Violent Crime Initiative Juvenile Attorney

Job Title: Attorney- Violent Crime Initiative (Juvenile delinquency)

Pay: $75,000 to $90,000 per year (commensurate with experience)

FLSA Status: Full-time with benefits package. Employer pays 85% of total benefits package (health, dental, vision, FSA after 60 days). 160 hours of PTO for the first year (80 hours personal and 80 hours of set company days off), with paid company holidays off. Paid professional development and wellness perks.

Schedule: Full-time: M-F, 8am to 4pm/9am to 5pm

Travel: Local travel required.

Details: This position is slated to start June 1, 2026

Summary:

YEAH Philly builds real safety, healing, and liberation with Black youth through community, accountability, and advocacy. We work to replace punishment and surveillance with care, opportunity, and justice, connecting violence intervention, youth-led research, and policy transformation to dismantle systems that harm young people.

YEAH envisions a Philadelphia where young people are safe, free, and thriving, not controlled, punished, or silenced. We envision communities where accountability is collective, healing is prioritized, and justice means opportunity, not incarceration.

What We Do

YEAH Philly operates at the intersection of healing, advocacy, and research through three interconnected areas:

1. Violence Crime Initiative (VCI): Community-based violence prevention that provides legal representation and court advocacy, individualized case management, employment, and holistic support for teens and young adults most impacted by violence and in the juvenile system for a violent or gun crime. VCI is the model of what real community safety looks like.
2. Juvenile Probation Transformation Coalition (JPTC): A partnership collective between YEAH Philly and The Gault Center working with impacted young people to dismantle juvenile probation and co-designing new systems of accountability rooted in community healing and leadership.
3. Research, Data, and Storytelling: Youth-led research and storytelling that informs the field, creates best practices, documents lived experiences, exposes system harms, and influences public policy.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities: The court advocate will focus on providing in person court support, advocacy, and case management while working in partnership with other VCI staff. This position is also responsible for maintaining relationships with relevant lawyers and court staff, note taking in court, conducting assessments and intakes, inputting documentation/notes in databases, obtaining subpoenas, and providing court updates as necessary to VCI staff. This includes attending all court dates, being a strong advocate in court working with young people, working in partnership with lawyers, providing monthly court updates to YEAH staff, and overall assisting young people with getting out of the system. With a heavy focus on the legal system, the court advocate will assist young people with completing tasks that are beneficial to them and their individual situation. These responsibilities require case management skills and include helping young people obtain vital documents, coordinating mental health care, coordinating school reconnections, conducting home and school visits, assisting with medical appointments, etc.

Job Requirements: Juris Doctor required, must be an active Pennsylvania bar member and in good standing. Minimum of three years’ experience providing direct legal representation to individuals involved in the juvenile and criminal legal system, including litigating complex felony cases; Jury trial experience preferred. Candidates must have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to the representation of individuals who cycle in and out of the system and aren’t able to afford an attorney. Must have the ability to adapt to changing needs of YEAH Philly and to work collaboratively with the staff at YEAH Philly. Must be able to travel to courtrooms, local and statewide facilities if needed. Candidates must have a demonstrated background and expertise of working with Black identifying teenagers and young adults and outstanding engagement with youth and young adults, providing outstanding advocacy and legal representation in systems, specifically the court system; demonstrated track record of successfully building healthy and trusting relationships with this population; candidates must be detail oriented, even as an attorney, have life and professional experience in social work, human services, a strong interest in social justice and the ability to grasp concepts around violence, race, and systems, as well as the ability to stand up against systems and advocate for the best interest of young people; excellent verbal and written communication skills; and excellent time management and organizational skills. Candidates must be willing to be part of larger policy, advocacy, and organizing efforts related to justice and legislative reforms.

Those who identify racially or ethnically as Black or Brown and have been personally impacted by the criminal justice system or violence (directly or indirectly) are strongly encouraged to apply. Staff must approach youth communication with cultural humility, recognizing that urban dialect and vernacular are valid and legitimate forms of expression. Correcting, redirecting, or shaming a young person's natural way of speaking is not acceptable and is not aligned with YEAH's values. Candidates are expected to understand the power dynamics at play when adults police youth language, and to apply a trauma-informed lens that affirms rather than diminishes how young people express themselves. Youth are the experts of their own lives and that includes how they communicate. Harmful language, however, is never exempt, staff are expected to address and redirect it.

This position requires the ability to travel locally by SEPTA and or company vehicles. Candidates must be able to sit for extended periods of time in courtrooms and office settings, walk or stand for periods of time during community outreach and field work, and navigate various facilities including detention centers, schools, and community sites.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop and build healthy, trusting relationships with teens and young adults and have them be part of their legal defense.
• Handle all aspects of client representation in the Philadelphia Family Court for juvenile delinquency legal matters, including but not limited to status listings, preliminary hearings, motions, waiver trials, jury trials, interest of justice hearings, and violations of probation.
• Maintain and manage a juvenile caseload of those charged with a violent crime and those receiving services through YEAH Philly.
• Draft, file, and argue all necessary motions and memoranda of law.
• Interview clients in person and over the telephone, at youth detention centers, state placements, and anywhere necessary.
• Engage in holistic representation practices that assist the client in collateral matters that may impact the direct legal representation of the client.
• Maintain all documentation and utilize databases to provide written updates on progress.
• Conduct legal visits with teens and young adults who are currently in custody, placements, or holding facilities.
• Assist with policy drafting and legal memos as part of YEAH’s larger policy, advocacy, and organizing work.
• Work with the VCI legal team and other staff members for updates and support for your clients.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Emails are expected to respond to emails within 24 business hours.
• All other duties assigned

To apply, please upload resume/CV, cover letter, and writing sample rbradley@yeahphilly.org. Only apply if you have experience working with Black youth and young adults who have been impacted by violence. A minimum of two years establishing partnerships or supporting initiatives with a special focus on individuals labeled as having violent histories, and assisting youth and young adults in becoming experts of their own lives, is required." This role also prioritizes pushing back against oppressive systems and addressing structural barriers that often lead to violence. All applicants must have a driver's license and be proficient with Google and Microsoft Applications.Qualified candidates will be contacted for an in-person interview. Based on organizational capacity, unqualified applicants or those providing an incomplete application will not be contacted.

Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout (YEAH) is an equal opportunity employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained staff. Women, minorities, people with lived experience, disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, YEAH does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or genetic information in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs.

The statements contained herein describe the scope of responsibility and essential functions of this position but should not be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload.

YEAH is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law including employment, admissions, and educational programs.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Employees will follow any other instructions and perform any other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.

FLSA Status: Full-time with benefits package. Employer pays 85% of total benefits package (health, dental, vision, FSA after 60 days). 160 hours of PTO for the first year (80 hours personal and 80 hours of set company days off), with paid company holidays off. Paid professional development and wellness perks.

A proficiency in English and inner city dialogue. Must be very proficient in legal terms as it relates to understanding PA laws and court room legal terms.