Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Project

Job Description

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU Voting Rights Project was established in 1965 – the same year that the historic Voting Rights Act (VRA) was enacted, and has litigated more than 300 cases since that time. Its mission is to build and defend an accessible, inclusive, and equitable democracy free from racial discrimination. We have three principles: (1) all Americans should be eligible to vote; (2) voting should be free and easy; and (3) all people should count equally. The Project employs an integrated advocacy approach, combining legislative advocacy, public education, and litigation, and has active cases in over a dozen states. The Voting Rights Project’s recent docket has included more than 30 lawsuits last year alone to protect voters during the 2020 election; a pair of recent cases in the Supreme Court challenging the last administration’s discriminatory census policies: Department of Commerce v. New York (successfully challenging an attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census), and Trump v. New York (challenging the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the population count used to apportion the House of Representatives); challenging voter purges and documentary proof of citizenship laws; and challenging other new legislation restricting voting rights in states like Georgia.

The ACLU seeks a full-time position of Staff Attorney in the Voting Rights Project of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY.

Reporting to the Project Director , the Staff Attorney will work on priority issues of the Project as needed.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in litigation of constitutional and statutory cases on a wide range of voting rights issues including researching and drafting pleadings, briefs and legal memoranda, engaging in discovery and motion practice, and conducting evidentiary hearings and oral arguments in the trial and appellate courts
• Participate in analyzing legislation for potential litigation
• Develop new cases, non-litigation advocacy projects and identify and work with potential plaintiffs and witnesses
• Work with and advise ACLU state affiliates
• Provide technical assistance and expert legal advice to cooperating attorneys, and others who seek assistance on voting rights litigation, legislation, and advocacy
• Serve as a resource for ACLU legislative and policy work and advancing ACLU policy goals through public education, organizing and participating in coalitions
• Engage in public speaking and articulating ACLU views to a variety of audiences
• Collaborate with staff across the organization, including in other projects within the ACLU’s Legal Department, Communications, Affiliate Support, National Political Advocacy, and state affiliates to advance voting rights
• Travel as required for litigation, conferences, and client development
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
• Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• J.D. degree
• At least two years of litigation experience
• Appropriate bar membership permitting practice in New York
• Familiarity with voting rights, racial justice, and other civil liberties and civil rights issues is preferred; commitment to those issues is essential
• Analytic skills and legal research and writing skills are required
• Demonstrated ability to write and to speak clearly and persuasively are essential
• A demonstrated ability to work independently as well as within a team
• Ability to foster and contribute to a collaborative team environment is essential
• Self-motivated, diligent, and able to meet strict deadlines while under pressure
• Ability to work with a wide range of people and foster a team environment

COMPENSATION

The ACLU has a litigator scale that determines pay for attorneys in our Legal Department. The range of salaries are the following, based on year of law school graduation (please consult the hiring manager for specific salary details, based on individual circumstances):

• 0-2 years since law school graduation: $72,000-$82,818
• 3-5 years since law school graduation: $88,201-$98,635
• 6-10 years since law school graduation: $101,594-$114,345
• 11-15 years since law school graduation: $117,776-$132,558
• 16-20 years since law school graduation: $136,534-$153,671
• 21-25 years since law school graduation: $158,281-$178,146
• 26-30+ years since law school graduation: $183,491-$206,521

These salaries are reflective of positions based in New York, NY. The salary will be subject to a locality adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting. Note that most of the salaries listed on our job postings reflect New York, NY salaries, where our National offices are headquartered.

ABOUT THE ACLU

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union – beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions.

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email [email protected] . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.