Senior Managing Attorney

Job Description

The ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLUF-SDIC) seeks a Senior Managing Attorney.

The ACLUF-SDIC is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) civil liberties and civil rights organization. working to advance equality, freedom and justice through public education and litigation. Together with the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, the 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that does our legislative lobbying work, we are a prominent force for the protection and expansion of fundamental rights in California’s second-most populous county (San Diego) and the county with the highest per capita Latina/o population (Imperial).

With affiliate offices in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, the ACLU fights tirelessly in courts, in legislatures, and in communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and

liberties guaranteed by the United States Constitution and U.S. laws to everyone in this country. The work of the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties and ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties (known collectively as ACLU-SDIC) encompasses the length of California’s border with Mexico. We collaborate with the National ACLU and with ACLU affiliates in California, on the U.S-Mexico border and throughout the United States. We strive to partner with community organizations and groups across the state and throughout the binational border region.

After 15 months of intensive strategic planning for our future – led by the ACLU-SDIC leadership team, ACLU-SDIC is restructuring to become an integrated advocacy organization that operationalizes our theory of change and prioritizes racial and economic justice, liberation and abolition. We are building on the affiliate’s proven track record of success combining impact litigation, lobbying, legal/policy analysis and research, field organizing, donor mobilization, strategic communications and non-partisan voter engagement to achieve meaningful, lasting social change across our region.

The ACLU-SDIC is dedicated to confronting issues that threaten our most cherished civil rights and freedoms and defending the progress the ACLU has made over its 100-year history. And we are dedicated to working in relationship with people directly impacted by inequity to create a more just and fair society for us all.

Position Summary:

The Senior Managing Attorney will provide leadership and support for the ACLUF-SDIC’s litigation program. Reporting to the Advocacy and Legal Director, the Senior Managing Attorney will guide the ACLU-SDIC’s litigation program, including developing and litigating high-impact cases. The Senior Managing Attorney will be responsible for executing the overall litigation strategy as part of a robust integrated advocacy approach to advance the ACLU-SDIC’s mission and oversee the management and coordination of our docket and network of cooperating attorneys. Our integrated advocacy approach centers issues teams supporting our organization’s priorities.

The Senior Managing Attorney will work with the Advocacy & Legal Director to align litigation activity with our organization priority areas of criminal justice, immigrants’ rights, racial and economic justice, as well as other civil rights and liberties issues. The Senior Managing Attorney will work in close coordination with national and California ACLU litigation staff, and other local and national partners engaging in an integrated advocacy model to advance our organizational goals.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage all aspects of the ACLU-SDIC’s litigation program, including working in concert with the Advocacy & Legal Director and issue teams in determining when litigation is appropriate to support desired legislative and policy outcomes and for addressing community concerns.
• Effectively supervise, manage, and mentor litigation staff to develop and pursue litigation strategies; implementing efficient systems and processes; overseeing the investigation and development of cases before commencing litigation; and building litigation teams with ACLU-SDIC lawyers, cooperating counsel, and nonprofit partners; prepare regular updates, including written as well as oral presentations, about our litigation for the public and across the organization including for the staff, Board, donors, and national office as necessary or assigned.
• Work with the Advocacy and Legal Director to select cases that support integrated advocacy goals.
• Consistently integrate deep understanding of key racial equity concepts into work projects and interactions by addressing structural implications and disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions on race, class and other group identities within the context of job responsibilities and projects.
• Maintain an individual caseload of developing and active litigation, including overseeing and directing pre-litigation investigations, discovery, motion practice, brief writing, hearings and trials, appellate work, and amicus briefs.
• Supervise litigation by staff attorneys and cooperating attorneys as they engage in complex litigation in Federal and State court, including overseeing all aspects of discovery, motion practice, briefs, trials, appellate work, and amicus briefing.
• Cultivate and deepen relationships with volunteer attorneys and the legal community in San Diego and Imperial Counties (and beyond) to increase legal capacity in the region to address civil rights and civil liberties issues and improve access to the court system, to enhance organizational visibility, and to help build our legal docket.
• Be an active contributor and participant in the nationwide ACLU legal community in collaborative efforts (where applicable).
• Provide supervision and support for litigation staff, including participation in conducting staff evaluations, supporting the development and implementation of work plans, ensuring continued professional development, participate in the recruitment and hiring for litigation and litigation support positions; ensure onboarding prepares staff on systems and tools such as discovery, time tracking and other programs; and serve as a mentor and coach for our growing and diverse group of staff attorneys and legal support staff.
• Engage in public speaking, articulating the ACLU’s views to the media and the public on a broad range of

Our Must Haves:

• Demonstrated commitment to civil rights and civil liberties and client-centered advocacy consistent with the mission and goals of ACLU-SDIC.
• Minimum of 8 years legal experience, including substantial state and/or federal litigation at trial court and appellate levels, including class actions, with a strong background in constitutional law and civil rights.
• Management experience that includes training, managing, and retaining a diverse, high-performing litigation team.
• Admission to the California bar (or licensed in another state and qualified to apply for admission in California within 6 months).

Desired Skills and Experience :

• Demonstrated record of moving legal cases forward from investigation and development to completion (e.g., settlement, trial, and compliance).
• Excellent communication, media, presentation, written, and analytical skills.
• Experience working with volunteers and non-profit organizations, including allies from across the political spectrum.
• Experience representing and working with activists and grassroots and other non-governmental organizations.
• Excellent organizational skills and a creative and strategic approach to problem-solving and litigation including a demonstrated ability to exercise sound professional judgement.
• Goal-oriented and project-oriented, with an ability to recognize and maximize opportunities on behalf of the organization.
• Values and has experience working collaboratively and respectfully with teams and coworkers, including toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts
• Excellent at collaborating across disciplines and being open to innovation and cross-departmental planning to achieve organizational priorities.

Cultural Competencies : Demonstrated awareness of one’s own cultural identity, views about differences, and the ability to learn and build on varying cultural and community norms. A complex understanding of racial justice and the urgency of confronting institutional racism and inequity. Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture. Proven track record of working across lines of race, immigration status, ethnicity, language, class, gender and other identities and experiences including record of arrest or conviction. Courage and impeccable integrity.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee is required to exchange accurate information, detect/identify documents and the information contained in them, move between areas in and out of the office to complete their role. The employee may need to move various equipment including computer to their work location.

Travel Requirements : Must be able to travel for court hearings and conferences as needed.

Compensation

Salary range : $100,000 - $130,000

Excellent benefits include four weeks paid vacation; 18 office holidays; medical and dental insurance for staff members and their families; life and long-term disability insurance; and 401(k) plan with employer match.

What Now?

Please submit a cover letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for the position as detailed in this announcement, a current resume, writing sample, and names and contact information of three professional references (including at least one supervisor).

Electronic applications are preferred. To submit your application, please click here.

However, hard-copy applications can be mailed to:

Deputy Director

ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties

P.O. Box 87131

San Diego, CA 92137-7131

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, veterans, and people with arrest records and/or convictions.

#LI-DNI