Staff Attorney at Civil Survival
Posted by: Civil Survival. Location: Remote, Washington.
Posted on: August 20, 2026. Rolling applications.
Summary
Civil Survival is looking for a reentry legal aid attorney to assist formerly incarcerated individuals across Washington State who face legal barriers to successful reentry. The Staff Attorney will represent clients in a range of areas, including legal financial obligation (LFO) remission, relief under State v. Blake, criminal record vacation, and registration relief for people convicted of sex offenses. The Staff Attorney will also manage larger projects such as mass assistance days, engage in appellate litigation and systemic advocacy, and provide trainings and self-help materials to impacted communities.
Civil Survival is committed to maintaining a staff that reflect the diversity of experiences of the communities we work with. People of color, those directly impacted by the criminal legal system, people who identify as LGBTQIA2S+, people who are fluent in languages other than English, and those with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Organization Description
Civil Survival organizes system-impacted people, provides legal representation, and advocates for policy reform to restore opportunity to communities harmed by the criminal legal system. We envision a world without incarceration, where people are not limited by their past and are valued for their humanity. Civil Survival was founded by people harmed by the criminal legal system to advocate for each other. Most of our staff have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system. Our foundational commitment to build an organization made up of members of the communities remains at the core of our identity.
These values and commitments have allowed us to increase access to opportunity for those harmed by the criminal legal system. We have done this by:
Organizing mass assistance days that provide legal financial obligation relief to hundreds of individuals in a single day. Over the past seven years, we have hosted seven mass assistance days, eliminating over $14 million in debt for our clients.
Representing clients in over 1900 cases across 64 courts, resulting in the waiver of approximately $16 million in criminal legal debt and over 500 convictions vacated during 2025.
Leading systemic advocacy to make reentry legal relief accessible and automatic. Civil Survival led a coalition of organizations to improve Washington’s mandatory legal financial obligations (LFOs) motion forms, making this process and relief available to thousands of additional Washingtonians. Civil Survival also led the effort to pass HB 1412 and HB 1169, which allowed for restitution relief in over 100,000 cases and eliminated $600 in mandatory LFOs for every felony conviction.
Hosting multiple free monthly Attorney Office Hours to provide individuals with accessible legal advice and self-help materials to access reentry relief.
Hosting weekly Game Changer groups that provide justice-involved individuals a place to learn how to advocate for systemic change, overcome their own reentry barriers, and provide peer support.
Supporting bills that expand legal rights for justice-involved individuals. Civil Survival led the passage of the Fair Chance Employment Act, which gave Washington stronger employment protections for people with criminal histories than almost any other state.