Website ACLU of Illinois
The Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of Illinois (ACLU-IL) seeks a Senior Supervising Attorney to build and lead litigation and, in collaboration with other Departments, non-litigation advocacy to promote transformational changes across several of our substantive program areas as described below.
ABOUT THE JOB
The Legal Department of the ACLU of Illinois works with colleagues across the organization to advance civil rights and civil liberties throughout Illinois using strategic litigation, legislative and other advocacy with governmental officials, and public education. Our work focuses on fighting institutional and structural racism that undermines civil rights and civil liberties, including in the criminal and civil legal systems and immigration; protecting democracy by advancing First Amendment rights, government transparency, and voting rights; promoting access to reproductive health care, the rights of LGBTQ+ communities, and gender equity; and addressing and preventing the harm experienced by people in government care, including in the foster system, prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities.
A core priority of our work is to safeguard and expand access to reproductive and gender affirming health care, promote gender equity, protect and expand the rights of pregnant and parenting people and the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace, and fight back against the use of religion as a license to discriminate. We work to promote transformational legal system changes, recognizing that litigation is only one tool in a broader social movement to promote these and related goals.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Cross-Program Senior Supervising Attorney is a highly collaborative team player who will develop and litigate cases in state and federal court; create, implement, and participate—in collaboration with staff throughout the ACLU-IL and community partners—in non-litigation efforts to combat laws and practices that are unlawful, harmful, and disproportionately impact women and members of the LGBTQ+ community; supervise and mentor junior attorneys; engage in public education; and advance the mission and work of the ACLU-IL’s legal work as a whole.
The Senior Supervising Attorney may advocate on a range of issues on which the ACLU-IL engages locally and statewide including: leading research regarding potential affirmative measures to further protect access to reproductive and gender affirming health care in Illinois and evaluating such measures, coordinating efforts to push back on attempts to criminalize or punish people seeking reproductive or gender affirming health care in Illinois, and leading litigation in administrative proceedings related to discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or other protected status. As a member of the Legal Department, the Senior Supervising Attorney will serve as a team player and may contribute to litigation in other areas as needed to advance the ACLU-IL’s legal docket.
The Supervising Attorney will report to the Director of the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project and will supervise one or more mid-career or early-career attorneys, including fellows in the Legal Department, and interns.
CORE JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
· Investigate, develop, and litigate high-impact cases at the trial and appellate level in federal and state courts.
· Investigate, develop, and advance, in coordination with other Departments, non-litigation strategies for advancing civil rights and civil liberties.
· Conduct investigations, impact litigation, and/or non-legislative advocacy, either independently or in collaboration with other members of the Legal Department.
· Develop and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with organizations in the field, community-based organizations, allies, stakeholders, communities affected by our work, and ACLU-IL members.
· Serve as an ACLU-IL spokesperson with the media and external partners on identified issues.
· Effectively supervise, manage, and mentor early-career and mid-career attorneys, including assigning and overseeing day-to-day work and evaluating their work performance and professional development.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
· Interest in a range of civil rights and civil liberties issues.
· Highly collaborative with the desire to consult and share information with colleagues, and skills to respectfully resolve differences.
· Strong legal aptitude, including thoughtful engagement with legal principles and precedents, and facility applying law to facts.
· Ability to synthesize multiple sources of facts and law quickly in response to emergent issues.
· Ability and willingness to absorb and litigate new areas of law outside of one’s existing expertise.
· Ability to produce exceptionally clear and persuasive written legal and non-legal documents.
· Ability to write and speak clearly and persuasively in legal (court) and non-legal settings, and with a wide range of individuals and organizations.
· Experience in federal or state court litigation and ability to develop and execute litigation and non-litigation advocacy strategies.
· Ability to take initiative, multi-task, identify priorities amidst competing demands, and lead projects to completion with strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills.
· Ability to effectively manage attorneys to consistently produce high-quality results while developing knowledge, skills, and abilities.
· Excellent track record of working with individuals and communities with diverse identities.
· Consistently integrates 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.
· Demonstrates an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the office, using an approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, socio-economic circumstance, and other factors.
· J.D. degree.
· Admitted to practice in Illinois, can waive into the Illinois bar, or is willing to take the Illinois bar exam no later than Winter 2023.
· Willingness and availability to travel throughout Illinois and, when needed, work beyond the normal workday and on weekends.
· Preference given to candidates with criminal law experience.
· Highly qualified applicants will generally have at least 10 years of legal experience.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The salary will be $90,000 to $140,000 in accordance with the ACLU-IL salary scale and commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits include four weeks paid vacation; 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff and eligible dependents; a 403(b) retirement benefits plan with employer match; life insurance; and long-term disability insurance.
ACLU-IL staff are based in Chicago, IL, but are currently working on a blended in-office / remote work schedule. Staff members will be expected to work in our Chicago office on in-office days.
The ACLU of Illinois is a unionized workplace. This is not a union position.
JOB APPLICATION STATEMENT
The ACLU-IL is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and encourage 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, criminal record, or veteran status.
The ACLU-IL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you 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.
HOW TO APPLY
Visit our webpage for this position: https://action.aclu.org/legal-intake/senior-supervising-attorney-cross-program