The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (ACLU-VA) seeks a self-motivated, skilled litigator with management experience interested in defending civil liberties and advancing civil rights.
ACLU-VA is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that defends and protects those civil rights and liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the nation's and Virginia’s civil rights laws. ACLU-VA is the state affiliate of the national ACLU, which for nearly 100 years has served as the nation's premier guardian of the liberties that define our democracy. Together with the national ACLU, ACLU-VA works to advance civil liberties by employing litigation, public policy advocacy, public education, organizing, communications and social media to protect and promote a broad range of individual rights, including freedom of speech, racial justice, privacy, religious liberty, reproductive rights, LGBT rights, immigrant rights and rights for people with disabilities. The organization often works with broad coalitions of conservatives, moderates, and progressives, locally, statewide and nationally.
The Virginia affiliate, with its office in Richmond, Virginia, has a $1.8 million operating budget and 12 staff positions. ACLU-VA is two separate non-profit organizations: the ACLU of Virginia, a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation that primarily engages in lobbying and advocacy, and the ACLU Foundation of Virginia, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that primarily engages in litigation and public education.
Position Overview:
The Senior Staff Attorney is a new role being created to ensure that the ACLU-VA has the depth of legal leadership and litigation experience it needs to develop and advance complex impact litigation. The Senior Staff Attorney, under the direction of the Legal Director, will litigate cases and participate in non-litigation advocacy to advance civil liberties in Virginia. The senior staff attorney will serve as both lead and co-counsel on a variety of civil liberties cases, and will have substantial supervisory authority over staff and cooperating attorneys, legal fellows, paralegals, and interns. In cooperation with the leadership team, the senior staff attorney will help set priorities and develop strategies for the organization’s legal work. The senior staff attorney will also participate in non-litigation advocacy to advance civil liberties and rights including legislative support, public speaking and education, recruitment of cooperating attorneys/interns/volunteers, and fundraising as necessary.
For more details on the job duties and requirements, see the job description at: https://acluva.org/senior-staff-attorney/
Email a letter of interest, resume, two legal writing samples, and three professional references to [email protected]. Please indicate “Senior Staff Attorney” in the subject line of your email. Please indicate in your cover letter where you learned of this job opportunity. No phone calls, please.
Alternatively, application materials may be mailed to: ACLU of Virginia, 701 E. Franklin Street, Suite 1412, Richmond, VA 23219.
Application materials will be reviewed as received and will be accepted until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by May 26, 2017.
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