ADVOCACY · ILLINOIS

ADA & DV Advocate

Help people with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence get through a court process they are handling themselves. You set your own rate, you choose your own caseload, and you work remotely.

LOCATION

Remote, Illinois

ENGAGEMENT

1099 independent contractor

RATE

You set your own rate

EXPERIENCE

1+ years required

ABOUT THE ROLE

ADA & DV Advocate, Illinois

ProPera Legal is a platform for people representing themselves in court. Almost all of them are doing it because hiring an attorney was never within reach. Our advocates are the human half of that work: the person who helps a litigant get organized, get their paperwork right, and walk into a hearing prepared instead of terrified.

This role is focused on two groups who get the worst of a system that was not built for them. The first is people requesting disability accommodations from a court under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The second is survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault who are preparing protective order, custody, and related filings.

The work is administrative and technical, and it is done at the client's specific direction. You are not deciding their case for them. You are making sure that what they decided actually reaches the court, on time, in a form a judge can read.

What you would do

◆

Meet with clients over video to work out what their case needs next

◆

Organize case files, evidence, exhibits, and deadlines inside the ProPera Legal workspace

◆

Enter and format what the client has written into court-ready documents

◆

Help clients prepare accommodation requests under Title II of the ADA and follow up on them

◆

Help survivors gather and order what a protective order or custody filing needs

◆

Operate the software on the client's behalf: uploads, exhibit labeling, document assembly, and filing preparation

◆

Walk a client through what to expect at a hearing, and help them rehearse it

◆

Keep clear, accurate records of the work you did and the time it took

What we are looking for

◆

At least one year in ADA advocacy, domestic violence advocacy, victim services, legal aid, a court self-help center, or a comparable role

◆

The steadiness to work with people in crisis, and a trauma-informed approach you can describe

◆

Strong writing and strong organization. Most of this job is turning a messy pile of facts into something a court can follow

◆

Real comfort with software. You will spend your day in a web app and a document editor

◆

A private, quiet place to take video calls, and reliable internet

◆

Willingness to complete a background check

◆

Eligibility to work in the United States as an independent contractor

Nice to have

◆

A domestic violence advocate certification, or an advocate confidentiality privilege recognized in your state

◆

Experience in a court self-help center, a legal aid office, or a victim witness program

◆

Working familiarity with protective order and family law procedure in your state

◆

Spanish fluency, or fluency in American Sign Language

◆

Lived experience with the courts, or with asking a court for a disability accommodation

What you get

◆

You set your own rate. We do not cap it and we do not set it for you

◆

You choose which clients you take and how many hours you work

◆

Fully remote, on your own schedule

◆

Software, templates, and a document engine built for this work, at no cost to you

◆

Onboarding and ongoing training on the platform and on the boundaries of the role

◆

A caseload of people who genuinely cannot get help anywhere else

WHAT THIS ROLE IS NOT

Read this part twice.

◆

ProPera Legal is not a law firm, and advocates are not attorneys.

◆

Advocates are not supervised by an attorney and do not give legal advice.

◆

You will not select or draft legal arguments, and you will not tell a client what to file.

◆

You will not appear in court, speak for a client at a hearing, or sign anything on a client's behalf.

◆

Every advocate works at the client's specific direction. The client decides. You help them carry it out.

If you are a licensed attorney looking to practice, our attorney openings are the better fit.

HOW TO APPLY

Send a resume to careers@properalegal.org.

Put ADA & DV Advocate, Illinois in the subject line so your message reaches the right person. Tell us in a short note what your advocacy background is, which of the two focus areas you are strongest in, and what rate you have in mind.

We read every message, and we answer the ones we can. If you need an accommodation at any point in this process, tell us and we will arrange it.

Posted August 26, 2026. Open roles change as we grow, so check the careers page for the current list.