Domestic Worker Rights Project Staff Attorney

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT, DOMESTIC WORKER RIGHTS PROJECT STAFF ATTORNEY

(Spanish language skills required.)

First Shift Justice Project is a nonprofit organization in Washington D.C. that helps working mothers and other caregivers in low wage jobs to assert their workplace rights and prevent job loss.

First Shift seeks a D.C.-barred attorney to support the implementation and enforcement of D.C.’s domestic worker bill of rights, the Domestic Worker Employment Rights Amendment Act of 2022. This law protects household employees in D.C. from employment discrimination; gives them the right to a contract with the households that employ them; and protects them from violations of D.C.’s workplace health and safety law. The staff attorney will engage in the following activities:

• Advising and representing D.C. domestic workers regarding violations of the domestic worker bill of rights and other employment law claims, such as those involving workplace discrimination and wage and hour violations;
• Partnering with the D.C. Chapter of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) to develop and distribute Know Your Rights resources for domestic workers, both online and in print;
• Training NDWA members to support their peers in enforcing the domestic worker bill of rights and other employment laws;
• Creating and disseminating resources to educate D.C. households that employ domestic workers; and
• Advising D.C. domestic workers regarding employment-related immigration issues and providing appropriate referrals.

Qualifications: Preferred candidates will have experience providing direct legal services to workers in low-wage jobs and/or knowledge of employment law, as well as a demonstrated commitment to public interest work. D.C. bar license is required. (For candidates awaiting D.C. bar exam results, employment is contingent on passing the exam). The ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish is required. The majority of clients will primarily communicate in Spanish.

Compensation: The salary is $71K. Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance; a generous paid leave allowance; and a retirement plan. First Shift’s normal operating hours are 9-5, M-F. Employees work on a hybrid remote basis and have some flexibility to establish work hours that enable them to meet family commitments as needed. Please note that this is not a 100% remote position; the attorney will be expected to report in-person to First Shift’s office at least 2 days per week.

To apply, interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume via email, addressed to Laura Brown, Executive Director, at

lbrown@firstshift.org.

First Shift Justice Project is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, work-related injury, covered veteran status, political ideology, genetic information, marital status, family responsibilities or any other factor that the law protects from employment discrimination.