Attorney and Litigation Coordinator

Disability Rights Tennessee; United States; Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedule

Remote work

Paid holidays

401K

Insurance options

Job summary

Disability Rights Tennessee is seeking an Attorney and Litigation Coordinator to drive mission-centered legal advocacy for Tennesseans with disabilities and/or mental illness. You will advance complex litigation, coordinate strategy, and collaborate with advocates, investigators, self-advocates, decision-makers, community partners, and co-counsel to create meaningful change across Tennessee.

As part of DRT’s team, you will build a coordinated legal approach, support programmatic advocacy, and

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school.
• Active Tennessee law license or ability to obtain one quickly.
• At least three years of litigation experience.
• Strong critical thinking, legal research, case evaluation, communication, organization, and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, exercise sound professional judgment, and collaborate across roles and programs.
• Knowledge of the disability community and commitment to DRT’s mission and values.
• Ability to follow procedures and protect confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Advance complex systemic litigation and legal strategy.
• Represent Tennesseans with disabilities and/or mental illness in litigation.
• Collaborate with advocates, investigators, self-advocates, and co-counsel to move cases forward.
• Assist with case planning, discovery, drafting, trial preparation, and coordination with co-counsel.

Skills

Litigation experience

Legal research

Communication

Organization

Time management

Independent work

Judgment

Education

Juris Doctorate

Tennessee law license

Job description

Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) is seekinganAttorney and Litigation Coordinator to help drive mission-centered legal advocacy for Tennesseans with disabilities and/or mental illness. In this role, you will help advance complex litigation, strengthen coordinated legal strategy, and work alongside advocates, investigators,self-advocates,decision makers,community partners, and co-counsel to create meaningfulchangeacross the state.

Who We Are

DRT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of Tennesseans with disabilities. DRT is the designated Protection & Advocacy System (P&A) and Client Assistance Program (CAP) for Tennessee. For over 45 years, our agency has served more than 57,000 Tennesseans. DRT is funded through federal grants, state contracts, private donations, and grants. DRT has eleven programs which provide services across the state and across issues.To learn more about DRT, visit us atDisabilityRightsTN.org or on social media.

What You’ll Do

Are you a mission-driven attorney who wants to use litigation, advocacy, and legal strategy toensure safety, well-being,and disability rightsacross Tennessee? As DRT’s Attorney and Litigation Coordinator, you will help move complex systemic litigation forward, represent Tennesseans with disabilities and/or mental illness, support strong advocacy across programs, and collaborate withagencyadvocatesandinvestigators,self-advocates, family members, andcommunity partners,and co-counsel to create meaningful, lasting change.

Job Responsibilities

Keys to Success:

You’llthrive in this role if you are energized by mission-driven legal work, enjoy collaborating across teams, and bring the judgment, care,detail orientation,and follow-through needed to move advocacy and litigation forward. We are looking for someone who brings the following values, skills, and abilities:

• You enjoy bringing order, strategy, and follow-through to complex litigation, from case planning and discovery to legal drafting, trial preparation, coordination with co-counsel, and communication with plaintiffs or potential plaintiffs.
• You are committed torepresentingpeople with disabilities and/or mental illness through meaningful advocacy that aligns with DRT’s mission and programmatic priorities.
• You bring clear legal analysis, sound judgment, and a collaborative spirit to advocacy, intake, referral, and service request decisions.
• You value partnership and enjoy working closelytoidentifyresources and referrals, and evaluateissues tosupport thoughtful intake, referral decision-making, and legal review.
• You are excited to share knowledge throughtraining, outreach, public education, andcreation ofpublic-facing materialsincludingsocial mediaand webcontent.
• You appreciate strongproject managementsystems and are willing to contribute to workplan development, case selection criteria, service request review, monthly case reviews, professional development, and consistent use of DRT policies and procedures.
• You are flexible, dependable, and ready to pitch in where your skills can best support the team and DRT’s mission.
• This position requires strong independent judgment, consistent communication, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively in a mission-driven, collaborative environment.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school or another law school approved by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
• Active Tennessee law license, or the ability to obtain onein a timely manner.
• At least three years of litigation experience.
• Strong critical thinking, legal research, case evaluation, communication, organization, and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, exercise sound professional judgment, and collaborate effectively with team members across roles and programs.
• Knowledge of the disability community anddemonstratedcommitment to DRT’s mission and values.
• Ability to follow procedures and protocols, protect confidential information, and quicklylearnrequired databases and systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with people with disabilities, disability rights issues, or publicinterestlegal advocacy.

Additional Information

What Else You Should Know

• The position is full-time (37.5 hoursper week)and we offer flexibility on daily schedule
• Remote and in-office work will berequiredfor this position.
• The role will require routine in-state travelfor meetings with clients and/or partners, as well as communityeducation activities.On averagetravel will be20% of the average work month, and a valid driver’s license; reliable transportation and insurance are necessary.
• This position serves the entire state.
• Candidates must live within60 miles of DRT’s office in Nashville, Memphis, or Knoxville.
• Reliable home internet isrequired.
• Technology and equipment will be provided by DRT.

Thesalary for this positionbegins at$84,500theexactsalaryfor this positiondepends on experience, certifications, andlanguageskills. We offer excellent benefits such asaflexible schedule, remote work, paternal leave, paid federal and state holidays,401K, FSA,and insurance options including medical, vision, dental, life, and disability.

DRT does not discriminate in employmenton the basis ofrace, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. We make all employment decisions based on business needs, qualifications, and individualmerit.