Paralegal

We are seeking a full-time, entry-level paralegal to join our active litigation program and support our commitment to government accountability and social justice for children, with a start date around June 09, 2025. This position has a tentative end date around June 2027. Paralegals are expected to be available for in-person work at our Manhattan office. The work environment is currently hybrid, subject to change, though paralegals are expected to work within commuting distance to meet in-office case needs.

Children’s Rights is a leading national children’s advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of children. Every day, children are harmed by America’s broken child policing, juvenile justice, education, and health care systems. These systems disproportionately harm children of color, LGBTQ/TGNC, and children with mental health needs. Through relentless strategic advocacy and legal action, Children’s Rights holds governments accountable for keeping kids safe and healthy. We use civil rights impact litigation, policy expertise, and public education to create lasting systemic change. The core strength of our national advocacy program has been the grassroots development and highly skilled litigation of reform campaigns to address dangerous systemic failings in child welfare systems across the country. We have built on this core strength to expand the populations of the children we fight to protect, leverage change across multiple sectors that service children, create deep partnerships with other non-profits and the private bar in our work, and sharpen our reform strategies.

Additional areas of reform include attacking the pervasive practice of administering powerful and dangerous psychotropic drugs to children in foster care without adequate controls and oversight, the systemic discrimination against LGBTQ/TGNC youth in custodial settings, the failure to provide adequate mental health and physical health services, the inhumane treatment of incarcerated youth, and the grave outcomes for older youth “aging” out of government systems. We are keenly aware of the intersectionality that renders specific youth populations even more vulnerable to systemic failure.

Experience and Qualifications Required:
• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Applicants who hold a Master’s or J.D. will not be considered.
• Applicants must be prepared to make a two-year commitment.
• Outstanding organizational, writing, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Proactive approach to professional duties.
• A team-oriented mindset and strong work ethic, along with a healthy sense of humor.
• Flexibility and willingness to work simultaneously on a wide range of tasks and projects.
• Ability to work well under pressure as well as to work overtime, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Ability to manage time and tasks independently, problem-solve, and multi-task.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships internally with staff at all levels as well as externally with a wide array of stakeholders, partners, and allies with diverse backgrounds.
• Exceptional computer and technical skills (including Microsoft Office).
• Commitment to reform on behalf of children.

Knowledge of children’s issues, social services, social justice, civil rights, racial justice, LGBTQ/TGNC issues, juvenile justice and/or other areas of our work is a plus. Legal field experience is not a requirement. Applicants with prior personal involvement in the systems we fight to improve and/or with other diverse life experiences and perspectives are especially encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit our website: www.childrensrights.org.

Duties/Responsibilities:
• Edit, cite check, and execute filings of a variety of legal documents, including briefs, motions, court forms, and discovery documents.
• Organize high volumes of electronic and paper case files, including case pleadings, email correspondence, discovery, and other materials.
• Communicate with court personnel, co-counsel, partner organizations, etc.
• Draft correspondence, notices, and other administrative court/legal documents.
• Participate in meetings with co-counsel, foster parents, child welfare system experts, and others.
• Manage logistics for online meetings, hearings, and other events.
• Assist attorneys with factual research and memo writing, including by analyzing state policies, news articles, and reports, and other publicly-available information.
• Support various investigatory, advocacy, and case-related projects as needed.
• Take meeting notes, assist with scheduling, and carry out other general clerical and administrative duties.

To Apply:
Please save your cover letter, official or unofficial transcript and contact information for two professional or academic references as one file and upload to the cover letter upload field, and upload your resume to the resume upload field via childrensrights.bamboohr.com/jobs/ by February 14, 2025. For any additional questions you may have regarding this position, you may send an email to hiring lead Michelle Ramirez, mramirez@childrensrights.org. We will begin reviewing applications after the application closes and will conduct interviews on a rolling basis in the following weeks, until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of submissions, only applicants of interest will be contacted.

Children’s Rights is an equal employment opportunity employer, and women, people of color, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people, people with disabilities, and people with unique lived experience or diverse professional or personal backgrounds and perspectives are encouraged to apply.