The Confinement and Reentry Team Staff Attorneys work as part of a collaborative statewide team that is dedicated to youth-centered legal advocacy and working to continually reflect and improve our client services and office and program practices. Primary job duties include providing holistic legal representation to young people (ages 12-24) statewide who have been impacted by incarceration in our state’s juvenile prison system. The legal work includes: post-conviction (resentencing, record sealing, restitution), conditions of confinement, education, reentry, and other civil rights needs of youth who are incarcerated. The work also includes outreach, education, and policy work. An essential part of the role is to have multiple in person (not virtual) contacts with clients who are incarcerated on a monthly basis.
The staff attorney is also responsible for developing a network of relationships/partnerships with impacted community, social service programs, and institutions staff. The attorney participates in other advocacy activities, including community training, outreach, and policy work on behalf of our client base. An essential part of the job is to represent TeamChild in workgroups and community meetings with key partners, stakeholders, and resource providers.
TeamChild can support candidates who live in near proximity to TeamChild offices in Pierce or King Counties between Snohomish County and Lewis County and can expect to travel regularly in person to JR facilities. People in this position travel, typically twice a month, to North Bend and Chehalis to the main prisons and periodic travel around the state to Community Facilities, and to support organizational work.
ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
• Represent a full caseload of clients in a variety of civil legal needs;
o This means 20-35 active cases, totaling 45 or more per year, unless litigation cases require a downward adjustment of total cases;
• Work effectively with youth and young adult clients ages 12 to 24, who are impacted by juvenile court involvement and incarceration;
• Present cases competently in superior court, administrative hearings, juvenile court, and possibly federal court and appellate court;
• Comply with RPCs in providing high quality legal advice and representation;
• Develop content expertise in substantive areas of law that we regularly practice, including conditions of confinement, post-conviction cases (resentencing, record sealing, restitution relief, etc.), education, reentry, legal actions for housing stability, civil rights, juvenile/criminal law and procedure, access to services and public benefits, and collaboration with defense counsel;
• Maintain contemporaneous timekeeping in statewide electronic database on cases and community engagement work;
• Maintain coherent, contemporaneous, and clear electronic case files
o including detailed notes of case and client activities and time spent in the case file;
o uploading all related documents, correspondence, records, and court paperwork to the legal file; and
o updating the case file with new information, contact information, change of circumstances.;
o Documentation of training, outreach, and community activities;
• Write retainer agreements on active representation and brief services cases with youth to ensure understanding and agreement of the scope of representation; and send closing correspondence when legal representation is completed;
• Work effectively with all program staff on case planning and representation, intakes, strategy development, community engagement and other projects;
• Close cases in a timely manner;
• Conduct intakes as needed to screen new referrals;
• Review other TeamChild attorney work and provide peer feedback;
• Co-counsel cases with other TeamChild staff;
• Conduct outreach and build relationships in community to better understand the needs of impacted community, build collective strategies, and understand resources available for clients;
• For client case work and community engagement, travel and maintain strategic in-person connections with clients and organizations;
• Provide substantive training on a variety of legal areas to youth, families, professionals, community members, and other lawyers;
• Provide professional consultation with other attorneys, service providers, or community who seek advice and support in the areas of youth law;
• Work on individual and collective policy advocacy areas as they are developed - local, county, and statewide (sometimes federal);
• Thoroughly review applicable funding contracts in order to work with team to understand deliverables and ensure compliance;
Other Duties, Developed in Collaboration
• Participate in client storytelling aligned with organizational values.
• Participate in sharing issues/case examples to contribute to TeamChild’s policy advocacy work.
• Participate in internal work groups at TeamChild regarding budget, hiring, policies, retreats, and other internal functions and collective agency work.
• Other tasks may be assigned based on organizational needs, professional development opportunities, and the supervisor's request.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
This is a full-time salaried, exempt position that is not eligible for overtime pay. TeamChild’s work week is 35 hours.
TeamChild is committed to providing employees with a competitive salary and benefits package. Compensation is based on the TeamChild Attorney salary scale and the candidate’s years of relevant experience. Compensation is based on the TeamChild attorney scale and the candidate’s years of relevant experience. For example, a candidate with 0 years of relevant experience would start in this position at $80,000 per year, and a candidate with 10 years of relevant experience would start in this position at $98,750 per year.* The place where a candidate starts on the salary scale may be increased based upon their lived experience with systems of oppression reflective of our clients’ experiences.
*Please note the next fiscal year’s budget is being reviewed for approval, and that should it be approved then the compensation listed in this job description is expected to increase by 3% beginning July 2026.
TeamChild offers full benefits including medical, dental, vision, employee assistance program (EAP), generous paid time off, long- and short-term disability, life insurance, and options to set-up a flexible spending account (FSA) and 403b retirement account. TeamChild typically offers an annual well-being benefit of $1,000/year. We offer a pay bump for Spanish language fluency. If someone relocates for this position, we can offer $5,000 to assist with relocation expenses. Additionally, TeamChild is a qualifying employer for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
We are seeking candidates who are committed to undoing institutional racism and other forms of oppression and are passionate about supporting young people. Candidates should work well both independently and as a team member, enjoy creative problem solving, and value the creation of relationships across disciplines. Additional qualifications include:
• Member in good standing of the Washington State Bar Association or eligible for reciprocity or limited admission to practice pending admission to the Washington State Bar Association;
• Must have a valid driver’s license and ability to travel throughout the county to meet client and agency needs (TeamChild provides mileage reimbursement or car rental options for travel);
• Must live and be authorized to work in Washington State and proximate to TeamChild’s King and Pierce County offices;
• Exceptional legal skills, preferably in the relevant areas of law including criminal legal system experience, school discipline/special education, public health care, public benefits, re-entry issues, delinquency, child welfare, or other areas of youth related law;
• Demonstrated competence working with young people, especially adolescents, and diverse people and communities;
• Compassion and empathy in working with youth from all backgrounds and situations;
• High level of integrity; commitment to following the Rules of Professional Conduct and upholding ethical standards, including client confidentiality and zealous advocacy for client-directed goals
• Demonstrated alignment with TeamChild values: Centering Youth, Anti-Racism, Wholeness, Accountability;
• Anti-racist analysis and commitment to undoing institutional racism and other forms of oppression;
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups of people with varying perspectives, experience, and expertise;
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with community stakeholders (other advocates and social service providers) and co-workers. Our attorneys must be adept at forging relationships with our clients, our client communities, and the various advocates and social providers our clients access;
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to clearly document and maintain all legal work in a timely basis (within 3 days) on electronic case management system;
• Strong organizational, technology (case management systems, Microsoft Suite), and project management skills;
• Strong preference for staff who have personal connection with our client communities, including lived experience with juvenile court, criminal court, foster care, homelessness and special education, and experience living or working in the geographic communities TeamChild serves.
Interested applicants should email a resume, concise cover letter, and writing sample to [email protected] using the following file naming convention: “[Last Name] - Letter” and “[Last Name] - Resume” and “[Last Name] - Writing Sample.” Please write “Attorney—Confinement and Re-entry” and your last name in the subject line. See job description at https://www.teamchild.org/work-with-us
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