Root & Rebound Seeks In-Prison Programs Attorney 

Focused on Serving People Preparing for Their Transition Home And Transitioning Home from Incarceration

About Root & Rebound: 

Root & Rebound (R&R) is a national reentry advocacy nonprofit, whose mission is to help people navigate reentry and reduce the harms perpetuated by mass incarceration. Root & Rebound provides holistic reentry legal services across all of California, with offices in Fresno and Oakland, and staff in Los Angeles as well. We provide legal know-your-rights information and individual services on a wide variety of collateral consequences of a conviction including getting ID and voting, conditions of parole and probation, and employment and housing rights as they relate to an arrest or conviction history. 

Employment Status: This is a full-time, exempt role, reporting to the In-Prison Programs Supervising Attorney. 

Commitment: Full-time position, starting November, 2023.

Location: R&R’s headquarters in Oakland, CA; hybrid office-remote, and 2 Saturdays a month in Folsom Men’s Prison.  

About the In-Prison Programs Attorney Position: 

The In-Prison Programs Attorney will work closely with the In Prison Programs Coordinator (Coordinator) to develop, facilitate, and enhance R&R’s reentry education and reentry services for people in CA state prisons preparing to return home.  We want to mitigate the challenges that thousands of people face each year when released, through early and impactful support. This position will  focus on providing legal information and support to program participants and program alumni. The In-Prison Programs Attorney will be responsible for co-managing in-prison programming in Folsom State Prison. 

The goals for R&R’s in-prison programs include:  

1. Building self-advocacy skills and knowledge for navigating barriers to reentry; 
2. Developing a Reentry Blueprint, including connections to resources and services in the community tailored to individual needs; 
3. Ensuring success in reentry while reducing the likelihood of re-incarceration; 
4. Providing personal and leadership opportunities to become role models, mentors and leaders both in prison and in their communities; and 
5. Offering long-term access to R&R as a reentry resource.

 The In-Prison Programs Attorney will support people in CA jails and prisons through our Friday hotline and mail correspondence, helping them  to return home and reintegrate into their communities successfully. 

As time permits, the In-Prison Programs Attorney will also work with the Coordinator to expand R&R’s capacity to provide in-prison/jail education, training, and legal support across the state of California. 

Duties & Responsibilities:  The In-Prison Program Attorney role includes, but is not limited to:

In-Prison Programming: 

Work with the In-Prison Program Coordinator to:

• Facilitate the Roadmap to Reentry program at FSP two Saturdays each month, (and possibly other prisons in the future).
• Develop individualized Reentry Blueprints for in-prison program participants, outlining plans for returning home; and connecting them to social services, reentry organizations, and relevant resources (e.g., public benefits, housing, food, etc.).. Work will focus on issue-spotting and providing relevant legal information.
• Proactively providing reentry legal assistance to program participants and alumni.
• Inform R&R policy-advocacy work with knowledge/experience acquired through programming.

Direct Legal Services:

• Serve as part of the legal support team on R&R’s weekly Reentry Hotline by conducting holistic reentry legal intakes, helping currently and formerly incarcerated callers identify and navigate reentry barriers, empowering clients to advocate for themselves, and advocating for clients’ needs across a variety of reentry issues.
• Conduct research and provide creative, zealous and holistic legal support for clients’ reentry legal questions.
• Specialize in supporting people in supporting people preparing for release and transitioning home from incarceration to overcome reentry challenges;
• Respond to letters from incarcerated people who write to R&R with reentry-related legal questions.
• Ensure that R&R has strong materials and organizational systems to respond to information and resource requests from incarcerated people.

• Develop “Know Your Rights” fact sheets about relevant reentry legal issues and update our current educational resources, as needed.
• Maintain necessary records for effective teamwork on cases, grant proposals, reports, and audits. 

Support Fundraising Efforts as Needed:  

• Track deliverables for relevant grants and draft grant progress reports.
• Represent Root & Rebound in funder meetings related to this role and program.
• Maintain necessary records in Root & Rebound’s client management system for grant reporting and audits.
• Support Development, Policy, Communications, and Storytelling projects as needed.

Qualifications:

• Licensed to practice law in the state of CA, in good standing.
• At least one year, post bar work experience working in the legal fields of reentry, prisoner rights, criminal defense, or other public interest.
• Demonstrated dedication to social, racial, and economic justice. 
• Ability to take initiative, problem-solve, meet deadlines, and work both collaboratively and independently.
• Strong time-management and organizational skills to juggle workshop planning in addition to managing a client caseload. 
• Ability to genuinely connect, empathize, and build trust with clients.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to prioritize work given organizational and client needs.
• Ability to zealously and creatively advocate for clients with strong issue-spotting and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to and willingness to travel regularly to California prisons, approximately 2 days per month.
• Possession of a valid Driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred.
• Formerly incarcerated and/or systems-impacted individuals strongly encouraged to apply.

Compensation & Benefits:
This role is a full-time, exempt position, with a competitive salary between $70,000 – $85,000 commensurate with related experience.  Employees who are fluent in Spanish receive an additional $2000/year. 

Employment benefits at R&R include:

• Medical, vision and dental care;
• Employer-sponsored 403(b) retirement plan;
• Internal and external professional development opportunities;
• Three (3) weeks of paid time off per year, plus holiday closures, which includes additional office closure around the December holidays and seven (7) federal holidays, Juneteenth, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day; and
• Sabbatical Program for eligible employees after five (5) years of service.

Conflict of Interest Notice: R&R encourages current and former clients to apply to join our team. However, it is a conflict of interest for R&R to provide legal services to our own employees. We will do our best to ensure that any current clients who are hired by R&R have other legal representation prior to beginning employment. 

Application Instructions: To apply for this position, please upload a resume, cover letter, one short writing sample (max. 5 pages), and at least three references (explaining your professional relationship and including their contact information) onto the application portal, linked here. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. No phone calls, please.

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Root & Rebound is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including formerly incarcerated and/or system-involved individuals.  We look at each applicant’s full experience and consider each applicant.  We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. Individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system and its impacts are strongly encouraged to apply. We depend on a diverse team to accomplish our mission!