| Job Title: | |
| Staff Attorney for Child Victims of Trauma & Violence | |
| Company/Organization: | |
| Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts | |
| Location: | |
| Lynn, MA | |
| Position Details | |
| Upload | |
| Position Description: | |
| The Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (“CLCM”) is seeking a full-time staff attorney with experience in education, child welfare and related advocacy services to assist children and youth who are victims of trauma and/or crime, or whose family members have experienced same. The position is for one to two years.
Founded in 1977 and based in Lynn, the CLCM is a legal advocacy and resource center that provides a range of legal services to children, from newborns to 22 years, in education, child welfare, immigration, mental health and related substantive areas. It seeks to ensure justice and maximize opportunity for its clients, many of whom confront challenges in public schools and/or are caught up in the state’s human service systems. This position is part of a statewide endeavor called the Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime Initiative (CLAVC) that will target children and/or family members who have experienced trauma as a result of abuse or criminal conduct. The attorney will provide advocacy and defense on education-related issues, from special education to school discipline, homelessness advocacy, and restraint/seclusion in school settings as well as advocacy around abuse & neglect matters. The service area is statewide but will focus primarily on the northeast and Greater Boston. |
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| Essential Duties and Responsibilities: | |
| General Responsibilities of CLAVC Attorney:
The successful candidate will (1) represent children with disabilities in special education disputes, including advocating at Team meetings and in litigation before the Bureau of Special Education Appeals to ensure delivery of appropriate services, and/or combat disparate treatment and unjust discipline; (2) represent students in school exclusion and other discipline matters; (3) engage in advocacy around enrollment, ELL, homelessness/McKinney-Vento, and other education rights of system-involved youth; and, (4) provide advocacy to victims of abuse and neglect. The attorney also will engage in various non-case related activities including community outreach; training parents, attorneys and service providers on legal issues affecting children; task force/committee participation; and, systems reform work designed to enhance the effect of the agency’s direct service efforts. The attorney will be responsible for working with/overseeing the CLCM’s intake line for these cases, supervising intake workers, and training and mentoring Pro Bono attorneys. She/he will work closely with CLCM’s project office in Boston (EdLaw), staff of legal aid programs across the state, and staff of numerous youth-serving programs in the northeast region and Greater Boston. |
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| Minimum Qualifications and Skills: | |
| Qualifications: Admitted to the Massachusetts Bar or licensed to practice law in Massachusetts Spanish language proficiency or fluency strongly preferred Familiarity with state and federal special education laws Familiarity with state child welfare law Excellent organizational, communication and leadership skills Experience working with urban school and state human service systems Commitment to the legal needs of low income children, including immigrant populations |
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| Application Deadline | |
| 09/01/2017 | |
| Application Requirements | |
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| Other | |
| References | |
| Who should be contacted for further information on this opportunity? | |
| Jay McManus | |
| j.mcmanus@clcm.org | |
| Website | |
| http://www.clcm.org | |