Careers at Justice in Aging

EQUITY & ELDER RIGHTS STAFF ATTORNEY OR SENIOR STAFF ATTORNEY

Location: Washington DC, Oakland CA, Los Angeles CA, or Remote

Justice in Aging seeks an attorney with at least three years’ experience with a strong commitment to advancing equity and strengthening legal services delivery to older adults. The successful candidate will work with both our Elder Rights and Equity Teams to pursue systemic change in law and policy to improve the lives of low-income older adults who experience inequities rooted in historical, persistent, and structural racism, ageism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and xenophobia. As part of the Elder Rights team, this attorney will contribute to Justice in Aging’s work through the National Center on Law & Elder Rights, and support the aging and legal services networks’ capacity to serve these communities.

The attorney can be based in any of our three offices (Washington, DC, Oakland CA, and Los Angeles CA), or work fully remotely. All of Justice in Aging’s staff are currently working remotely and will be doing so for the duration of the pandemic.

Since 1972, Justice in Aging has used the power of law and our expertise in the health care, long-term services and supports, economic security, and elder justice programs that older adults rely on to fight senior poverty, focusing our efforts primarily on those who have been marginalized and excluded from justice. We have a rich tradition of successful, high-impact, strategic advocacy on behalf of the more than 7 million seniors living in poverty across the country. Justice in Aging also administers the National Center on Law and Elder Rights (NCLER) under a contract with the Administration for Community Living’s Administration on Aging. NCLER is a resource center that delivers training and technical assistance to a network of over 50,000 legal services and aging and disability advocates on elder rights and priority legal issues. 

In March 2021, Justice in Aging launched our Strategic Initiative to Advance Equity for older adults of color, older women, LGBTQ older adults, older adults with disabilities, and older adults who are immigrants or have limited English proficiency with a primary emphasis on advancing racial equity. The Equity & Elder Rights Attorney will work in close collaboration with Justice in Aging’s Director of Equity Advocacy and the Elder Rights Team to implement the initiative.  In addition to the initiative focused on advancing equity in our external advocacy, for the past five years, Justice in Aging has had an active and engaged Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which leads our internal DEI work, including trainings, caucusing, and organizational processes.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with application review beginning on May 28, 2021. Questions about the position can be directed to Shelby Minister at sminister@justiceinaging.org.

Responsibilities:

Work with the Directors of Equity Advocacy and Elder Rights to implement the Advancing Equity Initiative and advance the work of NCLER.

Serve on our newly created Equity Team, comprised of staff who are also part of one or more of our existing programmatic teams.

Work with the Elder Rights Team as well as our Health, Economic Security, Litigation teams to create and expand equity-based projects and initiatives, including working with staff to engage in research and analysis and produce written materials related to the pervasive and ingrained systemic and intersectional inequities faced by older adults of color, older women, LGBTQ older adults, older adults with disabilities, and older adults who are immigrants or have limited English proficiency.

Through NCLER, deliver a range of resource support to legal assistance and elder rights programs, including trainings, written materials, and technical assistance, designed to enhance programs’ capacity to advance equity and serve older adults with greatest social or economic need.

Build and maintain relationships and engage in collaborative efforts with partners and coalitions with the goal to advance equity and build capacity for legal assistance and elder rights programs.

Opportunities for limited travel to national conferences and meetings, after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Requirements:

A J.D. and at least three years of legal experience.

Experience providing direct legal services to low-income older adults.

Relevant experience with racial justice, civil rights and/or equity issues.

Passion for social justice, including interest in working on behalf of older adults of color, older women, LGBTQ older adults, older adults with disabilities, and older adults who are immigrants or have limited English proficiency.

Desired:

Strong interpersonal and communications skills, including ability to communicate effectively about racial equity.

Experience delivering presentations or trainings.

Experience developing or implementing programs that improve legal services for older adults, particularly services that reach diverse communities.

Diversity of personal and professional experience, including lived experience with advancing racial equity and with communities of color.

Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize and work on multiple projects, activities, and actions.

Ability to balance short and long-term objectives.

Ability to think strategically and to lead and work collaboratively with others.

Compensation:

Salary for this position will be based on a fixed salary scale based on experience level. For example, the salary for an attorney with 5 years of experience would be $80,000, and the salary for an attorney with 12 years of experience would be $101,500. Justice in Aging also offers a competitive benefits package, including health, dental, and life insurance; flexible reimbursement plan; 403(b) retirement savings plan with 8% automatic employer contribution; paid parental leave, sabbatical leave, and compensatory time; and generous vacation policy.

To Apply:

Please submit the following to Shelby Minister at sminister@justiceinaging.org:

• Cover letter that describes your interest in this particular position,
• Resume,
• One writing sample, and
• Three professional references.

We accept applications on a rolling basis, with review beginning on May 28, 2021. In your cover letter, please address the following in order for your application to be considered:

To promote social justice and best achieve our mission, Justice in Aging is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and creating an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. How do you think your personal or professional experience or background has prepared you to contribute to a work environment with a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences to your response.

Justice in Aging is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to maintaining a diverse staff and we particularly encourage applications from people of color, women, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, and others whose background may contribute to more effective representation of low-income people and underserved communities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application process, please contact Shelby Minister at sminister@justiceinaging.org.

There are no current openings. Please check back. 

There are no current openings. Please check back.

Each year Justice in Aging seeks outstanding law students to work with us through summer and term-time internships and externships. We are not accepting applications for summer 2021.