.

Working in collaboration with youth and community providers, the attorney will help identify and influence

systemic barriers to youth access to justice. Additionally, the attorney will engage in ongoing trainings and

conversations as LCYC advances its journey in becoming an anti-racist organization.

COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVITY, EQUITY AND REPRESENTATION:

LCYC is an equal opportunity employer committed to having a diverse staff and board reflective of the

communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, those with lived

experience, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other underrepresented and

historically marginalized groups. LCYC particularly values lived experience in our practice areas of child

welfare, juvenile court, youth and family immigration, and youth homelessness.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

This is a full-time salaried position that requires a willingness to work some evenings and weekends, as well as

occasional travel to multiple counties within the state. LCYC full-time salaried employees have some flexibility

in setting their schedules each week. This flexibility allows staff to adapt the timing of their work week with the

scheduling needs of representing youth and achieve better individual balance between work and home. LCYC

does not have a shared office space. All staff work from home offices. Travel for work is compensated at the

Federal reimbursement rate for use of your car.

The salary range for the position is $82,400 - $113,300, depending on experience. Salary range is on a 10-year

scale based on experience as a practicing attorney. Spanish speakers are eligible for an additional $5,000

annually, beyond their set salary.

LCYC offers a comprehensive benefits package to its employees. Supportive benefits include but are not

limited to Flexible Time Away, medical, vision, dental, life and disability insurance, 403(b) plan, and paid home

office needs such as work cell phone, laptop computer, desk, chair, and printer. LCYC covers 100% of the

employee premium for medical, vision, and dental plans, and 15% of enrolled dependents.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least one year of youth representation or dependency experience as a public defender, assistant attorney general, or private practitioner; or experience handling family law litigation or complex litigation, is strongly preferred. However, attorneys new to this area of law will be considered.
• Applicants must be a member of the Washington State Bar Association or qualify for admission by motion from another state under Washington State Court Rule APR 3(c)(1).
• Demonstrated commitment to LCYC’s mission of protecting the interest and safety of youth in Washington by advancing their legal rights.
• Commitment to and demonstrated interest in engaging in culturally competent relationships and applying an anti-racist lens to program operations, community partnerships, and supporting young people.
• Ability to zealously advocate for clients in and outside the courtroom, including issue spotting, problem solving, providing legal advice, negotiating resolutions, and written and oral advocacy.
• Strong organizational skills. Ability to manage multiple competing priorities, ensuring tasks are completed in a timely manner and lower-priority items do not slip through the cracks.
• Ability to navigate and follow all applicable laws and court rules, including the Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Demonstrated interest and ability in working with youth and families of diverse racial, cultural, socio-economic backgrounds and inspire their confidence.
• Ability to work independently, be self-motivated and ask for help.
• Ability to communicate legal concepts, options, and potential outcomes in a developmentally appropriate manner with youth.
• Ability to work professionally with youth and diverse community partners, developing a relationship of trust and confidence.
• Ability to be flexible, adjusting to the needs of youth, community, and organization.
• Committed to continual learning and responsive to feedback.
• Applicants must be able to be physically present within Thurston County on a regular basis, since this position requires in-person visits to clients and the courthouse.
• Must have access to reliable transportation to be able to regularly travel throughout Thurston County as needed and occasionally to other parts of Washington State, including rural areas.
• Fluency in Spanish is highly valued.

JOB DUTIES:

• Provide holistic representation to youth in dependency, termination, guardianship, and extended foster care cases adhering to the state-wide Standards for Representation of Children and Youth in Dependency Cases (Updated 2022).
• Depending on the applicant’s qualifications, they may also be assigned to represent youth in At-Risk Youth, Child In Need of Services, & Truancy cases.
• Provide youth with legal advice, referrals, mediation, and in-court representation as needed on a variety of legal matters including, but not limited to special education, orders of protection, housing access, eviction prevention, record-sealing, legal financial obligations, name and gender marker changes, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and public benefits.
• Investigate each case; analyze facts in light of relevant legal considerations; conduct legal research; prepare litigation strategy; prepare legal memoranda, motions and briefs, and argue specific legal motions and pleadings; examine and cross-examine witnesses; conduct hearings and trials.
• Participate in regular case staffings with an LCYC Supervising Attorney.
• Participate in LCYC’s dependency onboarding training, as well as trainings offered by OCLA to continually improve the advocacy provided to the youth LCYC serves.
• Participate in regular team meetings, all staff monthly meetings, and a bi-annual retreat with all LCYC staff.
• Staff cases, problem solve, and identify trends and systemic barriers as an active member of LCYC.
• Track time and pertinent case data from intakes and closing in LCYC’s case management system.
• Regularly participate in all staff meetings, trainings, identity group conversations, and project specific workgroups on equity and systemic racism.

LCYC’s services are community based; we meet youth in locations where they feel safe and can easily access.

LCYC will continue to adapt our policies in line with public health recommendations and our legal

responsibilities to young people we represent. All LCYC staff are required to pass a background check.

ABOUT LCYC:

LCYC protects the interests and safety of youth in Washington by advancing their legal rights. We

accomplish our mission through direct legal representation, strong community partnerships, and

systemic advocacy. We have four program areas: child welfare, juvenile court, immigrant youth, and

youth homelessness.

LCYC provides community-based, holistic legal advocacy to expand access to justice for young people in

Washington. LCYC was created and continues to evolve in response to the community’s needs. We meet

youth where they are—geographically, developmentally, emotionally, culturally, and linguistically. We

collaborate with the youth, family members, educators, service providers, and other community partners to

ensure that the legal and non-legal needs of the youth are met.

LCYC empowers youth by helping them understand and engage in complex legal systems that impact their

lives and their families. We help youth understand and assess legal issues, options, potential

consequences, and opportunities, before the youth determines the path forward.

LCYC is a team of supportive, creative, risk-taking, and flexible attorneys seeking to disrupt the status quo.

We are committed to continual learning. An essential part of that learning must be centered on anti-racism

within ourselves, our organization, and the systems we encounter as advocates for young people. We are

willing to fail forward, make mistakes and learn, and embrace change. We believe humor and teamwork are

critical to doing this sometimes incredibly difficult work. LCYC’s core values are Youth Agency & Power,

Equity, Anti-Racism, Community, and Innovation – these core values reflect the foundational qualities and

ideas we seek to realize as individuals and as a team.

TO APPLY:

Before submitting your application, check LCYC’s website (https://lcycwa.org/careers) to make sure that this

position is still open. Please submit a letter of interest, resume, brief writing sample, and three references to

careers@lcycwa.org. Specify in the Subject Line: Thurston Dependency Attorney Position.

For your application to be considered, please include a response to the following question in your cover

letter: How have your personal and/or professional experiences prepared you to contribute to our

commitment to anti-racism and equity, internally and externally?

Applications will be reviewed upon receipt. We hope to hire as soon as possible. This position will be left open

until filled. Start date may be flexible, and may depend in part on the successful applicant’s need for training

prior to case contracts beginning.

LCYC offers a comprehensive benefits package to its employees. Supportive benefits include but are not

limited to Flexible Time Away, medical, vision, dental, life and disability insurance, 403(b) plan, and paid home

office needs such as work cell phone, laptop computer, desk, chair, and printer. LCYC covers 100% of the

employee premium for medical, vision, and dental plans, and 15% of enrolled dependents.