The Farmworker Rights Division
Based in the Atlanta office of Georgia Legal Services Program, the Farmworker Rights Division represents migrant and seasonal farmworkers in employment and civil rights cases across the state. Nationally recognized for its high–quality advocacy, our litigation focuses on wages, working conditions and discrimination on Georgia farms.
We practice primarily in the federal courts to secure our clients’ rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Agricultural Worker Protection Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the regulatory provisions of the H-2A agricultural worker visa program, and other state and federal laws. By using federal law, our cases seek to prevent retaliation against workers who speak up and assert their rights. Our actively litigated cases often raise critical issues of federal civil procedure and how they impact low-wage workers’ rights. Because of the widespread use of immigrant labor in large-scale agriculture and the often lax government enforcement of worker protections, there is also no shortage of deserving clients and meritorious claims to be litigated.
Our office provides the collegial atmosphere of a small practice group, ideal for creative litigation. Our clients are as diverse as Georgia’s agricultural workforce, including Georgia natives, migrant U.S. workers, and non-citizen “guestworkers” from Mexico and Central America.
Staff Attorney Position and Qualifications
Staff Attorneys will actively participate in a wide variety of litigation matters, from drafting pleadings and motions to visiting clients around the state. The successful staff attorney will ultimately assume the responsibility of lead counsel for particular cases.
We seek candidates with strong legal research, writing, and oral advocacy skills and a collegial demeanor to join our practice. Applicants should be zealous about workers’ rights, eager to work closely with clients and excited to maintain our standards of high-quality work product. Because of our predominantly Spanish-speaking client population, Spanish language skills are strongly preferred.
Compensation
The Staff Attorneys’ starting salary is $43,000 (with bar admission and Spanish proficiency) depending on experience. Georgia Legal Services provides excellent vacation and benefits package, including partial law school loan repayment assistance.
Follow the link to apply online, http://www.glsp.org/get-involved-with-glsp/employment/