News and Announcements

Supervising Clients’ Rights Advocate
Sacramento, Chico, Tustin, San Francisco, Ontario, Culver City or Remote (California based only)

SALARY RANGE (DOE): $93,698 – $125,561 annually

DEADLINE: Open until filled.

WHO WE ARE

Disability Rights California (DRC) is a statewide, non-profit legal organization dedicated to advancing the rights of Californians with disabilities to live with autonomy, dignity, and respect in a barrier-free, inclusive, and diverse world that values each individual and their voice.

Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy

The Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA) is part of DRC. The California Department of Developmental Services funds OCRA through a contract. OCRA has been providing advocacy services to regional center consumers, their families, and interested community members since 1999. OCRA provides legal services to consumers of all 21 regional centers throughout California.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Supervising Client’s Rights Advocate is a member of the management team that provides ongoing supervision, consultation and technical assistance to Clients’ Rights Advocates in their duties to assist and/or directly represent persons with developmental disabilities in pursuing administrative and legal remedies. The job involves extensive travel throughout California including remote locations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Licenses / Certificates

Litigation Counsel or Senior Attorney
Mental Health Practice Group
One Open Position
(Location: Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento, or ability to work remotely)

Disability Rights California is seeking a creative, bold, and experienced litigator for our Mental Health Practice Group.

SALARY RANGE:
Litigation Counsel $107,757 - $157,814
Senior Attorney $85,716 – $124,722
We base salary and position offers on experience and an internal equity analysis.

Application Deadline: Open until filled. Applications should be received by April 16, 2021, to be considered for the first round of interviews.

WHO WE ARE

Disability Rights California (“DRC”) is the Protection & Advocacy (“P&A”) system for the state of California. We are a nonprofit agency with a mandate under federal and state law to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights of people with disabilities. DRC works to create a world where all people with disabilities have power and are treated with dignity and respect by being included in their communities, afforded the same opportunities as people without disabilities, and respected to make their own decisions.

In order to be effective advocates for people with disabilities, we address systemic discrimination in all its forms and we acknowledge the unique challenges faced by people who experience the intersection of multiple types of discrimination.

The Mental Health Practice Group
We are a statewide team of passionate attorneys who enforce and expand the rights of people living with mental health disabilities. We strive to pursue litigation and advocacy that strikes a balance between responding to pressing needs, proactively anticipating future needs, and identifying innovative ways to affirmatively expand the law on behalf of individuals living with mental health disabilities.

Much of our current work includes advocating on behalf of clients in locked facilities, including psychiatric institutions, jails, and immigration detention centers, and working to divert or discharge people from such institutions. We also work to improve access to community-based alternatives to institutions and homelessness, to ensure that such services are provided in a manner that is trauma-informed and culturally congruent, and to address the intersectional needs of people living with mental health disabilities.

In order to enforce and expand the rights of people living with mental health disabilities, the Mental Health Practice Group engages in individual and systemic litigation, investigations and monitoring, and policy advocacy. Our team works collaboratively on lawsuits and projects. We are also adopting community lawyering and identity-conscious approaches to our advocacy in order to ensure that our advocacy seeks out and responds to the voices of people of color with disabilities and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community with disabilities.

A few of the Mental Health Practice Group’s recent lawsuits include:

Litigation Counsel Position

The Litigation Counsel plays a significant role in shaping DRC’s litigation and advocacy vision, including working with the Mental Health team, the Litigation Counsel Team, and other DRC teams and staff to identify complex legal and policy challenges to create and drive forward our systemic work. The Litigation Counsel also helps to ensure the excellence of DRC’s legal work by providing leadership, mentorship, and supervision to Practice Group attorneys and other DRC staff. Structurally, the Litigation Counsel reports to the Managing Attorney but, in practice, the Litigation Counsel and Managing Attorney lead our team together.

We value lived experience and experience working with people with disabilities and who are low income. We also value experience integrating disability justice, race equity, and community lawyering principles into advocacy efforts. Please discuss such experiences in your cover letter, especially if they are not reflected in your resume.

Minimum Qualifications: Juris Doctor and admission to the California State Bar.

This position requires a minimum of ten years of practicing law including substantial civil litigation experience or internal candidates who have worked at DRC for four continuous year and have 9 years of experience practicing law.

Senior Attorney Position

The Senior Attorney in the Mental Health Practice Group plays a leading role in individual and systemic advocacy to enforce and expand the rights of people with mental health disabilities. The Senior Attorney works under the direct supervision of the senior staff and in collaboration with other Disability Rights California attorneys and advocates in their legal, advocacy, and outreach efforts.

We value lived experience and experience working with people with disabilities and who are low income. We also value experience integrating disability justice, race equity and community lawyering principles into advocacy efforts. Please discuss such experiences in your cover letter, especially if they are not reflected in your resume.

Minimum Qualifications: Juris Doctor and admission to the California State Bar.

This position requires a minimum of seven years of practicing law including substantial civil litigation experience or internal candidates who have worked at DRC for 3 continuous years and have 6 years of experience practicing law.

Working at DRC is more than just a job - it is a rare opportunity to do what you are good at while making a difference! DRC offers competitive salaries and a generous benefit package. To view the detailed job descriptions and complete the application process visit

Senior Attorney: https://jobs.lever.co/disabilityrightsca/e62d45cc-4281-4dec- 8f6a-7135558776da?lever-origin=applied&lever- source%5B%5D=Law%20Bar%20Association

Litigation Counsel: https://jobs.lever.co/disabilityrightsca/a4ff6273-182f-4089- 89dc-c545621680e6?lever-origin=applied&lever- source%5B%5D=Law%20Bar%20Association