Children's Defense Team Staff Attorney

Children’s Defense Team Staff Attorney (New Orleans)

The Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (LCCR) is looking for a skilled staff attorney to join its Children’s Defense Team, which provides holistic legal representation for children in delinquency and status offender proceedings as the youth public defender in New Orleans. Staff attorneys coordinate teams of investigators, social workers, and youth advocates to help New Orleans’ young people achieve their legal and life goals. Strong candidates will have a deep and demonstrated commitment to the defense of indigent youth; excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills; proven ability to work collaboratively with a team of colleagues; and a strong work ethic.

The position is based in New Orleans.

The Community You Will Join

The Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (LCCR) is a non-profit law office that fights to keep children out of the legal system so they can thrive in their homes and communities. We both represent individual children in their court cases and address the systemic issues that trap mainly poor, Black youth in the legal system.

Youth Defense: As the youth public defender in New Orleans, our Children’s Defense Team represents over 90% of children in the city who come into contact with the juvenile legal system. We provide each child with a holistic team – a lawyer, social worker, investigator, and youth advocate – to address both the causes and consequences of an arrest.

State and Local Advocacy: We advocate for policies that reduce the number of children in the legal system and provide better alternatives to arrest and incarceration. For the kids who do enter the system, we support policies that help keep them safe, protect their rights, and get them home as soon as possible.

The Difference You Will Make

The staff attorney’s primary responsibility is to provide high-quality, zealous, client-directed legal representation to children in all stages of delinquency and status offender proceedings in Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. To accomplish this goal, the staff attorney will advocate for the expressed interests of clients and build strong relationships of trust with clients and their families. The staff attorney must keep clients (and their families) informed of case developments, and consult with them on questions of strategy, while providing developmentally-appropriate, trauma-informed counseling allowing clients to make informed decisions about their cases. Staff attorneys represent children continuously through every stage of delinquency and Families in Need of Services (FINS) proceedings, always advocated for the client’s expressed interests and goals. Staff attorneys develop comprehensive case strategies, litigate legal and factual issues with tenacity, seek relief from appellate courts, pursue creative and innovative litigation strategies, and negotiate with state representatives and advocate with judges for favorable outcomes. Staff attorneys also coordinate and lead client services teams – including an investigator, social worker, and youth advocate – to implement holistic and comprehensive advocacy plans designed to help clients achieve their legal and life goals.

Your Expertise

The CDT Staff Attorney must be licensed to practice law in Louisiana and be deeply committed to the defense of indigent youth as a specialized practice. Excellent interpersonal communication skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations are required. Staff attorneys must also possess the ability to write and argue persuasively and clearly.

Ideal candidates will have at least three years of criminal defense experience and some trial experience.

Salary and Compensation

The position offers a salary of $60,000-$74,000 depending on years of experience and based on an established salary scale. LCCR offers employee benefits that include unlimited flexible paid time off, employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, and parental leave. The position is full-time and in-person, although remote work is flexible depending on court appearances and required case-load expectations. No other compensated work is permitted.

To Apply

Please provide a resume, three professional references, a writing sample, and a cover letter explaining your interest in the position to jobs@lakidrights.org. In the subject line of the email, please write “CDT Staff Attorney.” Applications are accepted for as long as this posting remains active.