Community Law Attorney (Employment Law/Public Benefits) - San Francisco, CA
Full-Time, Exempt
Hybrid (3 days minimum in-office)
About Us:
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” - Nelson MandelaWe believe that even the biggest problems can be broken down into small, achievable steps. Poverty and access to justice are part of the same problem. And to solve this, we just need to discover what the steps are. At Open Door Legal (ODL), we’re pioneering the country’s first system of universal access to civil legal representation to dramatically reduce poverty and prove that the law really can belong to all of us. To achieve this ambitious goal, we’ve created an award-winning and best-in-class legal aid organization full of passionate, motivated, gritty, thoughtful, and team-oriented people.We believe that injustice is the heart of poverty, and we're looking for someone to join us in having a systemic impact on how we, as a society, ensure justice for all.
Overview of Position:
We are hiring a Community Law Attorney (Employment Law/Public Benefits) to represent clients in employment law and public benefits matters. For the employment law context, this includes wage and hour, wrongful termination, harassment and discrimination claims. For the public benefits context, this includes Social Security, MediCal, CalFresh, CAAP/General Assistance, and Unemployment Insurance. This will be a full-time position designed to expand the capacity of our employment and public benefits team.
You would report directly to our Senior Employment Litigation Attorney, who also has a background in SSDI appeal representation. The Employment Law and Public Benefits practice group is part of the Litigation and Economic Justice Team.Since the coronavirus pandemic struck the Bay Area and the United States, one thing has become eminently clear: that low-income individuals, families, and workers are disproportionately affected in times of crisis. Our employment team works hard to ensure that businesses and organizations are held accountable to their workers, that the benefits workers were promised come to them, and that power and agency are not taken from our low-income communities. The work is fast-paced, is high-volume, and requires you to be organized, think critically and dynamically, and demonstrate empathy and awareness in understanding the needs of our community. If you want to make a difference in clients’ lives with us, we encourage you to apply! Overall, this position is intended to be a challenging and rewarding experience for someone who is interested in using that knowledge to impact the lives of local low-income community members.
Responsibilities:
- Embody our mission of universal access to civil legal aid and make sure that the needs of clients in our service area are met.
- Own a full caseload (as per team needs, which is currently 30 cases) and be responsible for making sure the clients’ goals are met.
- Perform employment law and public benefit intakes in-person and virtually across multiple physical Open Door Legal locations.
- Provide trauma-informed legal services and help clients stay updated on their case, maintaining consistently positive client feedback scores. Meet clients where they are, factoring in their cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and any barriers to service.
- Gain and maintain proficient knowledge of public benefit law and employment law. Attend trainings, review solutions, engage in casework, and discuss case strategy with your supervisor to obtain the skills and knowledge in best practices needed to competently represent clients, in areas relating to legal strategy, and in trauma-informed and culturally-sensitive direct services high-volume legal work.
- Support our Litigation and Economic Justice team with other tasks and casework as capacity allows.
- Efficiently utilize Salesforce, our client management system (CMS), to document case activities, maintain detailed and accurate client records, and ensure timely record updates.
- Commit to leading the office in representing our mission and values externally to potential clients, clients, and others as well as internally to all teammates and volunteers. Our values are passion, grit, teamwork, caring, and dynamism.
Requirements:
- Membership in good standing with the California State Bar. Applicants without active California bar membership will not be considered. However, those without a license are encouraged to apply to volunteer with us at opendoorlegal.org/volunteer.
- A minimum of three (3) years of experience practicing as an attorney with a focus in employment law.
- Knowledge of California public benefits and experience representing clients at administrative law hearings.
- Excellent writing and oral advocacy skills, with the ability to be detail-oriented.
- Strong time management skills and the ability to organize time, manage diverse activities, and meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision.
- Dogged perseverance in the face of bureaucratic barriers.
- Have a high level of comfort learning and using technology and cloud-based case management systems. We use Salesforce, Dropbox, and Google Suite.
- Must genuinely enjoy and be motivated by working with low-income clients and be able to work competently with clients impacted by trauma (emotional, mental, and physical).
- Must actively demonstrate cultural humility and sensitivity to barriers low-income residents face when attempting to access the justice system.
- Must be willing to make a minimum two-year commitment to the organization.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
Bonus Points:
- Comfortable translating and interpreting from English to Spanish or Cantonese and vice versa legal information without assistance.
- Experience working with low-income and vulnerable populations.
- Experience working in direct services legal aid or similar environment.
- Knowledge of other local non-profit organizations and tools for assisting low-income, underserved communities.
- Having lived a significant period of your life in San Francisco proper.
Starting compensation is $83,500 - $99,500 per year based on experience.
Benefits:
- Loan Repayment Assistance - for staff pursuing 10-year public interest debt forgiveness, we will pay the minimum payment on all qualifying loans so that you don’t need to worry about student loan debt (this is a conditional benefit).
- Medical/Dental/Vision Plan offerings at 100% coverage
- Generous paid time off (four weeks vacation and two weeks sick/care)
- Flexible work hours
- Generous paid parental leave
- 401K/Retirement Account
- We believe everyone is always learning. We financially invest in individual professional development for each staff member and provide many internal and external mentorships, coaching, and learning opportunities (conferences, workshops, etc.).
- We are a fun and hard-working office with best-in-class technology solutions for anyone who is passionate about making a meaningful and measurable difference.
Ideal starting date: April 2026
Applications received before March 6, 2026 will receive priority consideration.
Open Door Legal is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process.
If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at whitney [at] opendoorlegal [dot] org.
