Civil Rights Attorney

CAIR-CA (Council on American-Islamic Relations, California chapter) is seeking a Civil Rights Attorney for its San Diego office to support a dedicated team protecting the civil and human rights of American Muslims. This role combines direct legal representation and advocacy to combat discrimination, harassment, and civil liberties violations affecting the Muslim community.

You will manage a substantial and diverse caseload—approximately 200+ client intakes annually—across multiple practice areas including religious freedom and discrimination, employment law, public accommodations, school issues, national security and law enforcement matters, prisoners' rights, and hate crimes. Your responsibilities include conducting client intakes, investigating legal claims, managing assigned litigation, preparing pleadings and motions, performing legal research, and drafting complaints, discovery documents, briefs, letters, and memos. Based on your experience level, you may identify, develop, lead, and manage litigation efforts independently. Beyond case work, you will contribute to broader organizational impact through legal reports, community advisories, educational presentations on Muslim rights, outreach to community events and coalitions, and assisting with CAIR-California reports. All staff also participate in general operational duties such as answering phones, weekly outreach activities, and fundraising.

Position details: Full-time, based in San Diego with a hybrid schedule (three days in-office, two days remote). Occasional evening and weekend work required. Reports to the Executive Director.

Required qualifications: Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school and admission to the California State Bar. You must have 1–3+ years of professional experience advocating for, representing, or litigating on behalf of clients in civil rights practice areas such as employment discrimination, religious freedom, public accommodations, and government benefit denials in both courts and administrative agencies. Demonstrated strengths in time management, problem-solving, attention to detail, collaborative teamwork, and excellent oral and written communication skills are essential.

Compensation and benefits: Salary of $80,000–$95,000 annually, commensurate with skills and experience. Comprehensive benefits include 100% employer-paid medical and dental insurance covering the employee and dependents, 401(k) plan with employer match, 12 vacation days, 10 sick days, 12 holidays, and dedicated funding for bar association membership, bar license renewal, continuing legal education (CLE), and malpractice insurance.