Public Justice Center
Baltimore, Maryland
POST DATE: July 15, 2025
Be a critical member of a team of social justice advocates! The Public Justice Center seeks a temporary part-time contract attorney for up to 12 hours per week for approximately 36 weeks to join its Human Right to Housing Team. Compensation is up to $40 per hour depending on experience.
The Public Justice Center (“PJC”) and the Human Right to Housing Project
The Public Justice Center 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. www.publicjustice.org
The Human Right to Housing Project seeks the realization of a human right to housing that is fair, affordable, habitable, accessible, and stable. The Human Right to Housing Team develops and implements its project priorities with the goal of dismantling white supremacy and advancing race equity. Attorneys provide legal services to low-income tenants in eviction and habitability cases, collaborate with community organizing partners to build tenant power, and advocate in state and local legislatures and government agencies for tenants’ rights.
This position is partly remote and partly in the office and at court.
Core Duties:
- Conduct intake and provide same-day legal services to renters shortly before the start of failure-to-pay-rent eviction dockets in the District Court in Baltimore City.
- Provide ongoing legal representation to renters in eviction cases, including case preparation either at the PJC Office or remotely.
- Perform thorough and timely case and file management, including timekeeping.
- Participate in team meetings as needed.
Desired Skills and Experience
The following qualifications are valued for this position. Applicants should also identify other related or supplementary skills and experiences.
- Maryland bar admission or admission to another state bar.
- Prior legal experience with housing law, low-income clients or other communities with lived experience in housing instability, poverty, or discrimination
- Passion for social justice and racial equity.
- Attention to detail and keen organizational skills.
- Spanish language proficiency is valued but not required.
- Ability to work under deadlines and manage multiple tasks.
- Lived experience with our client communities highly desired.
- Ability to empathize and sensitively respond to people in crisis situations.
- Excellent use of MS Outlook, Word, and Excel; database programs a plus.
- Strong problem-solving abilities, time management, and organizational skills.
Compensation
This is a part-time, non-exempt position for up to 12 hours per week for an expected period of 36 weeks from start to finish. Compensation is up to $40 per hour depending on experience. No benefits are provided with this position. The attorney may be called upon to work a limited number of hours in excess of 12 hours per week only when necessary to meet the expectations of a given case and with the authorization of the attorney’s supervisor. Hourly compensation will be provided.
Applications
Applications should be submitted by July 29, 2025, to be assured of consideration, but applications will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please submit, by email only, a cover letter explaining your interest, resume, two legal writing samples, and the names and telephone numbers of three references. Send applications to Matt Hill, hillm@publicjustice.org, with “Housing Attorney applicant” in the subject.
Physical/Mental Demands and Office Environment
The physical/mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
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.
Aviso de acción colectiva en el caso Rivera Brito, et al. contra New Life Healthy Living, LLC, et al. – Leer en Español
The notice below describes a lawsuit filed by a group of employees against New Life Healthy Living, LLC; New Life Adult Medical Day Care, LLC; Aashiana, LLC; and/or Alif Manejwala. The lawsuit claims these employers failed to pay their workers fully for overtime worked. The complaint is available here. Please see below for the full notice and instructions on what you need to do if you want to file a claim in the case.
Follow this link for a consent form to join the lawsuit Rivera Brito, et al. v. New Life Healthy Living, LLC, et al. Forms should be mailed or delivered to:
Amy Gellatly
Public Justice Center
201 North Charles Street, Suite 1200
Baltimore, MD 21201
The notice signed by the Judge in this case is at this link: notice of collective action.
NOTICE OF COLLECTIVE ACTION
This is a Court-authorized Notice. This is not an advertisement from a lawyer.
TO: Any hourly worker who was hired by New Life Healthy Living, LLC, New Life Adult Medical Day Care, LLC, Aashiana, LLC, and/or Alif Manejwala to work at 7600 Clays Lane, Windsor Mill, MD 21244, at any time from February 12, 2022, to the present.
I. INTRODUCTION
You have received this Notice because records show that you work or worked for New Life Healthy Living, LLC; New Life Adult Medical Day Care, LLC; Aashiana, LLC; and/or Alif Manejwala (the “Defendants”) at 7600 Clays Lane, Windsor Mill, MD, 21244 sometime between February 12, 2022 and the present. A group of workers has filed a lawsuit against the Defendants claiming that they failed to pay them fully for regular and overtime wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). You may be eligible to join this lawsuit.
Please read this Notice carefully. If you wish to join this case and raise a claim for unpaid wages, you must “opt in” by filling out and returning the attached “Consent to Join” form by September 8, 2025.
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE LAWSUIT
On April 17, 2024, Isabela Rivera Brito, Maria Brito Chavez, Petrona Cuplay Bernal, and Vicente Sanchez (together, “Plaintiffs”) filed this lawsuit against the Defendants. The name and case number of the lawsuit is Rivera Brito, et al. v. New Life Healthy Living, LLC, et al., No. 1:24-cv-01124-ABA. The lawsuit is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The Plaintiffs are represented by lawyers from the Public Justice Center and CASA.
Plaintiffs allege that the Defendants violated the law by failing to pay employees their full amount of wages and overtime compensation. As compensation, they seek their unpaid overtime wages, additional monetary damages, interest, attorneys’ fees, and compensation for the costs of filing the lawsuit. The Defendants deny the allegations.
The Court has not yet made any ruling on Plaintiffs’ claims or decided which party will win the lawsuit.
III. WHO CAN JOIN THE LAWSUIT
You may join the lawsuit if you are or were an hourly worker for New Life Healthy Living, LLC; New Life Adult Medical Day Care, LLC; Aashiana, LLC; or Alif Manejwala at 7600 Clays Lane, Windsor Mill, MD, 21244, any time since February 12, 2022.
IV. HOW TO JOIN
If you wish to join the lawsuit and have Plaintiffs’ Counsel represent you, it is important that you read, sign, and promptly return the enclosed “Consent to Join” form to:
Amy Gellatly
Public Justice Center
201 North Charles Street, Suite 1200
Baltimore, MD 21201
gellatlya@publicjustice.org
Fax: (410) 625-9423
The signed Consent to Join form must be emailed, faxed, or postmarked by September 8, 2025. You may contact Amy Gellatly at 410-400-6943 if you have any questions or concerns. You may also retain your own counsel.
If you think you are eligible to participate, please sign and return the form as soon as possible. You may lose your right to compensation and damages if you do not return the form promptly. If you do not return the Consent to Join form in time, you may not be able to participate in the lawsuit.
If you decide not to join this case, you may still have the right to sue one or more of the Defendants separately about the same legal claims in this lawsuit, provided that you do so within the applicable statute of limitations.
V. NO RETALIATION PERMITTED
Federal and state law prohibits Defendants from firing, disciplining, or in any manner retaliating against you for joining this lawsuit. If you believe that you have been penalized, discriminated against, or retaliated against in any way as a result of your receiving this Notice, considering whether to join this lawsuit, or actually joining this lawsuit, please contact Plaintiffs’ Counsel or other lawyers of your choosing right away.
VI. EFFECT OF JOINING THIS LAWSUIT
If you join this lawsuit by completing and returning the Consent to Join form, you will have to accept the outcome, even if it is against the employees. While the lawsuit is pending, you may be asked to provide documents or answer questions, orally or in writing, including potentially at a deposition or trial, with the help of the lawyers. You will not be asked to pay any legal costs or fees. If the Plaintiffs win, the Defendants will pay the Plaintiffs’ legal fees, or the fees will be paid out of any recovery.
By joining this lawsuit, you agree that the original Plaintiffs can make decisions about the lawsuit for you. These decisions and agreements made by the Plaintiffs—Isabela Rivera Brito, Maria Brito Chavez, Petrona Cuplay Bernal, and Vicente Sanchez—will be binding on you too, if you join.
Your immigration status is not relevant to this lawsuit or to your right to recover wages owed to you. Joining this lawsuit will not affect your immigration status.
VII. NO LEGAL EFFECT IN NOT JOINING LAWSUIT
If you choose to not join this lawsuit, you do not need to do anything. If you do not join, you will not be affected by the outcome of the lawsuit. However, if you think you have a claim, you should ask an attorney. Under federal law, claims may expire after 2 years from the date of the violation.
DATED: April 21, 2025
The Honorable Chelsea J. Crawford
U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
Ejaz Baluch is an attorney with the Public Justice Center’s Workplace Justice Project, which promotes justice and equity in the workplace through litigation to combat wage theft and other workplace violations, know-your-rights education for low-wage workers, and policy advocacy to expand their rights.
Before joining the Public Justice Center in 2025, Ejaz was a trial attorney in the Employment Litigation Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. He primarily represented the United States in federal district court in cases under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. His cases typically included allegations of employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity by state and local government employers, including police departments, fire departments, and school districts. Ejaz also served on the Division’s Stop AAPI Hate Working Group and LGBTQ Working Group, and he co-chaired the Employment Litigation Section’s Amicus & SOI Working Group. He joined the Department through the Attorney General’s Honors Program.
While at the Department of Justice, Ejaz completed a detail with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders as an Advisor in 2024. He worked with federal government agencies to address incidents of Anti-Asian hate and discrimination and promote greater data disaggregation for AA and NHPI subgroups.
Prior to joining the Department, Ejaz was the 2018–2019 Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. Appellate Advocacy Fellow at the Public Justice Center. He has also clerked for Chief Judge George L. Russell, III of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Ejaz earned a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, an M.S. from the Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before becoming an attorney, he taught middle school social studies with Baltimore City Public Schools.
(410) 625-9409
Email
he/him
June 2025
Be a critical member in a team of dedicated social justice advocates! The Public Justice Center seeks a part-time paralegal for the Workplace Justice Project.
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. We 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.
The paralegal 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 $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.
- Obtaining a Fourth Circuit appellate 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.
Primary job responsibilities include:
- Assisting attorneys with litigation support including case investigation, researching public records, filing legal pleadings, drafting and translating documents between Spanish and English, assisting in document review and document management, and data entry and reporting.
- Conducting telephone and in-person in Spanish and English, interviewing clients in Spanish and English opening and maintaining electronic and paper case files, participating in fact gathering and appropriate referral, brief service, or advocacy.
- Conducting Know Your Rights trainings and community outreach in Spanish and English.
- Assisting with coalition building and policy advocacy and research projects on prioritized subjects as needed.
- Participating thoughtfully in team meetings, evaluations, and the development of the team workplan.
- Providing general administrative and office support for nonprofit law office on a limited basis.
- Other duties as assigned
Desired Skills and Experience:
The following qualifications are valued for this position. Applicants should also identify other related or supplementary skills and experiences.
- Ability to speak, comprehend, and write Spanish and English fluently.
- Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited school or a combination of Associate’s Degree, Paralegal Certificate, and/or demonstrated skills in writing, research, analysis, and communications.
- Passion for social justice and commitment to the mission of the Public Justice Center.
- Understanding of the principles of race equity analysis and applying them to the PJC’s organizational life and to our work.
- Experience with low-income, oppressed, or exploited communities or people.
- Ability to sensitively respond to people seeking services in crisis situation
- Experience in law office/ litigation support and case management.
- Excellent use of Microsoft Word and Excel; database programs a plu
- Ability and interest in learning new computer pro
- Strong problem-solving abilities, time management, and organizational skills; ability to manage complex assignments and work collegially with staff.
- Attention to detail.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with others both in and outside of the PJC, including clients, other advocacy organizations, coalition members, governmental officials, and attorney
Compensation: This is a part-time, non-exempt position that will require 20 hours in a workweek. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required. This position is based in Baltimore and may require local travel. The salary range for a part-time paralegal begins at $26,000 and increases with experience. For example, a candidate with 3 years of relevant experience would be offered $29,000. A language bonus of $1,500/year is given to Spanish/English bilingual staff. An excellent cafeteria benefit package in the annual amount of $8,400 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. This part-time position would receive prorated leave benefits.
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 July 15, 2025. Applications will be accepted by email only. To apply, please submit (1) a cover letter explaining your interest, (2) a resume, (3) a short writing sample, and (4) the names and telephone numbers of three references. Please send applications to: Nicole Tortoriello at tortoriellon@publicjustice.org with “Paralegal Application from [your name]” in the subject line.
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 paralegal 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 here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may 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.
Carolyn Johnson is an attorney in the Human Right to Housing Project. Prior to joining the PJC, Carolyn was the Legal Director at the Homeless Persons Representation Project (HPRP) for eighteen years where she oversaw HPRP’s direct legal services, advocacy, and impact litigation. HPRP’s practice areas included subsidized housing, public benefits, criminal record expungement, and civil rights. Carolyn participated in numerous advocacy and impact litigation efforts including as co-counsel in a Fair Housing complaint against Baltimore County over its policies and practices that perpetuated racial segregation and discriminated against persons with disabilities, and co-counsel in a case against the state for failing to timely process applications for SNAP, Medicaid, and Temporary Cash Assistance resulting in a permanent injunction.
Previously, Carolyn was an attorney at the PJC and HPRP, where she handled direct service cases, impact litigation, and advocacy in housing, public benefits, criminal record expungement, and family law.
Carolyn earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore and B.A from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
(410) 625-9409 x280
Email
she/her
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 x279
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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.
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.
