Jobs

Law Firm Fellowships/Deferred Attorneys

Public Advocates welcomes applications from firm attorneys who have been deferred or granted fellowship or sabbatical arrangements with public interest organizations. We believe we could provide an excellent experience and supervision for lawyers interested in our practice areas and our multipronged approach to advocacy. Attorneys who join us under these arrangements will have a chance to do challenging cutting edge work on education, housing, community development and/or transit equity, on behalf of low income communities, taking on a mix of litigation, policy and legislative, coalition, and strategic communications work.

Our current roster of projects ranges from advocacy for affordable housing and transit policies that address climate change, to legislative advocacy on education funding, accountability and federal student aid policy, to federal and state litigation concerning teacher quality, English language learners, and zoning.  The specific assignments and mix of substantive work and skills for an attorney will depend on the status of matters, current staffing, and the skills each lawyer brings and wants to develop. Attorneys may also have the opportunity to help develop new program areas.

  • We welcome interest from lawyers with diverse interests and experience, including litigation, transactional, land use, administrative, and legislative law. We have done pro bono projects with lawyers from practice areas as varied as trial and appellate litigation, tax, antitrust, environmental, land use and real estate finance in order to meet the needs of our clients and multifaceted projects.
  • We also encourage applications from lawyers who would be interested in helping tell the story of our work, through advocacy, legal, historic, analytic and training materials for general audiences and law reviews, and reach new audiences among clients, allies, policy makers and others.
  • We are proud of the diversity of our staff and also of our effectiveness in working respectfully and collaboratively with community organizations; applicants should share similar values.
  • Fluency in Spanish or other language spoken by large numbers of Californians would be a plus, as would work with community organizations.  
  • It may be possible for interested attorneys to focus on a specific project that advances one of our priority areas; we are open to hearing about projects of interest to an applicant or to shaping the year around a project that we have identified as significant and promising.

Application information:

  • Applicants should submit a substantive cover letter, resume, writing sample, and names of two references, who may be from the law firm. Direct your applications and inquiries to info@publicadvocates.org.
  • We will conduct a complete but expedited selection process and will try to accommodate the schedules under which attorneys and firms are working.

Arrangements:

  • Full time, year-long placements are likely to be most attractive to us, but we will consider other plans on a case-by-case basis. Our current thinking is that we can provide a good experience for one or two full-time lawyers, and possibly additional people with special shorter stints.
  • Public Advocates has space for additional staff in our comfortable, well-located offices in San Francisco, near the Ferry Building.
  • We hope that applicants will be fully compensated by their firms, including health insurance coverage. We are open to considering a variety of arrangements, including volunteers and people who come on as staff at Public Advocates for the period of the fellowship or posting.
  • We would appreciate firm consideration of support for the costs of the program, the most significant of which will be for supervision, along with  administration of the special arrangements for additional personnel and direct expenses (such as technology).

Background Information about the Organization & Our Work

Our Vision
Communities that were once excluded and marginalized are energized by their collective power to shape public decisions and achieve justice. As a result of that engagement, all Californians have the building blocks to thrive and to create vibrant communities – excellent public schools, affordable housing, reliable public transportation, quality health care, good job opportunities, and economic security.

Our Theory of Change
We believe that by engaging in strategic partnerships, policy and media advocacy and litigation, we will increase the capacity of grassroots organizations to shape public policy and discourse, and that we can also positively influence public opinion, the media, policy makers and courts to hold institutions accountable. We do this to promote the expansion of civil rights and resource equity and create a mobilized community base to ensure that all Californians have the fundamental rights and equitable allocation of resources they need to build vibrant communities. We choose to address areas such as education, housing, transportation and health that are fundamental to enabling individuals and communities to fulfill their potential, and we choose to challenge systemic problems in ways that will achieve maximum impact.

Addressing Systemic Problems

Across all our work we address:

  • Inequitable distribution of public resources
  • Public policies and laws that stifle or fail to advance the rights or address the needs of our clients and their communities 
  • Ineffective implementation of programs designed to serve or protect our clients
  • Lack of accountability to the public and especially to our client communities
  • Limited access to public forums and decision making processes for marginalized communities, including people with limited funds and few political contacts, and non-English speakers

Focus Areas
Our current programs priorities focus on housing, transit and education equity. We have also worked on consumer, insurance, and telecommunications issues.

Housing
As urban areas are redeveloped, low-income residents and people of color are displaced when commercial projects or expensive condominiums and townhouses are favored over affordable housing. At the same time suburban communities often zone residential land for expensive single-family homes instead of higher-density, more affordable multi-family housing in an effort to “preserve local character.” Low-income families are squeezed between these two dynamics, pushed out of urban centers because of rising housing costs, but excluded from suburban areas by city policies.

Public Advocates is pursuing affordable housing in cities like Oakland and Concord and challenging injustices in local policies and planning in suburbs like Pleasanton. Our goal is to achieve equitable and sustainable development and growth that protects low-income communities and communities of color from displacement, while dismantling barriers to housing near quality jobs, education and services in affluent communities.

Transit
Equal access to every kind of opportunity depends on transportation. In the East Bay, bus service provided by AC Transit is crucial to meeting the needs of low-income people of color. AC Transit funding is controlled by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), whose institutional dynamics manufacture discriminatory funding outcomes, to the detriment of minority bus riders in and around Oakland.

In Darensburg v. MTC, we are challenging this discriminatory under-funding of urban bus service to compel more equitable allocation of federal funds for neighborhoods and riders of color, which will also benefit low-income and transit-dependent riders. We are also working with coalition partners to advocate for transit funding fairness and begin developing a bus riders union. Our goal is to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color in California have access to affordable and reliable transit services.

Education
Every California child has a right to a quality education and equal opportunities to learn. But significant systemic barriers exist for many students across California. The state’s school finance system is archaic and fails to provide resources where they are most needed. Low-income students and students of color disproportionately lack access to highly-qualified teachers, one of the most important factors in academic success. No Child Left Behind and other efforts at accountability are often implemented without adequate attention to providing students the resources they need to be successful. Parents, communities and policymakers need data about school quality and student progress so they can track and make decisions about their schools and hold them accountable for providing results.

We are a recognized leader in advancing equitable opportunities to learn for all California public school children, focusing on school finance reform, teacher quality, implementation of our landmark Williams v. California settlement, school and student data, English language learners, and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).

Health
We find health issues cutting across program areas and are exploring new strategies in this field. In the past we won victories to require medical testing for lead poisoning and to guarantee access to prenatal and emergency care for undocumented residents. Today we are addressing the relationship of obesity to physical education and school lunch programs, of transit services to access to health services and food markets, and of unhealthy school facilities to academic achievement.

Public Advocates Provides Effective Development for New Lawyers

Public Advocates has a well-established fellowship and law clerkship program.  We are proud of our record of identifying, nurturing, and challenging new lawyers.  We give our law fellows and clerks the training, mentoring, and combination of independence and support that has proven successful.  New attorneys at Public Advocates will be engaged in the full range of our work to promote equity and systemic change including assisting managing attorneys in existing major civil rights impact litigation from development through trial and appeal, legislative, administrative, and policy advocacy, project development, and coalition-building with grassroots organizations.

Public Advocates provides training for our new attorneys, in accord with a professional development plan tailored to individual needs and goals.  New attorneys will also benefit from training experiences, including litigation skills and also legislative and community advocacy training.  New attorneys have opportunities to participate in, observe, and reflect on Public Advocates’ work as seen through bi-weekly Legal Team strategy and project development meetings, judicial and legislative proceedings, coalition, community and grass roots organizing meetings, and work with policy experts.  In short, new attorneys are part of a supportive, collaborative team that loves to teach.  

Our commitment to providing a learning environment and positive experiences for our students is demonstrated by law students’ feedback. 

“The projects were very rewarding yet challenging, the people are warm and easy-going, and the environment was positive.  I have definitely grown professionally and personally due to my time spent at Public Advocates.”  (Tivonna Jones, UC Berkeley- Boalt Hall, Class of ‘08)

“It’s an ideal public interest law placement. The internship program is highly organized and nurturing, and the supervisors will employ you as an integral member of the team.” (Daniel Chin, Columbia University School of Law, Class of ’09)

“I liked that the organization is engaged in various types of cases and that it has a legislative supplement to its work.” (Nicholas Durham, New York University School of Law, Class of ’08)

“[My supervisor] was GREAT!  She was very receptive to my input, treated me as an equal, and made me feel like a valuable participant in the work.  She always took the time to talk with me and took an interest in my professional development.” (Elizabeth Morris, Stanford Law School, Class of ’08)

“People at Public Advocates are great to work with. They are intelligent, caring, understanding, and supportive of your growth, future, opinions. It was a wonderful work environment and I was glad to be part of the PA family.” (Taina Gomez, UC Berkeley- Boalt Hall, Class of ‘08)

Public Advocates Staff 

See short bios of our distinguished staff.

Policy Advocate

We have an opening on our staff for an energetic, collaborative person to work on legislative and agency advocacy. The current focus is on education equity; our overall advocacy work is expected to evolve to include access to public transit, housing and community development. The Policy Advocate will work under the supervision of the Director of Legislative & Community Affairs in Sacramento, and will have responsibility for:

  • Providing staff support to the planning, development, coordination and execution of education policy advocacy targeting state level policy makers, lobbyists, and other policy, civil rights and community advocates;
  • Monitoring and responding to education policy proposals through email action alerts, oral and written advocacy, and other policy advocacy tools accessible by grassroots organizations and advocates;
  • Developing relationships with community organizers and other advocates;
  • Providing staff support for, outreach, training  and technical assistance to existing and new community partners to increase their capacity in organizing campaigns;
  • Representing Public Advocates in community coalition and alliance activities such as work meetings, conference calls, exchanges, and trainings;
  • Helping coordinate operations of the Sacramento office.

Qualities expected of all Public Advocates staff include integrity, high professional standards, and commitment to progressive social change, to our mission, and to working successfully with diverse colleagues, clients and collaborators. Cooperation, candor, flexibility, resilience, optimism, curiosity, and sense of humor are valued. Requirements for the position include:

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Excellent organizational skills, ability to manage multiple priorities and projects, work well in teams, and handle deadlines and changing priorities
  • At least two years relevant professional experience

The strongest candidates will also have legislative, education policy and/or state budget/finance experience and Spanish language fluency.

Salary depending on experience plus benefits.

Applications will be reviewed beginning immediately; position open until filled. Please send the following to info@publicadvocates.org or Public Advocates Inc., Attn: Policy Advocate Position, 131 Steuart St., #300, San Francisco, CA 94105 (electronic submissions strongly preferred):

  • Cover letter that addresses your experience and background, including any education advocacy, legislation, finance, and community outreach, and describes a project or challenge you have handled that will help us understand your qualifications;
  • Resume and salary history;
  • Names of three references;
  • Writing samples (more than one piece of work or excerpts to demonstrate range of experience in advocacy, outreach and training).

Consult the rest of our website for additional information about our mission, history, recent accomplishments and staff.

Policy Advocate Description (pdf)

Law Fellow

Public Advocates will not be seeking another Law Fellow until further notice.  Check our website for updates and learn more about the Public Advocates fellowship program below.

The Firm and The Fellowship:
Public Advocates challenges the systemic causes of poverty and discrimination by promoting civil rights through advocacy, litigation, and partnership with low-income communities, people of color, and immigrants. Public Advocates is best known for impact class action litigation and increasingly for policy and legislative advocacy and coalition efforts. Our present work focuses on education equity, affordable housing, transportation justice, and community economic development.

The fellowship provides new attorneys diverse training and experience in lawyering skills and public interest advocacy. The Law Fellow will be engaged in the full range of our work to promote equity and systemic change including assisting managing attorneys in existing major civil rights impact litigation from development through trial and appeal, legislative, administrative, and policy advocacy, project development, and coalition building with grassroots organizations.

Our Law Fellows have contributed significantly to Public Advocates’ groundbreaking work. Some of our exceptional Law Fellows have joined the staff of Public Advocates while many pursue careers in civil rights, government, non-profit law and advocacy, and the public interest. We are proud to have our current Law Fellow Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, a Baker & McKenzie Equal Justice Works Fellow (Harvard Law School, Class of ’05). The 2005-2006 Public Advocates Fellow, Tara Kini, UC Berkley Law class of 2005, the 2004-2006 Law Fellow, Guillermo Mayer, UCLA School of Law class of 2004, and the 2003-2005 Law Fellow, Michelle N. Rodriguez, Columbia Law School class of 2003, are currently Staff Attorneys. Michelle manages the legal internship program. The 1991-1992 Law Fellow, John Affeldt, Harvard class of 1990, is a Managing Attorney. We are happy to provide any of our current or former Law Fellows as references.

Qualifications:
Candidates should be recent law school graduates including judicial clerks or third year students. Experience in enforcement of civil rights in education, housing, economic justice and related areas, and experience in using law to promote the interests of the poor and communities of color, are valued. Applicants should have a demonstrated commitment and ability to work with the poor, communities of color, and their allies and be creative self-starters with strong skills in legal writing and factual and legal analysis. Admission or immediate plans to seek admission to the California Bar required. Salary is $46,000 plus excellent benefits.

Timeline:
Applicants should provide (1) one- to two-page cover letter explaining (a) interests and qualifications, (b) experiences and commitment to working with low-income communities and communities of color, and (c) reasons for applying to Public Advocates; (2) resume; (3) writing sample; and (4) names of references.  We value cover letters that provide insight to your passion and commitment; we recommend you do not repeat your resume. Email your application to Pedro Hernandez at phernandez@publicadvocates.org or mail: Fellowship Committee, Public Advocates Inc., 131 Steuart Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94105-1241. Hard copies are discouraged.  The deadline for submission is usually in December.

Women, people of color and underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply

Updated December 2008

Law Clerk

Public Advocates, Inc. is seeking up to four legal interns each semester and up to six legal interns during the summer to join one of California’s leading civil rights law firms.

The Firm and The Legal Internship Program:

Public Advocates challenges the systemic causes of poverty and discrimination by promoting civil rights through advocacy, litigation, and partnership with low-income communities, people of color, and immigrants. Public Advocates is best known for high impact class action litigation and increasingly for policy and legislative advocacy and coalition efforts. Our present work focuses on education equity, insurance redlining, affordable housing, transportation equity, and community economic development.

Our Legal Internship Program exposes students to the diverse strategies of our impact work in an environment geared to their development as future lawyers committed to the public interest. Interns are assigned to a supervising attorney who will have primary responsibility for giving constructive and meaningful feedback on interns’ work in a positive learning environment. Public Advocates will work to ensure that interns have assignments that address a variety of skills, substantive areas and training goals. We also seek to engage students in the full range of our work to promote equity and systemic change including assisting attorneys in existing major civil rights impact litigation from development through trial and appeal, legislative, administrative, and policy advocacy, project development, and coalition building with grassroots organizations. For example, legal interns may assist in the drafting of a brief, participate in litigation meetings, attend administrative hearings, meet with policy makers, organize a public meeting or training, or build relationships in one of our coalitions.

Our Legal Internship Program also includes various social activities. For instance, in past summers we have provided a brown bag lunch program, in which attorneys discuss relevant public interest topics, hosted dinners, planned hikes, and shared in potlucks. These activities have helped to develop a supportive public interest community for our interns and given us the opportunity to share our experiences in the pursuit of social justice.

Qualifications:

We seek law students of all levels of experience and value students who have a demonstrated commitment to working on behalf of poor communities and communities of color. Summer interns are ordinarily expected to work 37.5 hours a week for 10 weeks, while semester interns are expected to work at least 14-16 hours a week, at least 2 days a week. The legal interns for the summer of 2008 were Marissa Dagdagan (UCLA), Pawanpreet Kaur Dhaliwal (Harvard University), Katrina Eiland (Stanford), Chehani Ekaratne (Harvard), Kelly Lowenberg (Stanford),
Rigel Massaro (University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law), Monica Parran (American University, Washington College of Law), Shawna Reeves (Stanford), Jose Salazar (Hastings), Tinia Snow (Northeastern),
Huber Trenado (UC Berkeley).

References:

We will gladly provide former interns’ names as references. We are confident our legal interns’ rewarding and enriching experiences at Public Advocates will encourage other talented and committed law students to join us.

Timeline and Funding:

Applicants should provide a one- to two-page cover letter explaining (1) interests and qualifications; (2) experiences and commitment to working with low-income communities and communities of color; (3) reasons for applying to Public Advocates; and (4) whether they are volunteering or seeking academic credit or funding. In addition, include a resume, writing sample, and names of references. Send your materials to: Michelle N. Rodriguez, Director of the Legal Internship Program, at mrodriguez@publicadvocates.org and copy Pedro Hernandez, at phernandez@publicadvocates.org. We expect to fill our summer positions by March 1st. Applicants for summer positions are considered as early as October. We prefer to fill our spring positions before the semester begins. We strongly encourage early applications.

Women, people of color and underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply

Updated October 2008

Our Commitment to Excellent Training and Supervision of Law Clerks and New Lawyers:

We are proud of Public Advocates’ internally-funded fellowship program and well-established legal internship program, guided by Michelle Natividad Rodriguez, Staff Attorney.  Students’ feedback from final internship evaluations is consistently positive and often glowing:

“The projects were very rewarding yet challenging, the people are warm and easy-going, and the environment was positive.  I have definitely grown professionally and personally due to my time spent at Public Advocates.”  (Tivonna Jones, UC Berkeley- Boalt Hall, Class of ‘08)

“It’s an ideal public interest law placement. The internship program is highly organized and nurturing, and the supervisors will employ you as an integral member of the team.” (Daniel Chin, Columbia University School of Law, Class of ’09)

“I liked that the organization is engaged in various types of cases and that it has a legislative supplement to its work.” (Nicholas Durham, New York University School of Law, Class of ’08)

        Our staff is welcoming. As summed up by Meghan Fennelly, interns “loved the environment – from the attorneys to the staff to the other interns – everyone was wonderful, warm and fuzzy.” (Georgetown University Law Center, Class of ’07)  Other students commented: 

“The people are hands down the best part.  [They are] incredibly intelligent, supportive and just fun people.” (Chioma Nwachukwu, University of Michigan ‘08)

“[My supervisor] was GREAT!  She was very receptive to my input, treated me as an equal, and made me feel like a valuable participant in the work.  She always took the time to talk with me and took an interest in my professional development.” (Elizabeth Morris, Stanford Law School, Class of ’08)

“People at Public Advocates are great to work with. They are intelligent, caring, understanding, and supportive of your growth, future, opinions. It was a wonderful work environment and I was glad to be part of the PA family.” (Taina Gomez, UC Berkeley- Boalt Hall, Class of ‘08)

The most powerful testimony to Public Advocates’ commitment to its new lawyers and the success of our summer and fellow programs is the quality of the young lawyers who want to return to or join our staff. Michelle N. Rodriguez (2003-2004 Fellow), Guillermo Mayer (2004-2005 Fellow), and Tara Kini (2005-2007 Fellow), who was introduced to Public Advocates as a 2004 summer intern, have all been promoted to Staff Attorneys. Their eagerness to be with us and their loyalty once on board speak eloquently to our reputation and effectiveness in attorney development.

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