Job Description
Job Description
Join Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) and Ignite Your Passion for Disability Rights Advocacy!
At DRTx we believe in supporting our employees by offering generous leave allocations including personal leave days, vacation hours, and sick leave, ensuring your well-being and work-life balance from day one. We also offer a paid winter break – because everyone deserves time to recharge and reconnect. Check out this link for more information.
By working at DRTx, you will have the opportunity to amplify your advocacy for individuals with disabilities and work alongside people who share your passion. We're proud of our employees, clients, partners, and communities, and we welcome you to be part of our journey towards positive change.
Are you ready to make a difference? Apply now and let's shape a brighter future together!
We are currently hiring for an Attorney based in Houston, Texas.
Position Summary
The CI / Healthcare Attorney is responsible for receiving rights violations complaints, providing legal services and determining eligibility for Disability Rights Texas client services within agency policies and priorities – as it generally relates to the assigned team. This includes interviewing clients, reviewing records, conducting legal research, negotiating outcomes, and representing clients in administrative hearings and in state and federal judicial proceedings. This position provides legal assistance, direction and supervision of the Advocate’s case work, when appropriate. The Issue Team Attorney also provides education and training sessions about the legal rights of people with disabilities for people with disabilities, parents, advocates, and professionals / service providers and the community.
Physical / Mental Requirements
- Uses personal computer approximately 6-7 hours per day.
- Uses telephone and email to communicate with clients and other professionals, approximately 3-5 hours per day.
- Spends approximately 1-6 hours in meetings up to several days per week.
- Sits approximately 6-7 hours per day.
- Requires working under a moderate degree of stress (time constraints; deadlines; multi-tasking high-level projects and issues; complex issues; and conflict resolution).
- Moderate travel, generally within a region of Texas, is required (40%).
Essential Functions
Provide legal services and advice to individuals eligible for Disability Rights Texas services which may include legal advocacy, negotiation, mediation, litigations and handling of administrative and court proceedings.Respond to requests for assistance and determines eligibility for services.Provide direction and technical assistance to Advocates, when appropriate.Implement agency's client services policies and procedures regarding client interviews, case records, investigations, case advocacy and case files.Develops and / or maintains ongoing caseload within the level established by the agency's client services policies and procedures and meets expectations for litigation.Provide technical assistance on an on-going basis to private attorneys representing persons with disabilities.Develop materials for and conduct periodic education and training (E&T) presentations on Disability Rights Texas's services and legal rights issues.Conceptualize case strategies and develops case work based on proper legal concepts and established precedents. Is creative in finding solutions and reaching outcomes.Maintain effective communications.Travel as needed to provide services.Appropriately prioritize tasks as needed and to multi-task numerous responsibilities in a timely manner.Establish personal credibility throughout and outside the organization, in order to be an effective partner and advisor.Effectively and regularly communicate with employees, clients, and the public at the individual, team and organizational levels.Maintain thorough and complete records.Develop and maintain collaborative, cooperative relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including clients, the community, and employees at all levels of the organization.Apply the principles of the organization’s vision and values in all work-related business and interactions.Perform other duties as requested or required.Required Qualifications
Law Degree plus Texas Law License.A minimum of three (3) years previous related experience, legal or otherwise, preferably working with persons with disabilities.Demonstrated legal skills including the ability to develop and evaluate facts and apply knowledge to client outcomes; the ability to analyze and apply legal rules and principles in order to develop case strategies; the ability to conduct legal research and apply information to case strategy; the ability to investigate and gather all pertinent facts; and being able to form logical and legal conclusions from the information.Demonstrated effective written and oral communication skills including the articulation of well thought out arguments; drafting complaints, briefs, memorandums of law and other pleadings; conducting depositions and other discovery methods; engaging in negotiations and settlement discussions; writing demand letters and other correspondence.Demonstrated knowledge of complex state and federal rights protection statutes, laws and regulations related to healthcare and persons with disabilities.Awareness and knowledge of problems experienced by persons with disabilities.Ability and willingness to travel as needed, including overnight trips and to rural communities.Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and collaboration skills to be able to work effectively with others inside and outside of the organization.Demonstrated public speaking skills to conduct education and training sessions.Comply with organizational standards regarding legal case development and management.Maintain licensure to practice law in TexasProven ability to lead, mentor and train others.Experience working with county and state government entities.The ability to take direction and independently follow through on all instructions.The ability to create collaboration among stakeholders and other disability groups.Excellent detail-orientation, follow-up skills and organizational skills plus the ability to multi-task and work under challenging conditions while meeting deadlines.Demonstrated ability to manage workload so services are delivered timely and appropriately.Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and ability to quickly learn to use legal case management software (LegalFiles).High level of commitment to service excellence, plus high degrees of integrity, ethics and judgment are a must.Preferred Qualifications
Direct healthcare experience such as prior practice in the medical field.Demonstrated knowledge of human physiology, medications, and medical terminology.Ability to critically interpret, review, analyze, and summarize medical records, particularly nursing and physician assessments, vital signs, lab reports, diagnostic test results, and nursing and physician progress notes.Bilingual in Spanish – both written and spoken word.
