Deputy General Counsel

CIW’s Mission

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a non-profit human rights organization, based in Immokalee, Florida, but with its law and policy department strategically located in Washington, DC. Internationally recognized for its achievements in the fields of corporate accountability, human trafficking, and gender-based violence at work, the CIW is built on a foundation of farmworker community organizing reinforced by a national consumer network. The CIW’s work encompasses three broad and overlapping spheres: 1) the Fair Food Program; 2) the Anti-Slavery Campaign; and 3) the Campaign for Fair Food. For more information about the CIW, see http://ciw-online.org/about/.

Job Description

The Deputy General Counsel is a full-time, regular position with the CIW’s legal department DC. This position reports to the General Counsel, who is based in DC, but the physical location of the successful candidate is negotiable. Salary is highly competitive in the not-for-profit sector.

The Deputy General Counsel will work closely with the General Counsel in all legal matters relevant to the CIW’s programs, campaigns, policy advocacy and daily operations. The success of the Fair Food Program is based in part on legally binding Fair Food Agreements that CIW negotiates with large multi-national food retailers. Particular areas of focus for the Deputy General Counsel will include negotiation of those agreements with new corporations, maintenance of ongoing relationships with companies already in the Program, and strategy development as the CIW expands its operations throughout the country and beyond. More generally, the Deputy General Counsel will provide legal support, ranging from policy advocacy with Congress and federal agencies to trademark and transactional work to protest march permitting issues, necessary to ensure the smooth operation and success of the CIW’s three major programmatic areas. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will succeed the current General Counsel upon his retirement.

Responsibilities

• Advising, counseling and strategizing with staff in the CIW's major program areas;
• Serving as in-house counsel on legal matters involved in operating the organization;
• Coordinating and leading special projects with a legal component or requiring coordination with a government entity, law enforcement, or outside legal counsel.
• Participating in the development of new organizational policies, procedures and programs;
• Serving as a legal advisor in contract negotiations, business transactions, and administrative advocacy engaged in by the CIW; and,
• Serving as counsel, along with the General Counsel and/or any retained outside legal counsel, in the litigation or arbitration of legal disputes involving the CIW.

Qualifications

Required:
• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school in the United States
• Active member of a state Bar with a willingness to sit for the Florida Bar within two years of hire
• Exceptional judgment
• Superior verbal and written communication skills
• Highly developed critical, analytical, and strategic thinking skills
• An appreciation of and ability to support CIW’s mission and approach to Worker-driven Social Responsibility
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team

Desired:
• Experience with contract negotiations and enforcement of private agreements
• Knowledge and experience relating to rulemaking and administrative, labor and employment law
• 10+ years of practice, with at least some experience in the field of low-wage worker and/or immigrant community organizing and representation
• Ability to speak Spanish