The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs works to create legal, economic, and social equity through litigation, client and public education, and public policy advocacy with a primary focus on racial justice. For the last 50 years, the Committee has been on the cutting edge of civil rights advocacy in the region bringing precedent setting litigation to address discrimination. Our work focuses on injustices in housing, employment, the criminal legal system, education, public accommodations, and civil rights of immigrants. We partner with individuals and communities facing discrimination and with the legal community to achieve justice.
General Job Description
The Committee has an active docket of litigation in cutting edge civil rights cases involving five core areas: housing, education, criminal legal system reform (prisoners’ rights, parole, police misconduct, debtors’ prisons, and collateral consequences of convictions/confinement), employment, and public accommodations. The deputy legal director will:
• Serve as part of a legal leadership team together with the legal director, another deputy director and the executive director.
• Be responsible for cases and projects within one or more of the Committee’s core priorities, including the development and supervision of the docket and participation in litigation.
• Work closely with co-counsel law firms and manage co-counsel relationships.
• Serve as a thought leader within the Committee, and the legal community, on the law and policy in the assigned areas, including staying abreast on changes in the law.
• Mentor, supervise and support the professional development attorneys, paralegals, advocates and volunteers.
• Support the legal director in policy and advocacy activities.
• Support all reporting and compliance efforts of the Committee, with respect to program initiatives, including grant reports.
The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and qualifications:
• Passion for civil rights and racial equity advocacy.
• J.D. degree and DC Bar membership or ability to waive in to the DC Bar. Membership in Maryland and/or Virginia Bars a plus.
• Minimum of ten years of significant litigation experience, including work on complex federal cases, preferably including trial and appellate work, and class actions.
• Strong leadership abilities.
• Minimum of two years’ progressive responsibility supervising/mentoring junior attorneys.
• Effective interpersonal and oral and written communication skills.
• Experience working in/substantial familiarity with non-profit organizations preferred.
• Experience managing programs and staff preferred.
• Bilingual ability (professional fluency) preferred but not required.
Please send an email detailing your interest and a resume to: [email protected]. Please place “[your name] – Deputy Legal Director” in the subject line.