Legislative Assistant Intern Jobs in Massachusetts

Job Title: Staff Attorney 

Department: Legal Advocacy & Immigration Legal Services

Reports To: Legal Advocacy & Immigration Sr Director

Position Status: Full-time (32 hour workweek); Exempt

Location: Cambridge, MA & Waltham, MA (hybrid: minimum two days in office)

Work Schedule: 32 hours per week

Salary range: $90-95K

Application deadline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. 

BARCC Overview

Founded in 1973, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) is the oldest and largest rape crisis center in New England, serving as the only comprehensive center for survivors of sexual violence in the Greater Boston Area. BARCC’s mission is to end sexual violence through healing, empowerment, and social change. BARCC empowers survivors of sexual violence to help find healing and seek justice in ways that are meaningful to them and works to provide education and advocacy needed to create social change and prevent sexual violence. We rely on our dedicated staff to do this important work, and our legal team is growing!

Position Overview

Your work will directly further BARCC’s mission of ending sexual violence through healing, empowerment, and social change. As part of the Legal Advocacy Program, under the protection of the attorney client privilege, provide confidential, legal information, advocacy, support, and advice to clients about rights and options related to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking. Provide referrals for other legal services as needed. 

Contribute to client consultations and programmatic procedures for the Legal Advocacy Program. Supervise law student interns. Foster professional connections with relevant systems and agencies. Contribute to external communications and legislative advocacy as requested. Expansion to client representation in 258E harassment prevention orders, and additional legal matters based on interest and assessed team needs.

Work Environment

BARCC's staff, operations, hours, and location vary by function, type of work, and work style. This is a 32-hour per week full-time position. For this position you can expect work to be limited to weekdays (Monday through Friday) in a hybrid schedule with a minimum of two days on-site. 

Key Responsibilities

Direct client work 

• Provide information, support, advocacy, and advice to clients under the protection of an attorney client relationship. 
• Respond to needs identified by the client and also assess for other options or informational need areas.
• Provide services that are trauma-informed, reflect cultural humility, and utilize the empowerment model. 
• Provide warm referrals as needed. 
• Provide information, advocacy, and advice in service areas, including privacy, safety, criminal legal systems, educational and employment systems, disability rights, immigration rights and screening for civil, family law, civil rights or immigration remedies. 
• Spearhead expansion into 258E representation, including development of policies and protocols for representation.
• Maintain client records.
• Assist in developing written information regarding legal systems and procedures that is accessible for clients, to be used in conjunction with legal advocacy services. 

Programmatic duties 

• Participate in weekly Legal Advocacy Team meetings.
• Assist with developing program procedures & policies related to confidentiality, service provision, and designation of roles. 
• Keep the team updated on changes in law.
• Document all client interactions in the electronic filing system to ensure appropriate data collection. 
• Participate in training and professional development opportunities to increase expertise in the services offered.

Supervisory work: 

• Provide direct supervision for legal student interns
• In collaboration with Program Director, support intern recruitment and hiring 
• Responsible for communication with law schools and providing school evaluations as requested. 
• Provide references and recommendations as appropriate. 

Internal collaboration work:

• Contribute to client consultations and programmatic procedures for the Legal Advocacy Program and Client Services team and actively contribute to the BARCC community and mission.
• Provide information and assistance as needed regarding confidentiality, privilege, and consent to the client services team. 
• Assist with providing accessible information to clients regarding legal rights and processes. 
• Attend and participate in team meetings, staff meetings, and associated activities. 
• Engage in building a BARCC community of inclusion and equity, build collaborative relationships, foster personal and agency wide resilience, access and provide vicarious trauma support, actively contribute to DEI internally and externally, and support sustainability and innovation in accordance with BARCC’s mission.
• As time permits, participate in cross-team or agency wide initiatives. 
• Collaborate & contribute as needed to external communications and legislative advocacy on relevant legal issues:
• Assist in providing public comments to federal regulation proposals. 
• Assist in public statements on relevant issues. 
• Assist in legislative advocacy. 

External duties: 

• Develop and foster professional connections with relevant systems and agencies. 
• Identify and develop referral procedures with private attorneys. 
• As assigned by supervisor or program director, participate in external task forces, committees, or working groups in relevant areas. 
• Other responsibilities as designated by supervisor. 

Physical Requirements

• The role may involve remaining in a stationary position for periods of time during client calls, meetings, court proceedings and general role accountabilities.  
• This role generally requires the ability to communicate with clients and colleagues, use a computer, phone and other office equipment.
• The ability to move around an office or court environment.
• Ability to travel to off site locations including but not limited to our Cambridge and Waltham offices as well as local courts.  

Required Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and current Massachusetts Bar License (required).
• 5 years of experience providing direct service in a legal capacity to clients and experience in sexual violence field (required, law school internships may qualify).
• Demonstrated commitment to trauma informed, survivor centered, and culturally responsive practice. 
• Demonstrated understanding of intersectionality of oppressions and personal privilege. 
• Attention to detail, ability to multitask, excellent communication skills, and comfort working with a computer database. 
• Demonstrated commitment to BARCC’s mission and philosophy.
• Significant phone time - comfortable communicating over the phone.
• Ability to provide accompaniments, as needed.
• Ability to verbally communicate and simplify complex legal concepts for diverse groups, including clients, providers, colleagues, and external partners.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bilingual in Spanish or Portuguese and English fluency strongly preferred.
• Preferred experience representing clients on 258E.
• Preferred experience providing advice or representation in the following areas: criminal legal systems, educational and employment systems, disability rights, family law, or civil rights.

Benefits and incentives:

At BARCC, we understand the hard work and dedication necessary to support our mission-driven organization, which is why we are committed to ensuring our employees are healthy, happy, and secure. We offer the following benefits:

• 32-hour work week designed to promote healthy work-life balance
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans offered at 85% employer paid
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO): 12 vacation days, 15 paid sick days, minimum 14 paid holidays, two personal days, and two religious holidays per year
• Parental Leave and Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) benefits
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• 403(b) retirement plan
• Commuter benefits
• Professional Development Allowance and other perks
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligible employer 
• The opportunity to make meaningful change and improve the lives of others through mission-driven work, at all levels of the organization.

Hiring process and timeline

Please submit a resume, a cover letter describing your interest in survivor-centered legal work, and a legal writing sample (using the additional files section) via our online application system. No phone calls, please. The full hiring process will include a phone-screen interview, first-round virtual interview and a final team interview with skills assessment . Reasonable accommodation is provided upon request.

Employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of any background checks required by applicable law, regulation, contract, or funding requirement. Information obtained through a background check will be considered in accordance with applicable law and BARCC policy, including an individualized assessment where required. 

We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. We strongly encourage applications from members of communities historically underrepresented in the legal profession.