Carolyn Johnson is an attorney in the Human Right to Housing Project.
(410) 625-9409
Email
Nicole Tortoriello is the lead attorney for the Workplace Justice Project, which works to fight wage theft, empower workers, and promote justice and equity in the workplace. Prior to joining the PJC, Nicole served as Labor Oversight Counsel to the Senate HELP Committee under Senator Bernie Sanders from 2023-2025. She served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Workers’ Rights and Antifraud Section of the Office of the Attorney General of the District of Columbia from 2021-2023, where she focused on worker’s rights enforcement, including wage theft, worker misclassification, and the District’s universal paid leave program.
Previously, she was the Secular Society Women’s Rights Advocacy Counsel at the ACLU of Virginia from 2018-2021, where she was responsible for the organization’s full portfolio of gender justice issues in both litigation and advocacy, including anti-discrimination protections, criminal legal reform, and reproductive rights. Nicole has also clerked for the Honorable Catherine C. Blake of the U.S. District Court for Maryland, practiced at Arnold & Porter LLC in Washington, DC, and worked to close achievement gaps for low-income students and students of color at The Education Trust. Nicole earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. from Georgetown University.
Phone: (410) 625-9409
Email
she/her
April 8, 2025
The Public Justice Center is a leader in public interest law reform in Maryland and around the country. We work in coalition with legal advocates, direct service providers, policy advocates, community organizing groups, and law firms to challenge injustice, and we contribute our legal knowledge and skills to support initiatives identified by communities that enhance community members’ power.
About the Organization
Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the Public Justice Center is a leader in public interest law reform, pursuing systemic change to build a just society.
Using legal advocacy tools – litigation and client representation; legislative, administrative, and appellate advocacy; know-your-rights education; and collaboration – we address the causes of poverty and racial inequity. We work in coalition with legal advocates, direct service providers, policy advocates, community organizing groups, and law firms to challenge injustice, and we contribute our legal knowledge and skills to support initiatives identified by communities and that enhance community members’ power.
The PJC chooses projects and cases that will make a significant impact on systems, laws, and policies. We represent people facing unlawful evictions, wage theft, healthcare barriers, and discriminatory school pushouts. We advocate to reform pretrial detention; we use appellate cases to establish good law in poverty and civil rights cases; and coordinate a national coalition that works to establish a right to counsel in basic human needs civil cases. By challenging injustice, elevating community leadership, and advancing equity through the law, we not only defend rights—we support the transformation of systems. With a bold and intersectional approach to justice, we seek to be a critical force for change in Maryland and beyond.
We know that in order to effectively dismantle systemic barriers of oppression, racial equity must be incorporated in our projects, cases, and strategies. You can learn more about our race equity commitment here.
To learn more about the PJC visit: www.publicjustice.org
About the Role
What You’ll Do
As the Public Justice Center (PJC) readies itself for its next phase of growth and impact it is looking for a strategic, inclusive, and hands-on leader committed to racial equity and dismantling oppressive laws, policies, and practices to serve as its next Executive Director (ED). As the organization’s chief executive, the ED will lead the creation and implementation of a strategic plan that provides mission clarity and a long-term roadmap for PJC’s future. As the PJC’s culture champion and carrier, the ED will foster a culture of trust, accountability, equity, and belonging, promote collaboration, ensure internal cohesion, and advance the organization’s commitment to race equity and its anti-racist practice. In a changing social, political, and funding landscape, the ED will continue to steward the PJC’s legacy by deepening and diversifying external partnerships and funding streams that elevate the PJC’s visibility and impact at both local and national levels.
The ideal candidate is a values-driven, people-centered leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, systems change, and a strong commitment to intersectional equity. The incoming ED will have a demonstrated ability to lead during moments of transition, understand the unique demands of a mission-centered legal organization, and align a bold vision with the infrastructure needed to sustain it.
Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Strategic Setting and Vision
- Articulate and champion a unifying vision that reflects the PJC’s values, race equity commitments, and community-rooted approach to justice
- Engage staff, board, and key stakeholders to clarify the organization’s mission and long-term goals, ensuring they are widely understood and internalized
- Guide the PJC through its growth trajectory, ensuring practices, structures, and programs scale sustainably
- Maintain and deepen the PJC’s role as both a legal powerhouse and a voice for those most directly impacted by injustice
- Lead a collaborative and inclusive strategic planning process that charts the PJC’s next era of impact, ensuring alignment across programs, operations, and advocacy priorities
Organizational Management and People Leadership
- Foster a strong, values-driven organizational culture rooted in trust, transparency, equity, and belonging, with a commitment to racial and social justice
- Manage all day-to-day operations (including legal, finance, fundraising, and communications) and staff, with ultimate accountability for the success of the organization
- In partnership with senior leaders and the team, assess and strengthen the PJC’s core internal infrastructure—including HR, internal communications, and performance management systems—to support staff wellbeing, enhance staff cohesion, and enable the team to work efficiently and effectively
- Lead with a people-first approach by mentoring, coaching, and empowering a high-performing team, while ensuring accountability and opportunities for growth
External Relationships and Board Engagement
- Strengthen and diversify funding by cultivating strong relationships with individual donors and foundations
- Partner with the Board of Directors to steward the PJC’s mission, strategic vision, governance, and financial health
- Serve as a bold external voice for the PJC, advancing its policy advocacy, litigation priorities, and movement partnerships
- Cultivate and deepen relationships with community organizations, elected officials, and peer institutions to expand the PJC’s impact and visibility
- Champion and model community-centered advocacy, keeping the voices and leadership of directly impacted people at the heart of the PJC’s work
Who You’ll Work With
You will report to an active and engaged Board of Directors.
You will supervise a team of three senior leaders (Legal Director, Director of Development, and Director of Finance and Administration) and oversee a staff of 32.
Required Skills and Experience
The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:
- At least 15 years of professional experience, including senior leadership experience in a nonprofit, advocacy, legal services, or movement-building organization
- An authentic passion for the PJC’s mission with an ability to serve as an exemplar for the PJC’s values and a deep commitment to intersectional and race equity with experience advancing these values in organizational practices
- Outstanding organizational leadership skills, with proven success in leading strategic planning and organizational change efforts
- Experience overseeing the financial management and financial strategy of an organization (i.e. developing budgets, creating financial reports, reporting financial health to the board)
- Strong people leader and manager who brings a collaborative and empathetic approach to the work and a demonstrated capacity to partner well with others and influence leaders across sectors
- Ability to engage in and support fundraising efforts, ideally with prior experience fundraising and/or cultivating and maintaining relationships with institutional funders, individual donors, and/or philanthropic partners
- Skilled at strategically allocating resources (i.e. capital and people) while keeping spending on track and within budget
- Public speaking and communication skills with the ability to serve as a strong external spokesperson for an organization
- J.D. degree required; it is preferred that the candidate is a licensed attorney in good standing
Additional Details
Location: This role is based in Baltimore, MD and will require in-office presence; there is flexibility for some remote work.
We currently have staff in NY, PA, AL, and IL who work completely remotely; most staff are in the office 1-3 days per week, some more often.
Benefits
The PJC provides an excellent cafeteria benefit package in the current annual amount of $16,200 (with customary annual increases each fiscal year). The cafeteria benefit package offers health, dental, vision, and life insurance, and retirement options. Cafeteria benefits packages give employees flexibility to choose how to direct their benefits. For example, this package can cover 100% of employee healthcare premiums, but an employee can choose to direct those funds towards retirement if they already have health insurance, or can have remaining funds added to the employee’s taxable salary.
- 15 days of paid leave (with increases based on tenure), 12 paid holidays, and 15 days of sick and safe leave (60 days of sick leave may be carried over)
- Full-time regular employees who have worked for the PJC for at least 12 months may take up to 12 weeks of paid family medical leave
- Retirement options
- PJC will pay the annual Maryland Client Protection Fund fee, membership to bar associations (discretionary), and paid leave for bar and attorney’s exam
- PJC will provide reimbursement for applicable education expenses and business expenses
Salary
The salary range for the Executive Director position is $175,000-$200,000, with the exact salary depending on prior work experience and the assessment of one’s fit for the role.
Equity at Public Justice Center
The Public Justice Center is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that encourages all interested persons to apply regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage Black, Latine, Indigenous, and other applicants of color, people with disabilities, and other people historically underrepresented in the practice of law to apply.
Michelle Madaio (she/her) is an attorney with the Public Justice Center’s Health and Benefits Equity Project, which engages in advocacy, direct representation, and community education to protect and expand access to healthcare and safety net programs. Michelle values the wisdom and expertise of people who have experienced food and financial insecurity and enjoys collaborating to achieve economic justice on an individual and systemic level.
Prior to joining PJC in 2025, Michelle was Director of Economic Justice at the Homeless Persons Representation Project, where she represented hundreds of individuals and families in appeals to access Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), Temporary Disability Assistance Program (TDAP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Medicaid. Partnering with families directly impacted by public benefits and housing insecurity, Michelle advocated for policy reforms to make Maryland’s public benefit programs easier to access, more equitable, and to end a few of the racist, oppressive, and punitive policies at the root of safety net programs.
Michelle began her legal career teaching as a Clinical Law Fellow with the University of Maryland Carey School of Law in the International and Comparative Law Clinic in Namibia, followed by the Health Care Delivery Clinic in Baltimore. Michelle received a J.D. from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law in 2011 and a B.A. from American University in 2005. Before attending law school, Michelle lived in Madrid, Spain, where she received a Fulbright grant to research Spain’s experience reintroducing jury trials in 1995.
Michelle enjoys being a mom, swimming, drinking matcha, and speaking Spanish.
Phone: (410) 625-9409, ext. 245
Email
she/her
Join a community dedicated to advocating for economic justice and racial equity. Stay informed about key issues, and take quick, impactful action by contacting your Maryland elected officials. Sign up today for email alerts – because your voice matters in the fight for justice!
Together, we can protect and advance Marylanders’ rights. Join us in advocating for:
- safe, stable, and affordable housing;
- access to healthcare and safety net benefits;
- full and fair pay in the workplace;
- equitable access to education;
- fair and inclusive laws and systems; and more.
Your voice matters in the fight for justice!
Join a community dedicated to advocating for economic justice and racial equity. Stay informed about key issues, and take quick, impactful action by contacting your elected officials. Sign up today for email alerts – because your voice matters in the fight for justice!
Together, we can protect and advance Marylanders’ rights. Join us in advocating for:
- safe, stable, and affordable housing;
- access to healthcare and safety net benefits;
- full and fair pay in the workplace;
- equitable access to education;
- fair and inclusive laws and systems; and more.
Sign up by February 7 to make the biggest impact in the 2025 Maryland legislative session.
Public Justice Center
Baltimore, Maryland
March 31, 2025
Be a critical member in a team of dedicated social justice advocates! The Public Justice Center seeks an attorney to join its Workplace Justice Project team.
The Public Justice Center (“PJC”) and the Workplace Justice Project
The PJC pursues systemic change to build a just society. Founded in Maryland in 1985, the PJC uses legal advocacy tools to pursue social justice, economic and racial equity, and fundamental human rights for people who are struggling to provide for their basic needs. The PJC is a civil legal aid office that provides advice and representation to low-income clients, advocates before legislatures and government agencies, and collaborates with community and advocacy organizations. For more about PJC, visit our website: www.publicjustice.org.
The PJC’s Workplace Justice Project seeks to advance justice, equity, and worker power in the workplace. Project attorneys approach this mission through a broad array of strategies, including representing low-wage workers in wage-theft suits in state and federal courts; providing know-your-rights education to workers and community groups; and engaging in worker-focused policy advocacy before the Maryland General Assembly and state agencies, in partnership with other advocates and organizations. We also make space to take on additional work outside of these areas as needed. We work closely with unions, grassroots membership organizations, and other community groups and follow the lead of the individuals most impacted by injustice. We focus on industries where wage theft is common and where people of color comprise a disproportionate part of the workforce.
Attorneys in the Workplace Justice Project are encouraged to develop and pursue their own ideas in line with the PJC’s priorities and approaches to systemic change. The attorney will report to the lead attorney of the Workplace Justice team. We are seeking to fill this position as soon as possible.
Examples of the Workplace Justice Project’s successes include:
- Obtaining a Fourth Circuit decision establishing a new, employee-friendly standard for joint employment under the Fair Labor Standards Act, making it harder for employers to skirt their responsibilities to employees through layers of subcontracting.
- Helping draft and lead the successful advocacy campaign for the Healthy Working Families Act, Maryland’s sick and safe leave law.
- Obtaining partial summary judgment and a subsequent settlement of $412,099.08 for 13 paratransit drivers who had been misclassified as independent contractors and subjected to egregious wage theft.
- Prevailing after a week-long bench trial and recovering $93,450 on behalf of 11 construction workers who worked on a fitness facility for weeks to months with no pay at all.
- Passing Maryland’s Home Care Worker’s Rights Act, requiring home care agencies to correctly classify their home care workers as employees – rather than misclassify them as independent contractors – in order to receive Medicaid reimbursement for the care.
Core Duties
- Engage in all aspects of litigation in state and federal courts, including developing new cases; conducting legal research and drafting legal memoranda; drafting pleadings and briefs; conducting oral argument; and participating in discovery, trials, and appeals
- Provide know-your-rights trainings and outreach to community groups and participants in workforce development programs
- Draft legislation and engage in policy advocacy before the Maryland General Assembly and state agencies
- Develop and maintain close working relationships with community and coalition partners
- Develop and advance the goals of the PJC and the Workplace Justice Project, including contributing to the team’s workplan and race equity analysis
Desired Skills and Experience
The following qualifications are valued for this position. Applicants should also identify other related or supplementary skills and experiences.
Required
- Maryland bar admission or admission to another state bar and willingness to secure admission in Maryland as soon as possible
- Prior experience working with low-income and other marginalized communities and clients
- At least 2-4 years of experience practicing as a lawyer
- Passion for social justice and commitment to the PJC’s vision
- Understanding of the principles of race equity analysis and the intersection of racism, poverty, and other lived experiences, as well as their application to the PJC’s organizational life and to our work
- Ability to work under deadline and manage multiple tasks
- Ability to empathize and sensitively respond to people in crisis situations
- Strong problem-solving, time management, and organizational skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with others within and outside the PJC
Strongly Preferred
- At least three years of litigation experience
- Experience advocating for workers’ rights
- Lived experience with our client communities
- Spanish fluency
Compensation
This is a full-time, exempt, professional position. The attorney may be called upon to work hours more than 40 hours in a workweek, including the potential for evening and weekend work. Local travel will be required at times. Salary is determined by the PJC’s pay scale; the range for an attorney with 2 to 4 years of experience is $74,000 to $78,000 and increases with experience, plus a $1,000 Spanish language annual salary supplement if qualified. An excellent cafeteria benefit package in the annual amount of $16,200 is also provided. This package offers health, dental, disability and life insurance, and retirement options. Cafeteria benefits packages give employees flexibility to choose how to direct their benefits. For example, this package can cover 100% of employee healthcare premiums, but an employee can choose to direct those funds towards retirement if they already have health insurance, or can have remaining funds added to the employee’s taxable salary. PJC employees receive at least 20 days of paid leave, with increases based on length of tenure, 10 paid holidays, and 15 days of sick leave annually.
Applications
We will accept applications and conduct interviews on a rolling basis until the position is filled, but priority consideration will be given to applications received by April 21, 2025. Applications will be accepted by email only. To apply, please submit (1) a cover letter explaining your interest, (2) a resume, (3) two legal writing samples, and (4) the names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three references. Please send application materials to Lee Woo Kee, wookeel@publicjustice.org, with “Workplace Justice Attorney applicant” in the subject line. Applications will be acknowledged and applicants will be contacted if selected for an interview.
Hybrid Work
Most PJC positions, including this one, generally have the option of working in our office in downtown Baltimore City or at home. The attorney will be required to work in the office, the courts, or other meetings as necessary.
Physical/Mental Demands and Office Environment
The physical/mental demands described in this job announcement are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The Public Justice Center is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that encourages all interested persons to apply regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage Black, Latine, Indigenous, and other applicants of color, people with disabilities, and other people historically underrepresented in the practice of law to apply.
Join a community dedicated to advocating for economic justice and racial equity. Stay informed about key issues, and take quick, impactful action by contacting your Maryland elected officials. Sign up today for email alerts – because your voice matters in the fight for justice!
Together, we can protect and advance Marylanders’ rights. Join us in advocating for:
- safe, stable, and affordable housing;
- access to healthcare and safety net benefits;
- full and fair pay in the workplace;
- equitable access to education;
- fair and inclusive laws and systems; and more.
Tamra D. Perkins, CPA, joined the PJC in December 2024. As the Director of Finance and Administration, she manages all accounting and personnel matters, supervises the support staff, and handles the office equipment. Her prior experience includes over 20 years in the accounting industry with over ten of those years specializing in nonprofit fiscal management. She is a graduate of Towson University (class of 2000) with her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and became a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Maryland in 2011.
Phone: (410) 625-9409 x232
Email
she/her
Ingrid Löfgren is the lead attorney for the Public Justice Center’s Education Stability Project, which works to end exclusionary disciplinary practices in Maryland schools through community outreach and education, legal representation of students, and systemic advocacy.
Before joining the Public Justice Center in 2024, Ingrid was director of the Homeless Youth Initiative at Homeless Persons Representation Project, a program that she founded as a Skadden Fellow in 2012. In that role, Ingrid represented youth in public benefits, housing, and criminal record expungement cases, and pursued legislative and policy change to advance housing and economic justice in partnership with youth.
Ingrid clerked for the Honorable Andre Davis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and for the Honorable Susan Gauvey of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Ingrid holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, where she was editor in chief of the Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class, as well as Master of Social Work and B.S. in Family Studies degrees from University of Maryland.
Phone: (410) 625-9409 x249
Email
she/her
