Staff Attorney/Legal Director

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) seeks a dynamic, experienced Staff Attorney/ Legal Director to direct the diverse and challenging legal activities of the organization. The ACLU of West Virginia is a non-partisan, non-profit public interest organization dedicated to protecting and expanding civil liberties for all people in West Virginia. A major focus of our work is to extend the promise of the Bill of Rights to those groups who have traditionally been denied its protections. We accomplish our goals through litigation, advocacy, public education, and grassroots organizing. Given the policies currently being pursued in Washington and Charleston, we believe that our mission is as relevant and important today as it has ever been.

The Staff Attorney/ Legal Director can anticipate working on issues such as freedom of speech, expression and association, religious liberty, privacy, racial justice, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice and drug policy reform, and protection from government abuses. The job duties will also include non-litigation advocacy involving community outreach, coalition building, writing and publishing reports, planning and participating in public meetings, legislative research and advocacy, and media interviews. The Staff Attorney/ Legal Director reports to the Executive Director who is responsible for the overall program of the ACLU-WV.

To learn more about the work of the ACLU-WV and the ACLU nationwide, please visit www.acluwv.org and www.aclu.org.

POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Staff Attorney/ Legal Director will lead and expand the ACLU-WV legal program and increase the affiliate’s visibility across West Virginia. The Staff Attorney/ Legal Director, in coordination with the Executive Director, will be responsible for setting the overall legal strategy to advance the ACLU-WV mission. This includes developing and litigating high-impact, complex federal and state cases, as well as managing legal staff and interns. The Staff Attorney/ Legal Director will work closely with peers in the organization, foster relationships among the legal community, advocate for change in the civil liberties landscape, and engage supporters in achieving our mission. The position requires a willingness to work beyond the normal work day, including evening and weekend meetings and events.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Create multi-pronged strategies using litigation, public education, and legislative and policy advocacy to further the organization’s priority issues;
• Coordinate legal intake with staff and ensure that intake is properly evaluated and processed;
• Present selected cases to the Executive Director for evaluation, and present approved cases to the Legal Committee and the Board for evaluation and authorization of litigation;
• Research civil liberties issues, and prepare legal memoranda and demand letters;
• Conduct complex federal and state court civil liberties litigation, including all aspects of discovery, motion practice, briefs, trials, appellate work, and amicus briefs;
• Secure the services and expand the pool of cooperating attorneys;
• Monitor litigation handled by cooperating attorneys and provide back-up assistance as needed;
• Participate directly in litigation in selected cases, either as co-counsel with cooperating attorneys or, when necessary, as lead counsel;
• Analyze and draft legislation;
• Prepare and/or provide testimony at legislative hearings;
• Update Know Your Rights Seminars and present as needed;
• Recruit and supervise legal interns;
• Prepare necessary dockets and reports for the Executive Director and Board;
• Develop and maintain relationships with the legal staff at the national ACLU, its projects, and other affiliates;
• Participate in national ACLU legal conferences and maintain the requisite CLE requirements (at the ACLU-WV Foundation’s expense)
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AT THE DISCRETION OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
• Engage in public speaking and articulate ACLU-WV views to the public and the media on a broad range of issues;
• Write press releases, op-ed pieces, and newsletter articles;
• Travel to attend local, statewide or national meetings;
• Assist in fund-raising efforts by participating in meetings with donors, speaking at donor events, and otherwise working with development staff to ensure consistent funding of our work.