About This Role
This contract attorney position involves providing legal representation to clients in dependency proceedings, both in and out of court. The role requires a deep commitment to advocacy and effective communication with diverse clients and legal professionals.
Responsibilities
- Assess the critical issues of each assigned case and advocate for each client
- Maintain professional and effective working relationships with bench officers, courtroom personnel, social workers, attorneys, CASAs, and service providers
- Independently investigate and appropriately direct social work investigators to obtain facts needed to properly assess each case
- Effectively apply dependency case law, statutes, and court rules
- Use effective trial and courtroom presentation skills
- Use sound case analysis and judgment
- Effectively negotiate with other counsel
- Prepare witnesses and apply evidentiary rules and objections
- Prepare clear, concise, and persuasive motions, pleadings, briefs, and memorandums of law, as well as correspondence and reports as needed by thoroughly researching applicable law
- Submit documents in a timely manner
- Engage available resources to properly represent and advocate for clients' best interests, including educational resources, medical providers, mental health professionals, regional center resources, community-based service providers, other legal experts or consultants (such as Legal Aid, Public Counsel, Alliance for Children's Rights, etc.), Public Defenders in Delinquency Court and Department 95
- Demonstrate sensitivity and awareness of cultural differences to effectively communicate and advocate for clients from diverse backgrounds
- Develop professional relationships with and provide sound advice to clients using frequent age-appropriate interviews that adhere to ethical standards
- Follow up on client requests and court orders to ensure that clients receive services in a timely manner
- Treat clients' caregivers and family members respectfully
- Continuously learn, staying informed and adapting to evolving social dynamics to better engage and support clients from all backgrounds
Requirements
- Maintain professional relationships with all CLC coworkers through collaboration with attorneys, supervisors, and CLC leadership
- Demonstrate respect for support staff
- Express flexibility and willingness to assist with coverage in other courtrooms
- Mentor and be a role model for less experienced attorneys
- Ability to seek assistance from supervisors when prudent or required
- Effectively manage multiple caseloads by opening and closing files in a timely manner and meeting deadlines
