Supervising Attorney

The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley ("Law Foundation”) invites attorneys with a strong commitment to social justice and advancing the rights of underrepresented individuals in Santa Clara County to apply for the Supervising Attorney position on our Legal Advocates for Children & Youth (LACY) team. Applicants should have experience managing direct service client caseloads, impact litigation, and advocacy work. This is a flexible, hybrid position.

Who We Are

The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley advances the rights of historically excluded individuals and families across Santa Clara County through legal services, strategic advocacy, and educational outreach. We serve over 10,000 individuals and families each year through our LACY Program, Health Program, and Housing Program. Our attorneys, social workers, and advocates use legal advocacy as a tool for social change by crafting inventive solutions to the legal issues facing low-income people and communities of color in our region. Our work is collaborative and meaningful and includes plenty of opportunities for professional growth. As a staff, we actively engage in discussions about race, equity, and inclusion, and are actively working towards a Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)-centered legal services practice that incorporates community and movement lawyering.

The LACY team offers legal support and advocacy to at-risk youth aged 0-25. It covers various areas including educational rights, juvenile dependency, family law assistance, court representation, immigration, and collaboration with Valley Medical Center. With a team of attorneys and social workers, LACY provides holistic legal and social services, confidentially and at no cost. 

What You’ll Do

We are actively seeking a Supervising Attorney for LACY’s education law practice. This position will lead our unit that provides services in education law and foster youth identity theft, as well as supervise our medical-legal partnership clinic operated in conjunction with the Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center. The primary components of LACY’s work in education law are special education advocacy and student discipline defense. Our case work is generated through longstanding partnerships with the local child welfare agency and juvenile probation department, as well as through intakes coming from our medical-legal partnership and other sources.  

The LACY Management team includes the Directing Attorney, three Supervising Attorneys and one Supervising Social Worker. The role of the Supervising Attorney is to work closely with the Directing Attorney and other members of the LACY management team to oversee the work of staff and provide training, supervision, and support. The Supervising Attorney will work closely with the Directing Attorney on project management, help maintain and grow funding resources, and manage various administrative aspects of the program.  

Primary Duties

• Supervision of staff and casework
• Hiring, training, mentoring, and professional development of LACY staff
• Direct representation of a small number of clients, as necessary
• Case and courtroom coverage, as needed
• Program development, oversight, and administration
• Represent LACY on external system-improvement committees
• Support program and organization-wide initiatives, including Race Equity
• Lead LACY through external policy initiatives
• Track policy and legal developments in the area of children’s rights
• Oversee and participate in education and outreach to community regarding legal issues confronted by children and youth
• Public relations with government agencies and the community, as needed
• Participate in Law Foundation meetings, events and assigned activities
• Oversee and manage contracts
• Participate in fundraising activities and grant development.

Who You Are

This role is a good fit for you if you have:

• A deep commitment to the Law Foundation’s vision and mission;
• At least five years of experience in public interest law or advocacy services;
• Experience or background representing children or youth;
• Education law experience, including special education advocacy, student discipline defense and involvement in due process complaints;
• Legal supervision experience;
• Experience effectively managing multiple projects simultaneously;
• Proficiency in working with multi-disciplinary teams;
• Dedication to Race Equity work and its principles in children’s rights practice;
• Demonstrated commitment and ability to engage with underrepresented communities, such as clients of diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds;
• Experience in fund development, including grant and report writing;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Strong written and verbal communication;
• California State Bar membership or are otherwise able to practice law in California;
• Access to reliable transportation.

What We Offer

The salary scale for this position is $115,000 – $128,000/year with generous benefits, including:

• 19 paid holidays per year
• 3-5 weeks of vacation per year
• 12 days of sick leave per year
• Up to 6 months of parental leave
• Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums
• A robust Employee Assistance Program that includes free mental health therapy and wellness services for employees and their dependents
• A 401(k)-retirement plan with employer contributions
• A sabbatical after 5 years of employment
• An annual budget for professional development
• The flexibility to work on a hybrid schedule

Location

Law Foundation is a hybrid workplace and staff will be required to commute to our San Jose offices a minimum of two days per week. If staff can meet the requirements above, including commuting at their own expense, staff may live anywhere in California. Due to logistical challenges regarding taxes, insurance, and time zones, we are not able to consider staff in other states at this time.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Law Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer. We encourage people of color, women, people living with disabilities, older people, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to apply. It is the policy of the Law Foundation to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, medical condition or genetic information, veteran status, national origin, disability, marital or other protected status. The Law Foundation will conform to the spirit, as well as the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.

ADA Accessible Facility - Equal Opportunity Employer - Drug-Free Workplace