Policy Attorney or Policy Analyst – Healthy Housing

Who We Are

Children’s Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused on providing high-quality legal services to children and families in DC.  As an organization, we envision a world in which all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC children and families, Children’s Law Center uses the law to solve children’s urgent problems today, improve the systems that will affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that change endures.  A key part of our mission is to challenge and reduce ways in which racism and other biases – structural and interpersonal – prevent each of us, our organization and the systems in which we work from providing children a strong foundation from which to thrive.   

Our greatest assets are our people.  We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our ability to provide the best outcomes for our clients and our community. Staff members at Children’s Law Center advance the organization’s mission through their leadership, result-oriented mindset and commitment to cultural humility.  We are looking for individuals who like to be challenged to grow both personally and professionally and value the opportunity to make a difference in their community.  Children's Law Center's continued success depends on recruiting and retaining individuals who possess and exemplify these attributes. 

Program Description

The Policy Team seeks systemic solutions to barriers faced by Children's Law Center's clients and advocates for District laws, policies and practices that promote family stability, good health, and quality education for all DC children. Our policy work is grounded in what Children's Law Center has learned from representing tens of thousands of children and their families.

Job Summary

Children’s Law Center (CLC) Policy Attorneys work on CLC’s policy initiatives, which include child welfare, children’s behavioral health, housing and special education.  CLC’s policy work is outcome-oriented and involves legislative, budget and administrative advocacy with the DC government.

CLC is seeking a Healthy Housing Policy Attorney or Policy Analyst to lead our policy work focused on improving housing conditions for our client community.  To be eligible for the Policy Attorney position, applicants must be licensed to practice law in DC or be eligible for DC Bar membership based on the transfer of a Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) score attained in another jurisdiction or membership in good standing in the Bar of another jurisdiction for at least 3 years immediately prior to the application for admission.   To be eligible for the Policy Analyst position, applicants must have a pending application for admission in a UBE jurisdiction and must have already taken the UBE or commit to sitting for the next administration of the exam.

The policy portfolio of the Housing Policy Attorney or Policy Analyst includes working with stakeholders across the District to ensure DC children and families have access to rental housing that is free from mold, lead and other health-harming conditions by strengthening the District's housing code and other laws related to housing conditions, improving District agencies' enforcement of habitability standards and ensuring District agencies have adequate resources for programs that promote healthier housing and use them effectively.

Role Responsibilities

• Work closely with the other policy attorneys on the team and work with staff in our core, direct services programs in order to develop and implement strategies for improving the laws, policies and programs which affect our client community.  
• Draft letters, memoranda, proposed legislation, public comments on regulations, testimony for DC Council hearings and other policy and legal documents.
• Attend meetings and participate in coalitions and collaborative projects with relevant stakeholders, including agencies, child advocacy and legal services groups and community members.
• Lobby the DC Council, Mayor’s Office and agencies on policy initiatives.
• Identify, research and recommend strategy choices and positions for CLC.

Required Skills and Experience

• JD degree.
• Interest in working on housing policy in the District of Columbia.
• The Policy Attorney position requires DC Bar membership or eligibility for DC Bar membership based on the transfer of a Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) score attained in another jurisdiction or membership in good standing in the Bar of another jurisdiction for at least 3 years immediately prior to the application for admission.
• The Policy Analyst position requires a pending application for admission in a UBE jurisdiction, and applicants must have already taken the UBE or commit to sitting for the next administration of the exam.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with systemic advocacy, with a preference for experience in public policy, public administration or advocacy in DC.
• Experience with policy analysis.
• Experience working with or on issues impacting communities with limited financial resources.
• Experience with, knowledge of or study of healthy housing or related topics.
• Strong legal analysis, research, persuasive writing and oral advocacy skills.
• Experience in legal services or other community lawyering is preferred.  Experience that will be considered includes job experience, law school clinics, clerkships and internships.
• Demonstrated organizational and project management skills with the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously with different timelines.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to learn new skills.
• Strong strategic and analytical thinking and abilities.

Organizational Competencies

• Cultural Humility – an openness to self-reflection and to understanding and respecting other cultural experiences and points of view and viewing individuals as experts in their own culture and experiences.
• Giving and Receiving Feedback – the ability to be self-reflective, give and receive appreciative, coaching, constructive, interpersonal and evaluative feedback.
• Conflict Management – a process which is designed to guide individuals and groups from the moment of conflict to the implementation of an identified solution.  This process incorporates skills and techniques, including recognizing points of conflict, identifying the facts and feelings involved to get to the root of the issue, investigating equitable solutions, implementing and evaluating solutions, and supporting and guiding others throughout the process.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position ranges from $66,000 to $76,512 annually based on relevant experience.  Children’s Law Center offers a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability insurance; employer-provided retirement contributions; flexible spending plans; and vacation, sick, holiday, family and medical leave. You can find more details about Children’s Law Center’s comprehensive benefits package at https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/employee-benefits/.

Children’s Law Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. Employees with federal student loan debt can apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. For more information, go to https://myfedloan.org/borrowers/special-programs/pslf.  Additionally, the DC Bar Foundation’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program provides renewable one-year, interest-free, forgivable loans up to $12,000 per year for qualified Children’s Law Center attorneys. For more information, see https:/dcbarfoundation.org/lrap/.

Application Instructions

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter as one PDF file via CLC's careers page (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).

Children’s Law Center is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. If you believe that you need accommodation to search for, or apply for, one of our positions please send an email to Jobs@ChildrensLawCenter.org. In your email, please include the accommodation you are requesting and the job title you are applying for. It may take up to three business days to receive a response to your request.

Hybrid Working Conditions

Children’s Law Center is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule.  Employees are required to work in-person from Children’s Law Center’s office a minimum of two days per week.  At least one of these days must be either Tuesday or Wednesday.  The hybrid work schedule is subject to change based on organizational needs and/or best practices for health and safety.  Hybrid work expectations may vary depending upon role responsibilities.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.  Children’s Law Center is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Background Checks

Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be subject to a background check.

EEO

Children’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and existing employees. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.  We invite you to visit our website to learn more about our company and our career opportunities (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).

Our Commitment

Children’s Law Center is dedicated to building a world that is inclusive in approach and has equal opportunities and equitable outcomes for all. Our organization is committed to developing and supporting a robustly diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist community, where all members can create and feel a sense of belonging. Through our collective deliberate efforts, we work toward racial and social justice for children and families in DC.