Senior Labor & Employment Attorney

The Position:

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) seeks a dynamic, creative, and experienced attorney with a strong commitment to economic, racial, and social justice to lead MLRI’s emerging Labor and Employment Practice, with a focus toward employment-based state and federal safety-net programs.

This is an opportunity to build and lead a practice serving MLRI’s anti-poverty mission by strengthening and defending critical workplace rights and safety-net benefits, including but not limited to Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), Unemployment Insurance (UI), and access to workforce development and training programs.

This position is an exciting opportunity to build a team engaged in high-impact legislative and administrative advocacy, litigation, and support of a statewide network of legal aid practitioners.

About MLRI

Founded in 1968, MLRI is a nationally-recognized nonprofit poverty law and policy center that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities.

We pursue systems change through impact litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and other strategies that address systemic harm to low-income people. MLRI’s approach is based on a racial justice and anti-racist framework and uses community-driven and collective impact strategies to advance high impact change.

MLRI also serves as the statewide multi-issue poverty law support center for the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system; our advocates provide substantive expertise and technical assistance to frontline legal aid field program advocates and to many other advocates and providers who serve low-income people and communities in Massachusetts.

About MLRI’s Labor and Employment Practice

The Labor and Employment Practice will grow to become central to MLRI’s anti-poverty mission, making it a leader in statewide, regional, and national advocacy to improve upon and defend critical employment-related rights, protections, and safety-net benefits, including but not limited to Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), Unemployment Insurance (UI), and access to workforce development and training programs.

It will build upon MLRI’s proven track record of advancing justice and dignity for very low-income people by engaging in innovative, high-impact advocacy, including through:

• Legislative Advocacy. Leading employment-related legislative advocacy throughout Massachusetts and engaging with state, national, and regional coalition partners to co-lead federal legislative advocacy to improve upon and defend critical employment-related protections and safety-net benefits. Areas of focus include expanding access to Paid Family and Medical Leave and Unemployment Insurance benefits in Massachusetts and on a national level, defending against harmful proposals to cut benefits and weaken the mechanisms available to workers to vindicate their employment-related rights, and serving as a trusted expert resource for state and federal legislators and their staff members.
• Administrative Advocacy. Leading statewide advocacy before the Executive Branch and administrative agencies, including but not limited to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Department of Family and Medical Leave, and Department of Unemployment Assistance to identify and address systemic barriers in benefit delivery, reduce administrative burdens, and ensure equitable access to benefits for workers.
• Impact Litigation. Identifying and coordinating litigation on high-impact cases, including class actions, appeals, and declaratory judgment actions to enable workers to vindicate their legal rights on a broad scale and securing worker-friendly legal precedents.
• Coalition Leadership. Participating, growing, and facilitating state, regional, and national coalitions of community and grassroots organization members, labor partners, and policy experts to identify advocacy goals drawn from and responsive to the needs and priorities of affected workers and communities, develop advocacy strategies to achieve those goals, and organize support to implement those strategies.
• Training and Support. Provide training and technical support to legal aid labor and employment-law practitioners across Massachusetts, including consultation on individual cases, assistance evaluating potential appeals and other systemic litigation, and co-counseling high-impact cases.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Labor and Employment practice: set its strategic priorities, manage its advocacy agenda, and represent it within MLRI.
• Identify and coordinate litigation on impact cases, including class actions, appeals, and amicus briefs on UI, PFML, and related worker protection issues.
• Co-counsel systemic cases with legal aid field offices, and support programs developing their own impact litigation.
• Lead legislative and administrative advocacy, including drafting legislation and regulatory comments, testifying, and working directly with DUA, DFML, and legislators.
• Develop and deliver trainings, MCLEs, practice manuals, and advisories for legal aid attorneys, advocates, and community partners.
• Provide technical assistance and case consultation to advocates statewide.
• Convene and coordinate the Employment Rights Coalition, setting its agenda and connecting field experience to policy priorities.
• Respond to and work with the media on UI, paid leave, and workforce development issues.
• Represent MLRI in public forums, including legislative and rulemaking hearings and statewide task forces.
• Mentor and supervise staff, fellows, and law students as the practice grows.

Qualifications:

• J.D. and licensed (or eligible to become licensed) to practice law in Massachusetts.
• Minimum 5-10 years of relevant legal experience, including litigation experience.
• Commitment to MLRI’s mission to serve low-income and marginalized populations and to advance an anti-racist, community-driven advocacy agenda.
• Outstanding legal writing, research, and oral advocacy skills.
• Ability to develop and lead litigation and statewide policy advocacy initiatives, think creatively and strategically, and exercise good judgment.
• Ability to work confidently and carefully, both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative working relationships outside of MLRI.
• Ability to flourish in a fast paced, non-bureaucratic work culture that values innovative solutions.

Salary and Benefits

• MLRI offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment.
• MLRI provides a very generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 403(b) plan employer contribution of 5%, as well as vacation, holiday, winter recess and family leave.
• MLRI’s salaries are based on salary scale range and are commensurate with skills and years of relevant experience.
• The salary range for this position is $88,000 - $115,000 per year.
• MLRI is currently operating on a hybrid schedule and is committed to a fair and equitable workplace that promotes work-life balance.

How to Apply

To apply, please email a cover letter, writing sample and resume to [email protected]. Application materials will be reviewed and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis; interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to submit application materials promptly.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

MLRI is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We believe that having a staff, board, and volunteers with diverse personal and professional backgrounds and lived experience enhances our ability to meet our mission and creates an environment where all members of our community can thrive.

We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, women, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with lived experience of poverty and/or racism, and people. from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.