Job Description

About Us:

Dependency Legal Services San Diego (DLSSD) is a non-profit, public interest legal firm representing parents in juvenile dependency court proceedings in San Diego County. We currently serve over 1,246 parents seeking to reunite with their children.

DLSSD has been representing parents in the County of San Diego since 2016 and is a division of Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Inc. (LADL), which has represented parents in the County of Los Angeles since 2007.

Who We Are Seeking:

DLSSD seeks attorneys licensed in California who are committed to the fight for social justice, intellectually excited to defend the constitutionally protected relationship between parents and their children, and sufficiently resilient to engage in daily battle against the generational effects of poverty, racism, addiction, domestic violence, and mental health conditions.

DLSSD Staff Attorneys have frequent client contact and litigate contested matters daily-protecting and reunifying San Diego County's most vulnerable families. DLSSD offers competitive salary and benefits based on experience. Ideal candidates have previous public interest and/or criminal law experience.

A staff attorney position is currently available in either the North County (Vista) or Meadowlark (Kearny Mesa) courthouses. This job ad is open until it is closed.

Staff Attorney’s duties include, but are not limited to:

• Legal representation of parents in juvenile dependency proceedings in the San Diego Juvenile Courts. This duty includes in-court and out-of-court representation of parents at all phases of dependency case proceedings.
• Attorneys are to establish and maintain an attorney-client relationship with their client.
• Attorneys are to conduct thorough, continuing, and independent investigations and interviews at every stage of the proceedings on behalf of their client. Attorneys shall utilize the services of law firm social workers and investigators, as necessary. Attorneys are to file pleadings, motions, responses, or objections as necessary on behalf of their clients.

Requirements:

• Must have an active California State Bar license and must be in good standing. Please include your State Bar Number on your application materials.
• Ideal candidate would have previous public interest experience and/or criminal law experience.

Salary:

Salaries are based on experience, with starting salaries ranging from $84,000.00 to 126,000 per year.

Benefits:

LADL offers a variety of health benefits, including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, voluntary term life, and long term disability insurance plans; Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA); retirement accounts (401k) with a match of 4%; Nationwide pet insurance; work/life balance resources; paid time off including paid sick time, personal time, and vacation time.

Work Hybrid

• Many factors influence the location of an attorney’s practice, especially the client’s needs, as we work to reunify their family. Attorneys must be able to physically appear in court, in person, when required as well as appear in the office when training or when needed.

How to Apply:

A cover letter and resume are required. Both must be in PDF or Microsoft Word format. If your resume contains little by way of non-profit, public interest, or social justice experience, please explain in your cover letter your interest in, and qualifications for, employment in the specific area of Parents’ Representation in Dependency Court.

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