ADA Title II Compliance Attorney | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

ADA Title II Compliance Attorney

Vacancy Announcement

• Location
  Chicago, Illinois
• Posted Date
  12/09/25
• Closing Date
  Applications must be received by no later than Tuesday, January 6, 2025.
• Division
  Access to Justice
• Benefits
  An attractive judicial branch benefits package is offered, including pension, medical, dental, vision and life insurance, as well as deferred compensation and generous leave time. Please refer to the following Benefits Information Sheet for additional details.
• Salary
  Minimum of range: $114,482; starting salary may be greater based upon experience and education.

PURPOSE: Under the supervision of the Director of Access to Justice and Strategic Planning, and in collaboration with other AOIC leadership, this work is performed with considerable independence and latitude for professional judgment. The goal of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. 42 U.S.C. § 12101. The Title II ADA Attorney serves as in-house legal counsel for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts on all matters relating to compliance with the ADA, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., and the four additional key statutes that govern access for people with disabilities in Illinois courts: the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794; the Illinois Human Rights Act, 775 ILCS 5/1-101 et seq.; and the Illinois Environmental Barriers Act, 410 ILCS 25/1 et seq. (hereinafter collectively referred to as the ADA). This position performs professional legal work and provides legal advice related to non-adjudicative judicial branch matters. It also, at times, provides project management for compliance projects and grant administration. The ADA Title II Compliance Attorney may supervise and support the work of assigned staff, providing guidance, feedback, and performance management as needed.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Legal Advice, Technical Assistance, and Training

• Consistent with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.; the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794; the Illinois Human Rights Act, 775 ILCS 5/1-101 et seq.; and the Illinois Environmental Barriers Act, 410 ILCS 25/1 et seq., this position provides legal advice to AOIC leadership, circuit court judges, trial court administrators, court disability coordinators, circuit court clerks, reviewing court justices, reviewing court staff, and reviewing court clerks (hereinafter referred to as courts) on matters as they present in the course of litigation including but not limited to application of key statutes governing court accessibility for people with disabilities, guidance on determining who is a qualified person with a disability, reasonable modifications/accommodations, physical access to courthouses, and service animals for courthouse staff and court users including litigants and attorneys.
• Provide technical assistance to AOIC leadership and courts in complying with the Illinois Supreme Court Policy on People with Disabilities.
• Conduct the CDC training with the Illinois Attorney General’s office for Court Disability Coordinators as well as for the entire judicial branch and all Judicial Education target audiences, on the topics of disability access under the ADA and cultural responsiveness and best practices for helping people with different types of disabilities.

Reviewing Courts

• Support the Court Disability Coordinators for the six reviewing courts, including providing guidance on processing reasonable accommodation requests, grievances, and appeals from the public, communicating with reviewing court personnel when granting accommodation requests, with knowledge of and care to avoid ex parte communications or sharing confidential information.

Circuit Courts

• Support Court Disability Coordinators located in the circuit courts across Illinois to comply with the ADA including offering technical assistance related to Title II of the ADA, reasonable accommodation framework and questions, questions related to grievances and appeals, and the requirements of the Policy on Access for People with Disabilities.

Project Management within the AOIC

• Project manage the WCAG 2.1 AA web content compliance project for Illinoiscourts.gov and ongoing ADA compliance for web content.
• Serve as a resource to the Chief Legal Counsel to ensure all state vendor agreements for goods and services include enforceability for third party vendors regarding accessibility.
• In consultation the Director of HR, field HR-related ADA questions/requests, build a more robust hiring pipeline that includes recruiting people with disabilities, and create a process for accommodation review.

ATJ Commission’s Court Disability Grant and Other Funding

• Administer the court disability grant, ensuring compliance with funding requirements and objectives, while proactively researching and pursuing additional grant and funding opportunities, including legislative appropriations and state-level initiatives.

Other Duties

• Provides staff support and serves as AOIC Representative to judicial branch committees, taskforces, boards and/or commissions.
• May direct and support assigned staff, providing guidance, feedback, and performance oversight, as appropriate.
• Conducts legal research and provides legal and practical counsel to judges, the AOIC, judicial branch agencies, judicial branch stakeholders, and court personnel throughout the state and other parties involved in the court system on non-case related judicial branch matters.
• Drafts, revises, or reviews Supreme Court rules, orders, and policies.
• Researches and drafts vote memoranda and narrative agenda items for the Administrative Director's Administrative Agenda to the Supreme Court.
• Attends and participates in trainings, meetings and conferences as required.
• Must maintain license to practice law in the State of Illinois in good standing for the duration of employment.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS: Candidates must have Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA accredited law school and seven (7) years of relevant experience, preferably in the areas of disability law or court administration. Candidates must be licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois or have the ability to become licensed prior to employment. Preference will be given for those with experience enforcing rights under the ADA and working collaboratively with diverse partners to expand civil rights for people with disabilities.

Candidates must possess a demonstrated knowledge of the principles, scope and process of the ADA; ability to advise and interact with all levels of management and internal and external stakeholders; ability to analyze and evaluate complex data, evaluate alternative solutions and identify consequences of decisions and recommendations; excellent oral and written communication skills, techniques for interviewing, counseling and instructing and facilitating group discussions; skill in the use of independent judgment within established practice and procedural guidelines; strong analytical, organizational and interpersonal skills; knowledge and experience using Microsoft Office Professional Suite.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Applicant must be a resident of the State of Illinois or be willing to relocate to the State of Illinois. This position requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time. This is a professional office working environment requiring telephone usage, ability to process written documents, and ability to operate a computer. Applicant must have the ability to travel throughout the state including overnight stays as required.

Interested individuals should submit, via email, a letter of interest, resume, and completed Judicial Branch employment application to:

courtemployment@IllinoisCourts.gov

Applications must be received by no later than Tuesday, January 6, 2025.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER