New & Available Immediately!

SENIOR STAFF ATTORNEY POSITION  (Posted 10/30/2008)

The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, a nationally-renowned public interest law firm devoted to equality and systemic change, seeks a senior staff attorney. The lawyer will have primary responsibility for ongoing cases in the areas of civil rights and disabilities, including litigating at least two certified or putative class actions concerning disabilities, education and civil rights. With assistance from other lawyers in the office, the lawyer will be responsible for investigating and developing new cases serving our mission, based on client needs. In addition to education, discrimination and disabilities cases, these new cases might arise in other areas such as employment, voting, fair housing, access to health care and other areas based on mission of the organization and client needs. The lawyer will also be responsible for investigating substantive areas of the law and creating other avenues for reform, such as community organizing, legislative advocacy, negotiation with public officials, training, speaking, publishing, and preparing reports and information on key areas consistent with our mission. The lawyer will be responsible for training and overseeing the work of less experienced lawyers.

In addition to substantive legal matters, the lawyer will be expected to participate in ongoing office projects and to cooperate with the development director in fundraising efforts and to contribute to visibility of the organization through public appearances.

Applicants must have at least ten years’ experience in complex, federal and state court litigation, including class action cases. The lawyer must possess superior analytical and writing abilities. The lawyer must also demonstrate initiative, energy, creativity and a commitment to systemic reform. We seek a team player who is willing to assist other lawyers and staff members. The lawyer should be well organized and demonstrate excellent follow up skills. The ideal candidate would have deep connections in the Philadelphia community or in national disability rights and civil rights movements, including an acquaintance with community leaders and policy makers.

The position is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is available immediately. The salary is commensurate with experience and the position includes excellent health, dental, life and disability benefits as well as generous time-off policies.

The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates who are minorities or with a disability to apply.

To apply, submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae and references by mail or email to: Jennifer R. Clarke, Executive Director, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, 125 S. 9th Street, Suite 700, Philadelephia, PA 19107, jclarke@pilcop.org

School Year Internships
The Law Center welcomes applications for internships during the school year. We accept applications from college and law students on a rolling basis. To apply, submit a letter, resume and description of your interest in public interest law to Jennifer R. Clarke, Executive Director, 125 South 9th Street, Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19107

The Philadelphia Public Interest Fellowship Program
The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia is a sponsoring organization for Philadelphia Bar Association Public Interest Fellowship participants. Philadelphia Public Interest Fellowship Program is a unique partnership between the private and public interest legal communities developed in 1992 by the Public Interest Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association that provides an extraordinary opportunity for new attorneys at participating firms to defer private practice for a year while they perform valuable public service at one of Philadelphia’s legal services agencies. The fellowship is administered by the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and is underwritten by the private law firm employer, who spreads the first year salary over two years; the law firm employer also provides benefits. Visit the Bar Foundation's website to learn more about the program and how to apply.


Interning for the Public Interest Law Center is a valuable and rewarding experience:
"Just a couple of short months after the Supreme Court handed down its decision in two school desegregation cases, I was researching the impact Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District would have on the desegregation efforts of the Philadelphia school system. Towards the end of the summer, I worked long hours to represent students challenging public transportation fare increases, claiming that the transportation authority had not analyzed the disproportionate impact the fare hike would have on minorities, low-income families, and students. During the summer I found many more general advantages to working in Philadelphia...Perhaps my most important discovery, as cheesy as it may sound, was the immense satisfaction I gained from making a contribution to the community in which I was raised. My clients' problems simply would not have hit so close to home had I been working in a larger, unfamiliar city."
--Dina Awerbuch, Harvard Law School 3L, 2007 Summer Intern