Join Our Team

KidsVoice currently has a Staff Attorney position available. The Staff Attorney works on a regional multi-disciplinary team to advocate for children of abuse and neglect in their dependency proceedings in Allegheny County. The attorney's team with Child Advocacy Specialists to advocate for the child in the community and at court.

The Staff Attorney will:

• Provide legal representation to KidsVoice's clients
• Advocate for the child in the court and other forums
• Work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team
• Counsel clients regarding the role of KidsVoice, court hearings, and services
• Visit and interview clients in their current living environment
• Prepare cases and maintain case files in a shared caseload with other staff
• Participate in ongoing training and continuing education necessary for professional development

Education: JD Degree

Experience: Prior legal experience, preferably 1-2 years of litigation and courtoom experience

Certifications: Current PA Attorney License required

Required Qualifications: Knowledge of child development and or child welfare issues preferred.

Apply here.

KidsVoice has an opening for a Staff Attorney on our Expansion team.  The Expansion team assists clients and former clients with a variety of matters, to help them make a successful transition to adulthood and independent living.  

Duties:

• Representing current and former KidsVoice dependency clients in summary trials at MDJs and summary appeals at the Court of Common Pleas
• Drafting and filing expungement motions for juvenile and adult cases
• Working cooperatively with the team to run the weekly legal clinic at the 412 Youth Zone, where you will help identify and resolve a variety of legal issues for current and former KV clients (for example, landlord-tenant issues; summary criminal issues; social security issues; name changes; credit issues; health insurance disputes; guardianship issues; public benefits issues)
• Working cooperatively with the team to provide general trainings (internal and external) on topics including those listed above
• Providing coverage and assistance to other regional teams within the office for all of the above plus educational disputes and dependency hearings
• Working with outside pro bono counsel on various Expansion projects
• Other duties as assigned

Experience:

• Experience on a dependency team preferred
• Knowledge of child development/child welfare issues preferred

Education:

• J.D. Degree and license to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

We have a very competitive salary and outstanding benefit package.  We look forward to your application.

Apply here.

We currently have a full-time Child Advocacy Specialist position available. The CAS works on a regional multi-disciplinary team with attorneys to advocate for children of abuse and neglect. The schedule for this job is Monday through Friday, with the CAS coordinating their own schedule.

The CAS will:

• Work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team to develop recommendations for court as well as recommendations and strategies for other forums of advocacy
• Participate and advocate in relevant/appropriate client planning meetings and conferences
• Assist clients regarding the role of KidsVoice, court hearings and services
• Visit and interview clients in their current living environment
• Negotiate and advocate for resources to address clients' needs

Qualifications:

• BA/BS degree required, Masters preferred
• Major in Social Work, Child Development, Counseling, Education or other related field
• Experienced professional with three years’ experience working in child advocacy or service provider
• Social work license helpful
• Knowledge of child development and/or child welfare issues

Apply here.

The Child Advocacy Specialist (CAS) Intern Program also begins with a training program designed to ensure that interns have the tools, knowledge, and resources to successfully advocate on behalf of our clients. Upon completion of training, each intern will be paired with an experienced mentor CAS.  The mentor CAS will provide the intern with regular guidance and opportunities to work directly on cases, including attending client visits and meetings, helping prepare cases for court, working with attorneys, and observing cases in court.  The mentor will gradually increase intern case responsibilities as the intern develops during the course of the internship. 

Students must meet the following requirements to apply for and remain in the program:

• Students must be graduate students and should be considering a career in child advocacy.
• Time Commitment/Schedule Availability
  • Students must commit to a two-semester-long internship. This time commitment is necessary because the objective of the internship is to provide a comprehensive child advocacy experience with the potential for successful interns to be considered for future employment opportunities with KidsVoice.
  • Students must commit to at least 16 hours per week.

If you are interested in applying for our CAS intern program, please send a letter of interest and resume to interns@kidsvoice.org or email any questions regarding our CAS intern program to the same address. Fall internship applications are due by August 5.

The Legal Intern Program begins with a training program designed to ensure that interns have the tools, knowledge, and resources to successfully advocate on behalf of our clients. Upon completion of training, each intern will be paired with an experienced mentor attorney.  The mentor attorney will provide the intern with regular guidance and opportunities to shadow the mentor in court and in the field on visits and at meetings, help prepare cases for court, work with Child Advocacy Specialists, do legal research and writing, and handle hearings in court.  The mentor will gradually increase intern case responsibilities as the intern develops during the course of the internship.  

Students must meet the following requirements to apply for and remain in the program:

• Students should be considering a career in child advocacy.
• Time Commitment/Schedule Availability
  • To participate in the KidsVoice Legal Intern Program, students attending local law schools must commit either to a two-semester-long internship or to one semester and one summer.  This time commitment is necessary because the objective of the internship is to provide a comprehensive child advocacy experience with the potential for successful interns to be considered for future employment opportunities with KidsVoice. 
  • For the semester-long internship, students must commit to 16 hours per week, including having a schedule of one day per week with at least six consecutive hours of availability for court.  Any day of the week can be accommodated but the student must have the same day of the week available for court throughout the semester.
  • The summer internship is a 10 to 12 week full-time commitment. Students who attend law schools outside of Pittsburgh may apply just for the summer internship as long as they meet the other requirements.  There may be funding sources that can provide payment to students in the KidsVoice summer internship program, including through the law schools, the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, and other sources.
• Student Practice Eligibility
  • To participate in the KidsVoice Legal Intern Program, students must be qualified for admission under the Pennsylvania student practice rule.  This means that students must successfully complete a class in Evidence before participating in the internship. For more information about admission under the Student Practice Act, also known as Pennsylvania Bar Admission Rule 321, click here. 

If you are interested in applying for our legal intern program, please email a letter of interest and resume to interns@kidsvoice.org or email any questions regarding our legal intern program to the same address.  Applications for summer internships are due by March 15th.  Fall internship applications are due by May 1st and spring internship applications are due by November 1st.