Civil Rights Attorney

Title: Civil Rights Attorney

Work Location: San Diego, CA

Term: Full-time, occasional evening and weekends required.

Position Status: Exempt

Pay Range: $80,000 - $95,000/year commensurate with skills and experience

Reports to: Executive Director

Generous Benefits: 100% employer-paid medical and dental insurance for employees & dependents, 401(k) plan with an employer match, 12 vacation days, 10 sick days and 12 holidays. Budget for legal association membership fee, bar license renewal fee, CLE funding support, and malpractice insurance. Temporary hybrid work schedule, with three days in-person and two days remote.

About Us: Join the largest American Muslim civil rights organization at the frontlines in protecting the rights of free speech, freely practicing one's faith, pursuing employment opportunities without harassment, and living as an active and engaged American without reprisal. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, California (CAIR-CA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. We recognize that our employees are passionate and talented and are our most valuable resource. With an important vision to be a leading advocate for justice and mutual understanding, our diverse workforce stands together to demonstrate our values for everyone who joins the efforts.

About the Role: CAIR-CA is seeking a dedicated attorney to advance and defend the civil and human rights of the American Muslim community at a time when those rights are increasingly under threat. This role offers a powerful opportunity to engage in impactful civil rights advocacy-working directly with community members, challenging systemic discrimination, and helping shape legal strategies that promote justice, safety, and dignity.

The attorney in this role will support individuals and families navigating discrimination, harassment, and civil liberties violations, while also contributing to broader legal and grassroots efforts that address patterns of misconduct and inequity. Success in this position requires sound legal judgment and a strong commitment to public interest law in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

This role is ideal for an attorney who is motivated by impact, values collaboration, and is seeking meaningful work that extends beyond individual cases to create lasting change.

Practice Areas: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties (Religious Freedom), Employment, National Security & Law Enforcement Practices, Public Accommodations, Prisoners' Rights, School Issues, Hate Crimes/Incidents, etc.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Review and investigate an array of legal claims brought by an incredibly diverse community.
• Conduct intakes of legal claims as necessary through effective communication with members of the community.
• Manage a considerable caseload (our attorneys currently manage approximately 200 intakes each per year)
• Provide assistance on assigned litigation efforts, including preparing pleadings, motions, and briefs.
• Depending on experience, identify, develop, lead, and manage assigned litigation efforts, including preparing pleadings, motions, and briefs.
• Perform in-depth legal research.
• Legal writing including, but not limited to, drafting complaints, discovery, briefs, letters, and memos; and non-legal writing, including drafting community advisories, issuing briefings, and reports
• Communicate with outside parties such as attorneys, employers, law enforcement agents, administrative agencies, media contacts, etc.
• Work to educate and empower community members on their rights through community presentations and material distributions.
• Prepare and assist in CAIR-California reports.
• Travel for outreach, including participating in community events and coalition meetings
• All CAIR staff are required to assist in general duties such as answering phones, weekly outreach, fundraising, and other office tasks as required

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Law degree from an American Bar Association-accredited school
• California State Bar admission
• 1-3 years of experience advocating for, representing, and/or litigating on behalf of clients in areas such as employment law, religious discrimination, public accommodation, denial of benefits by governmental and private actors in courts and administrative agencies
• Strong time management skills with a demonstrated ability to meet deadlines
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills with outstanding attention to detail
• Comfort working productively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including public speaking experience
• Experience working with people from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds
• Access to a working vehicle and the ability to drive throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area
• High degree of self-motivation and creativity
• A strong commitment to civil rights and CAIR's mission
• Basic computer proficiency including knowledge of MS Office, and MS Outlook
• Knowledge of cloud applications such as SharePoint, Office365, WestLaw Next, Lexis Nexis and social media applications (preferred)
• Conversational proficiency in Arabic, Farsi, or Urdu (preferred but not required)

TO APPLY:  Submit a cover letter, resume with writing sample and 3 professional references.

Equal Employment Opportunity: CAIR-CA is an equal-opportunity employer and adheres to all federal, state, and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination.

Salary : $80,000 - $95,000