Staff Attorney

Agency Name: TeamChild

Position / Job Title : Staff Attorney

Location: Yakima or King

Category : Attorney

Job Description: TeamChild is seeking a full-time staff attorney in our Yakima County office. The Community Staff Attorneys in King, Pierce, Spokane, and Yakima counties 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, office, and
program practices. Primary job duties include providing holistic civil legal representation to youth who are involved in the juvenile court system or highly at risk for involvement. Advocacy involves breaking down legal barriers to a wide array of community-based services and support, prioritizing education and stable living situations, and including behavioral health care, postconviction (record sealing/restitution), and other civil rights issues. Activities include legal advice and/or representation in administrative or judicial proceedings,
negotiations or other dispute resolution processes, advocacy in juvenile court in partnership with public defenders to promote alternatives to secure detention, and collaboration with and referrals to community providers. The staff attorney is also responsible for developing a network of local partnerships with social service
programs, juvenile court staff, and community advocates/leaders. 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 role is to have multiple in-person (not virtual) contacts with clients, community partners, stakeholders, and other partners in your community on a weekly and monthly basis. That can include appearing at court hearings for clients, attending in-person community meetings, creating meeting opportunities with key
partners, stakeholders, and resource providers, presenting trainings or outreach about our work, and other opportunities that allow for the community to know you as the community staff attorney, know our work at TeamChild, and for our staff to know and understand the nature of our collaborators and partners.
There is flexibility in this position for remote work from another location in Washington State or hybrid remote/work from our Yakima Office. This position involves regular travel to meet with clients and the community. If living elsewhere, traveling to Yakima would be at least weekly. Reimbursement for travel is available.

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, many of whom 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 education,
legal actions for housing stability, civil rights, juvenile/criminal law and procedure, post-conviction,
access to services and public benefits, and Medicaid/health law;
 Maintain contemporaneous timekeeping in statewide electronic database on cases and community
engagement work;
 Maintain coherent 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;
o Updating the case file with new information, contact information, change of circumstances; and
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, be physically present for 1-2 days per week in
community or in the office for in-person connection;
 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.
IDEAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
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 one of TeamChild’s offices;
 Exceptional legal skills, preferably in the relevant areas of law including 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 community they are serving.
 Strong preference for staff who have oral Spanish language proficiency (listening and speaking)
strongly preferred, written skills recommended.

Link to Application: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66ba3608ed6b9d4cbc63665f/t/6894d1f6e6d3692e36d83d4a/1754583542978/King+Co+Attorney+Job+Description+FINAL.pdf

Other Relevant Links: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66ba