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Staff Attorney, Civil Rights Team
ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
For nearly 35 years, Equip for Equality has been advancing the human and civil rights of people with disabilities across Illinois. Among our many accomplishments, Equip for Equality has made Chicago public transportation more accessible, helped tens of thousands of people with disabilities move from institutions into the community, increased inclusive education and educational outcomes for students with disabilities, and enhanced safety and quality of care in a variety of settings. We have offices throughout Illinois.
Equip for Equality has three Programs: the Civil Rights Team, the Special Education Clinic, and the Abuse Investigation Unit. Equip for Equality has a dedicated staff of 59 attorneys, social workers, and administrative staff working every day to advance our mission. As we work to improve society’s inclusion of individuals with disabilities, we also strive to be an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming workplace.
The Staff Attorney position is within the Civil Rights Team. The Civil Rights Team handles a wide range of legal issues impacting people with disabilities. These issues include: removing barriers to public accommodations and government services and programs; community integration to support individuals to live in the most integrated community setting; employment discrimination; transportation; the right to be free from abuse and neglect; individuals’ legal rights in institutions and community settings; and self-determination and personal decision-making in the context of guardianship and other forms of substituted decision-making.
JOB SUMMARY
The Staff Attorney will perform duties within the Fundamental Rights Section of the Civil Rights Team. The attorney will represent people with disabilities in individual and potentially systemic matters to assist them in maintaining community integration and achieving community integration from institutional settings. The attorney will also represent people with disabilities in court proceedings to avoid guardianship, be restored from guardianship, or assist them in transferring guardianship from an inappropriate guardian. The attorney will further represent people to ensure that their legal rights in institutions and community settings are being respected and ensure the individual is protected from abuse and neglect. Finally, the attorney will have intake responsibilities in these areas of our practice.
REQUIREMENTS AND PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
The selected candidate must be a licensed attorney with 2+ years of litigation experience and a demonstrated commitment to civil rights. Strong oral and written communication skills are very important. The position is located in Chicago and will involve some travel, mainly in Northern Illinois. Experience representing people with disabilities or with disability issues generally is a plus.
Equip for Equality encourages qualified candidates of all background and identities to apply for this position.
Please submit resume and cover letter by August 12. Include salary expectations in cover letter. Salary is commensurate with experience and EFE offers excellent benefits.
Send resume and cover letter to:
Megan Loutfi, Human Resources Manager
Equip for Equality
20 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 300
Chicago, IL 60602
meganl@equipforequality.org
fax 312-541-2378
Or apply online: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/151956/Equip-for-Equality/Staff-Attorney-Civil-Rights-Team
Resumes without cover letters will not be considered.
We have volunteer opportunities!
Did you know you can volunteer or have an unpaid internship with EFE? Students and professionals can volunteer by providing general office help or through internships with our technology department, human resources and other areas of our state-wide non-profit organization. (If you’re an attorney, law student or law school graduate, please read about our Pro Bono Attorney and Law Student Initiative which offers an opportunity to help with our disability rights cases and obtain hands-on legal advocacy experience. You can also learn about Public Interest career opportunities at Illinois Legal Aid OnLine.) For information about our volunteer and unpaid internship opportunities for non-attorneys, please contact Megan Loutfi (see contact information below).
Learn about our Voting Access Chicago project and help us make Chicago’s polling places ADA accessible for people with disabilities and older adults. For volunteer opportunities, please contact Bebe Novich.
Background Checks
Because Equip for Equality is a community-serving organization and safety is of the utmost importance, Equip for Equality requires a background check for employees and others who volunteer or perform services for us depending on the role. The background check is run for employees once a conditional offer of employment has been extended. Background checks are conducted in accordance with all applicable laws, EFE’s policy, and paid for by EFE. A disclosed record may not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment.
We are an equal opportunity employer.
We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to disability, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. View the Department of Labor’s “EEO is The Law” poster for more information about how employers must comply with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws.
Do you need a reasonable accommodation for our application process?
Equip for Equality is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the application process, please contact Megan Loutfi at MeganL@equipforequality.org or (312) 895-7333 and let her know the nature of your request and your contact information. Disability related information disclosed via the application process will be kept confidential.
Megan Loutfi, Human Resources Manager
Equip for Equality
20 N. Michigan, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60602
Fax: 312-541-2378
- Learn about our Pro Bono Attorney and Law Student Initiative, which provides volunteer opportunities for attorneys, law students and law school graduates.
- Read about some of our case work involving employment discrimination, guardianship, abuse and neglect or special education.
- Sign up for our newsletter.
Last updated: July 29, 2019