Client Advocate Fellowship: HEAL Program in Los Angeles County
Partners for Justice Seeks Full-Time Client Advocates for Los Angeles County HEAL Program
Partners for Justice is recruiting full-time Client Advocates for its Professional Fellowship Program in Los Angeles County, with placements specifically inside the Holistic Early Assessment and Linkage program at the Los Angeles County Public Defender.
The HEAL program deploys Client Advocates to work directly alongside a Public Defender and a Psychiatric Social Worker. Their primary focus involves supporting custody clients facing felony charges who live with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Advocates begin their intervention at arraignment, assisting clients with treatment connections and drafting treatment memos that back defense requests for mental health diversion and earlier release from custody.
Partners for Justice operates as a national nonprofit designed to transform public defense at scale by minimizing the influence of race and wealth on legal outcomes. The organization partners with public defenders across 20 states through professional fellowships, advisory services, and training. Fellowship placements embed advocates as full-time employees within public defender offices while providing national cohort mentorship, professional development support, and a hardship fund for financial emergencies.
Daily Responsibilities and Courtroom Operations in Los Angeles
HEAL Client Advocates manage a heavy daily workflow spanning courthouse tracking, client intake, and attorney collaboration. Advocates track each client assessment completed by courthouse Psychiatric Social Workers, uploading and recording the data in the HEAL tracker. Every morning, advocates check trial attorney assignments and send out standard HEAL emails offering mental health diversion reports, service connection assistance, and treatment memos.
Advocates process referrals from attorneys, linking clients to services recommended by social workers such as Department of Mental Health Court Linkage, Community-Based Evaluation and Treatment Services, Justice, Care and Opportunities Department programs, Patient Reentry Case Management, Collaborative Courts, and substance use treatment. advocates also build relationships with clients to understand their priorities, assess barriers to services, and evaluate enmeshed penalties of arrest.
Throughout the legal process, advocates partner closely with trial attorneys to share updates on treatment linkage, align treatment memos with diversion strategies, and coordinate in-court support. They write treatment memos for mental health diversion reports and connect clients to community programs, non-criminal legal services, housing, employment, and public benefits. Advocates also coordinate with the Rapid Diversion Program and its provider Project 180, the Office of Diversion and Reentry, and in-house public defender social workers.
HEAL Client Advocate Role Requires Social Justice Interest
Applicants for the HEAL Client Advocate role must demonstrate an interest in public service, social justice, mental health, substance use treatment, or disability services, along with strong relationship management and organizational skills. People who share lived experiences with clients are specifically encouraged to apply. The position requires strong verbal and written communication skills to draft professional narratives for court proceedings, comfort working autonomously, and reliable transportation. Professional-level Spanish language skills are highly valued, and past work or volunteer experience in public defender offices, legal offices for low-income populations, or social service delivery is preferred.
Annual compensation ranges from $52,400 to $55,980, with exact pay determined by tenure in placement and Spanish language abilities. Employees receive fully paid medical, dental, and vision coverage, alongside a generous paid time off policy. The position is likely to be included in a bargaining unit represented by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, though the union is not yet certified and the collective bargaining agreement has not been finalized.