Attorney, Direct Representation

About Atticus
At any given time, 16 million Americans are experiencing a crisis that requires urgent help from our legal system or government. The right assistance could transform their lives. But today, most never get it.
Atticus makes it easy for any person in crisis to get the life-changing aid they deserve. In just three years, we've become the leading platform connecting people with disabilities to government benefits. We also help victims of accidents, misconduct, and violence get compensation from insurance. So far, we've gotten thousands of people access to over $2B in life-changing aid, and we're just getting started.
We've helped more than 20,000 people in need (see our 6,000+ five-star reviews ) and raised more than $50 million from top VC firms like Forerunner, GV (Google Ventures), and True Ventures. (We just closed our Series B round in May 2023, so we're well-funded for the foreseeable future.) We're small but moving fast - our team grew from 32 to 60 last year and we expect to double in size again in 2023.
The Job
Social Security disability benefits are a key feature of this country's safety net. But when folks try to access these benefits, they find themselves pitted against the Social Security Administration - an outdated bureaucracy deadset on denying them benefits. The Direct Representation team evens the odds: we take on the SSA for our clients - and we win.
In this role, you'll be a founding attorney on the Direct Representation team and work closely with our Lead Attorney and our founding Paralegal/Client Manager , as well as our CEO . You should be excited about:

• Running your own cases from end-to-end;
• Trying cases before administrative law judges and arguing motions in federal court;
• Supervising and collaborating with Paralegal/Client Managers;
• Meaningfully improving the lives of real people through lawyering;
• Collaborating with our product team to identify pain points and build solutions; and
• Redefining what high quality representation looks like in disability proceedings.

This job is a unique opportunity to join a fast-growing Series B startup and do meaningful social impact work as an attorney. You'll work alongside smart and caring coworkers who put a premium on work-life balance. Your path from here could include (a) staying at Atticus and advancing on the Direct Representation team, (b) mastering disability benefits law and starting your own firm or gunning for a professorship, or (c) pivoting further into tech and business.
Qualifications
Required:

• You have 1-3 years of litigation experience at a top law firm, government agency, or non-profit.
• You have a degree from a top law school where you demonstrated strong academic performance.
• You are admitted to the bar in any state.
• You are energized by serving clients and committed to direct representation work.
• You are a resourceful team-player ready to dive into a scrappy startup environment where you will learn quickly and get your hands dirty.
• You have a demonstrated commitment to doing good and helping people.

Bonus / Nice-to-Have:

• You have several years of meaningful work experience prior to attending law school, especially in client service or business environments.
• You have experience at a startup or other fast-paced, agile environment.

We are strongly committed to building a diverse team. If you're from a background that's underrepresented in tech or law, we'd love to meet you.
Salary and Benefits
This is a rare opportunity to join a startup that has strong traction (substantial funding, well-respected backers, tremendous growth, and many happy customers) but is still small enough that you can have a huge impact and play a role in shaping our culture.
We're a certified B Corporation tackling a critical social problem. Our mission to help people in need drives everything we do, and your work here will touch many lives.
We offer competitive pay - including equity - and generous benefits:

• Medical and dental insurance with 100% of employee premiums covered
• 15 vacation days & ~19 paid holidays each year (including two weeks at end-of-year)
• Free membership to OneMedical
• $1,000 reimbursable stipend for education and training outside of work
• Student loan repayment assistance, 401(k), and optional HSA
• Free snacks, drinks, weekly lunches, and regular team dinners/events/retreats
• Humble, thoughtful, smart, fun colleagues

We anticipate the base salary band for this role will be between $125,000 and $150,000 in addition to equity and benefits. The salary at offer will be determined by a number of factors such as candidate's experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity among our team.
Location & Covid
Today, about half our team are in Los Angeles or Phoenix (where we have offices) and half are fully remote and spread across the U.S. There are two options for this job:

Live in Los Angeles, work a few days a week (or more) out of our beautiful office in the Arts District.

Live wherever, work remotely, and travel to LA (on the company dime) as needed to be with your colleagues -somewhere between monthly and quarterly.

In short: You can do this job well remotely, and we're committed to empowering everyone with flexibility. But we care a lot about building a great culture and we think some interactions need to happen in person, so we put a lot of thought into retreats, offsites, and other ways to gather.
As for Covid: When the pandemic started, we immediately shifted to fully remote to protect our team and shuttered our office. Today, everyone on the team is vaccinated, and many come in often (though we don't require it). Going forward, you can expect that vaccinations will be required for all employees (unless medically unable) and that if a variant emerges that makes in-person work unsafe for vaccinated people, we'll close our office, cease any travel, and do whatever it takes to protect and support our team.