Jobs

About A Better Balance: A Better Balance is a national legal advocacy organization that uses the power of the law to advance justice for workers, so they can care for themselves and their loved ones without jeopardizing their economic security. Our expert legal team combats discrimination against pregnant workers and caregivers and advances supportive policies like paid sick time, paid family and medical leave, and fair and predictable scheduling. We remain steadfast in working to dismantle the intersectional forms of injustice that contribute to the structural inequality working families in this country face, including but not limited to, gender injustice, racial injustice, economic injustice, health injustice, and injustice against immigrants, LGTBQIA communities, and people with disabilities, and are seeking candidates who are committed to this work. Ensuring families of color have access to strong work-family policies—especially BIPOC women workers who are currently the least likely to have access to these policies due to centuries of institutionalized sexism and racism, systemic barriers to economic mobility, and pervasive discrimination—is a core principle of ABB’s work.

A Better Balance has fought for and won: paid family and medical leave laws in 13 states and D.C., paid sick leave laws in 18 states and D.C.; Pregnant Workers Fairness Acts in 30 states and at the federal level; the federal PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; inclusive protections for all families, including LGBTQ families; and victories on other work family issues across the country. Our advocacy work and legal efforts have gained national recognition in dozens of outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Learn more about ABB by visiting www.abetterbalance.org.

Job Title: Staff Attorney

Position Description: A Better Balance seeks a highly-motivated Staff Attorney to support our local, state, and federal paid leave policy work through a dynamic blend of legislative and policy advocacy, coalition building and support, written materials, legal research and writing, technical assistance, and communications advocacy. This position provides an exciting opportunity to gain expertise on the growing movement for paid family and medical leave and paid sick leave.

Preference is for the Staff Attorney to be based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, but applications from individuals in other parts of the country will also be accepted. The Staff Attorney position is remote and will involve attending occasional in-person travel, including events and meetings in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Basic Responsibilities:

• Provide legal research, writing, and technical assistance regarding paid family and medical leave and paid sick time. Research and write legal memoranda, testimony (written and oral), fact sheets and/or know-your-rights materials, policy papers, advocacy tools, amicus briefs, and other supporting legal and policy documents related to the organization’s paid leave work around the country.
• Support efforts to implement and defend new paid leave legal protections that ABB worked to advance.
• Collaborate with advocates and coalitions at the federal, state and local levels to advance inclusive paid leave proposals, improve existing protections, and defend against opposition to paid leave.
• Represent A Better Balance at public events, conferences, networking and recruitment opportunities to raise awareness about ABB and share subject matter expertise related to the Staff Attorney’s paid family and medical leave and paid sick time work.
• Produce timely, high-quality work product and completion of assignments.
• Support ABB’s staffwide DEI work, as with all staff, and integrate DEI into your daily work.
• Up to 10% of time on both occasional support on other policy and legal issues, and other duties as assigned, including assistance with communications, events, fundraising, and other logistical pieces of projects.

Qualifications:

• At least 2-4 years of legal experience;
• State or DC Bar admission;
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, work/family law and policy, gender and women’s rights, civil rights, LGBTQIA rights, and/or advocacy for low-income populations and ending racial, gender, health, and economic injustice;
• Superior written and oral communication, advocacy, legal research, and analytic skills;
• Experience writing for legal and non-legal audiences a plus;
• Successful track record in coalition work, including building and leading coalitions;
• Self-motivated with demonstrated problem solving, prioritizing, time management, team-building, and organizational skills;
• Ability to work collaboratively, and coordinate with multiple people remotely;
• Ability to manage multiple projects with varying deadlines simultaneously and to provide high-quality work products in a timely manner;
• Experience with organizing and with working with impacted communities, particularly communities of color, LGBTQIA individuals, and individuals with disabilities, preferred
• Previous experience with policy or legislative advocacy, bill drafting, or working with a state or local government is a plus.

Salary & Benefits: Based on the qualifications above, the salary range for this position will be $75,380-79,380. ABB offers a remote working environment, 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave with full wage replacement, accrued paid time off up to 19.5 days a year (or 26 days a year after 5 years with the organization), unlimited paid sick days per year, paid time off for 13 holidays, 3 paid personal days a year, and paid bereavement leave. ABB is also proud to use the same model inclusive family definition in our paid leave policies, so that employees can care for their closest loved ones in times of need, including chosen, adopted, foster, and extended family members. We offer pre-tax health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as access to pre-tax retirement contributions. ABB also provides reimbursement towards certain professional fees, as well as stipends and reimbursement for home office expenses. Given the organizational mission, ABB is committed to encouraging a healthy work/life balance for all employees.

This position is in A Better Balance’s UAW, Local 2325 bargaining unit.

How to Apply:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis (we hope to fill this position as soon as possible).

To apply, please email the following documents (combined in one attachment) with the subject line “2025 Staff Attorney – [First Name Last Name]” to: careers@abetterbalance.org:

• a resume including relevant experience – note, this need not only be paid work;
• tailored letter of interest, including your connection to ABB’s work; and
• a short legal writing sample showing legal analysis, including applying facts to the law

DEI statement: A Better Balance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we have an unwavering commitment to diversity with the aim that everyone on staff has a full sense of belonging within our organization. Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to our culture and core values, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, family status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, arrest or conviction, or any other factor protected by law.

A Better Balance is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all individuals protected by law, including workers with needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions; disabilities; religious observances or practices; or domestic violence. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for the position, please e-mail careers@abetterbalance.org.  If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

A Better Balance is recruiting rising third-year law students, judicial clerks, and recent law school graduates interested in applying for an externally funded 1-2 year public interest fellowship starting in September 2025.

About A Better Balance: A Better Balance is a national legal advocacy organization that uses the power of the law to advance justice for workers, so they can care for themselves and their loved ones without jeopardizing their economic security. Our expert legal team combats discrimination against pregnant workers and caregivers and advances supportive policies like paid sick time, paid family and medical leave, and fair and predictable scheduling. We remain steadfast in working to dismantle the intersectional forms of injustice that contribute to the structural inequality working families in this country face, including but not limited to, gender injustice, racial injustice, economic injustice, health injustice, and injustice against immigrants, LGTBQIA communities, and people with disabilities, and are seeking candidates who are committed to this work. Ensuring families of color have access to strong work-family policies—especially BIPOC women workers who are currently the least likely to have access to these policies due to centuries of institutionalized sexism and racism, systemic barriers to economic mobility, and pervasive discrimination—is a core principle of ABB’s work.

A Better Balance has fought for and won: paid family and medical leave laws in 13 states and D.C., paid sick leave laws in 18 states and D.C.; Pregnant Workers Fairness Acts in 30 states and at the federal level; the federal PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; inclusive protections for all families, including LGBTQ families; and victories on other work family issues across the country. Our advocacy work and legal efforts have gained national recognition in dozens of outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Learn more about ABB by visiting www.abetterbalance.org.

ABB is based in New York City and maintains an office in Washington, D.C., a Southern regional office in Nashville, TN, and an office in Denver, CO. Fellowships would be remote, so could be based in any of these geographies or elsewhere.

Qualifications:

• Law degree required by May 2025, state bar admission by Fall 2025 preferred.*
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, work/family law and policy, gender and women’s rights, civil rights, and/or advocacy for low-income populations and ending racial, gender, health, and economic injustice.
• Commitment to diversity within the office using an approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and socio-economic circumstance.
• Superior written and oral communication, advocacy, legal research, and analytic skills. Experience writing for legal and non-legal audiences a plus.
• Self-motivated with demonstrated problem solving, prioritizing, time management, team-building, and organizational skills.
• Comfort and familiarity with small non-profit and remote environments, ability to use limited resources efficiently and effectively, ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with impacted communities, particularly communities of color and individuals with disabilities.
• Experience with the community you propose to serve a plus.
• Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Bengali, Haitian Creole, French, Somali, and/or Korean fluency are a plus.

Funding, Benefits, and Project Proposal

Fellows will be paid a salary of $74,000, and if the amount of external funding is less than this amount, A Better Balance will make up the difference.

This position requires external funding, meaning it is not paid for by ABB and comes from another source. For example, many law schools offer funding to law graduates in the form of fellowships. If you are selected by ABB as a fellowship candidate, we will then work together to put together a project proposal.

ABB offers a remote working environment, 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave with full wage replacement, accrued paid time off up to 19.5 days a year (or 26 days a year after 5 years with the organization), unlimited paid sick days per year, paid time off for 13 holidays, 3 paid personal days a year, and paid bereavement leave. ABB is also proud to use the same model inclusive family definition in our paid leave policies, so that employees can care for their closest loved ones in times of need, including chosen, adopted, foster, and extended family members. We offer pre-tax health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as access to pre-tax retirement contributions. ABB also provides reimbursement towards certain professional fees, as well as stipends and reimbursement for home office expenses. Given the organizational mission, ABB is committed to encouraging a healthy work/life balance for all employees.

This position would be in A Better Balance’s UAW, Local 2325 bargaining unit.

How to Apply

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

To apply, please e-mail the following documents with the subject line “2025 Fellowship – [First Name Last Name]” to: careers@abetterbalance.org:

• a resume including relevant experience – note, this need not only be paid work or work you did during law school;
• tailored letter of interest, including your connection to ABB’s work;
• a short legal writing sample showing legal analysis, including applying facts to the law; and
• at least two references, including one professor/instructor from law school and one supervisor of legal work – these should be the individuals you plan to ask to write recommendations in support of your fellowship candidacy if selected by ABB.

DEI statement: A Better Balance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we have an unwavering commitment to diversity with the aim that everyone on staff has a full sense of belonging within our organization. Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to our culture and core values, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, family status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, arrest or conviction, or any other factor protected by law.

A Better Balance is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all individuals protected by law, including workers with needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions; disabilities; religious observances or practices; or domestic violence. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for the position, please e-mail careers@abetterbalance.org.  If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.