Staff Attorney Position Overview

The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) seeks an innovative Staff Attorney with immigration litigation experience, an interest in pursuing impact litigation, and a demonstrated commitment to social justice and service to marginalized communities. The Staff Attorney will work closely with the Legal Director and the CHRCL team to develop and support legal strategy that undergirds CHRCL’s ongoing and emerging impact litigation and legal support efforts.

The Center

CHRCL is a legal support center and impact litigation organization founded in 1980 that provides training and technical support to direct legal service providers, addresses systemic injustice identified by those providers, and advances and protects constitutional and human rights of immigrants, refugees, children, and marginalized communities. Among our landmark cases are Munoz v. Bell, Plyler v. Doe, Orantes-Hernandez v. Smith,  Flores v. Reno, League of United Latin American Citizens v. Wilson, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, et al., v. Anti-Defamation League of the B'Nai B'rith, et al., Reno v. Catholic Social Services, LULAC v. Arizona, Flores v. Sessions,  Lucas R. v. Azar, and Flores v. Garland.

CHRCL serves as class counsel overseeing nationwide settlements in Flores and, together with our co-counsel, is responsible for monitoring conditions in all facilities and locations where DHS detains youth, including regular monitoring of CBP and ICE facilities that detain children and families. Our active docket also includes ICWC v. Noem, a class action seeking to protect immigrant survivors targeted by new ICE policies and Fanfan v. Noem, a putative class action challenging arbitrary ICE re-detention practices in the Southern District of California.

Who Should Apply

We are a small team with the flexibility and support to bring the cases we want to bring and a deep commitment to effecting systemic change through a variety of legal strategies. We seek a Staff Attorney who is eager to help develop and pursue new large-scale impact cases, legal advocacy strategies, and technical support that seek to protect and advance the rights of members of the communities we serve.

The Staff Attorney will report directly to the Legal Director.

Responsibilities

• Conduct thorough legal research and writing in support of ongoing and emerging litigation, including preparing long-form litigation memoranda and spot research, drafting briefs, drafting practice advisories, and participating in case strategy discussions.

• Deliver oral argument in litigation and/or support other team members in delivering oral argument by actively participating in argument moots and otherwise helping other team members prepare for argument.

• Conduct thorough factual research in support of ongoing and emerging litigation, including by consulting with legal service providers to identify patterns of injustice, attending routine detention center monitoring visits and taking declarations, and fielding intakes and inquiries from community members, coalition partners, and community groups.

• Field inquiries and requests for support from members of certified classes for which CHRCL attorneys serve as class counsel; communicate with and support plaintiffs.

• Support non-litigation efforts to bolster impact of litigation, including media engagement and coalition participation.

• Provide and support provision of technical support and legal education on matters within CHRCL expertise.

Qualifications

• Education and requirements:

  • J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school

  • Licensed to practice law in California or willing to take the next California Bar Exam

• Experience:

  • 2-5 years of impact litigation experience

  • Preferred experience in immigration law through impact litigation or direct services

• Other desired qualities:

  • Experience providing technical support to legal service proivders

  • Demonstrated commitment to social justice and defending the constitutional, human and civil rights of immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, women, LGBTQ persons, children, and indigenous populations

  • Lived immigration experience or proximity to others with lived immigration experience

  • Commitment to building a healthy and collaborative work environment

  • Ability and desire to build and invest in relationships with partner organizations and community members

  • Bilingual in English and Spanish or other language spoken by a substantial number of non-citizens in the United States

  • Residence in or willingness to relocate to Southern California.

What We Offer

• The salary for this position is $105,000 - $110,000. We offer medical, dental, 401(k) plans, and generous paid time off. Employees are eligible for benefits after 30 days of full time employment

How to Apply: Deadline December 1, 2026

• To apply, please email admin@centerforhumanrights.org a copy of your resume; a selected list of cases with citations on which you’ve been counsel, including class action cases, if any; a cover letter, including a statement about your interest in CHRCL and what you are looking for or hope to accomplish in this role; and three references.