Website Lawyering Project
POSITION SUMMARY:
Founded in 2017, the Lawyering Project is a legal advocacy organization that blends traditional impact litigation with movement lawyering to promote reproductive health, rights, and justice throughout the United States. We are fiscally sponsored by the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) organization.
Laws that undermine reproductive health, rights, and justice deprive people of moral agency, rob us of control over our bodies, and compound other forms of oppression like racism, sexism, and poverty. Our mission is to eliminate these laws and the harmful impacts they have on people’s lives. We are especially focused on laws that limit the availability or affordability of abortion care; contribute to disparities in reproductive health outcomes; embody gender-based stereotypes; or discriminate against people based on their reproductive decisions.
Our goal is a legal system that enables each of us to make decisions about intensely personal matters like sex, pregnancy, family, and healthcare based on our own beliefs and values, and ensures that we all have the resources we need to carry out those decisions.
We have two legal programs: Litigation and Access & Innovation. These complementary programs seek to eliminate barriers to abortion access and uphold the dignity of people seeking and providing abortion care. The Litigation Program focuses on developing and prosecuting constitutional challenges to restrictive abortion laws. The Access & Innovation Program supports abortion access and innovation in service delivery by providing legal services to abortion providers, researchers, and advocates. The goal of this work is to remove practical barriers to abortion access and innovation that cannot be addressed through constitutional litigation.
The Lawyering Project is seeking an experienced attorney to play a vital role in both of the Lawyering Project’s legal programs. The Senior Counsel will participate in all aspects of constitutional litigation from case development through appeal. At times, the Senior Counsel will manage case teams, and at times, the Senior Counsel will work on teams that others are managing. Additionally, the Senior Counsel will advise and represent Access & Innovation clients.
The Senior Counsel is an exempt position. Exempt employees are expected to work the appropriate and necessary time in order to complete key assignments and related tasks on schedule.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
· Assist in the development of litigation to advance the Lawyering Project’s mission;
· Participate in all aspects of litigation in both trial and appellate courts;
· Participate in strategy formation and case management;
· Manage case teams;
· Conduct legal research, analysis, and writing;
· Advise and represent Access & Innovation clients;
· Supervise, mentor, support, and train less experienced attorneys, litigation support personnel, and law students;
· Work effectively with co-counsel, including pro bono counsel;
· Stay up-to-date on developments in relevant areas of the law;
· Assist in maintaining client relationships; and
· Cultivate an organizational culture that aligns with the Lawyering Project’s core values
OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
· Assist with the recruitment and orientation of new staff members;
· Assist in maintaining strategic partnerships with allied organizations; and
· Represent the Lawyering Project at conferences, convenings, and speaking engagements
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
The Senior Counsel must have:
· A J.D. or equivalent degree;
· An active license to practice law in a U.S. jurisdiction;
· At least 7 years of complex, civil litigation experience that includes:
o Developing and filing federal litigation;
o Engaging in written discovery;
o Working with expert witnesses;
o Taking and defending depositions;
o Engaging in motion practice;
o Writing briefs and memoranda of law;
o Examining witnesses at trial; and
o Managing case teams; and
· A commitment to advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice.
· Appellate experience and experience with impact litigation preferred.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
The Senior Counsel must have:
· Knowledge of civil procedure; reproductive rights jurisprudence; and the reproductive health, rights, and justice movements;
· Skill in developing and prosecuting complex litigation; legal research, analysis, and writing; cultivating strategic relationships; and working as part of a team; and
· Ability to analyze complex legal issues and write about them succinctly; manage a team; meet deadlines; be creative and take risks; supervise and mentor less experienced colleagues and law students; work well under pressure; and cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences
ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:
The Senior Counsel reports to the Senior Counsel & Project Director and works closely with other staff members, clients, co-counsel, and allied organizations.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Must be able to travel domestically on an airplane 12-24 times per year.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
This is a full-time position that sometimes requires work during evenings and weekends. This position may be based anywhere within the United States. The Senior Counsel has the option to work from home or from office space provided by the Lawyering Project.
SALARY:
The Lawyering Project has a fixed salary scale based on job responsibilities, education, and experience. For example, the salary for a Senior Counsel candidate with seven years of relevant work experience is $142,569 – $152,549. A copy of this scale will be provided to any applicant upon request.
We offer a robust benefits package that includes: health insurance (medical, dental, and vision); disability and life insurance; flexible spending accounts (FSA) for health, dependent care, and transportation; a retirement savings plan; paid vacation, holiday, and sick days; and paid parental, family, and medical leave. We also provide a professional development stipend and reimbursement for state bar membership fees. For additional information about our benefits, please contact [email protected].
TO APPLY:
Please email a cover letter including the personal statement described below; resume; legal writing sample (5-10 pages); and list of three professional references to [email protected]. Applications without these attachments will not be considered, even if you apply through a job site that enables you to send a direct message.
PERSONAL STATEMENT: To best achieve our mission, the Lawyering Project is committed to cultivating an inclusive and equitable workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. In a section of your cover letter containing no more than 200 words, please describe the identities, perspectives, and experiences that you would bring to the Lawyering Project that are important to you and/or relevant to our work.
As finalists progress in the application process, other assessments evaluating knowledge, skills, and abilities may be assigned. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
EEO NOTE:
The Lawyering Project, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. At the Lawyering Project, we believe that a team with varied perspectives and experiences will best enable our organization to thrive and achieve its mission. We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive work environment that values individual differences. We welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences, identities, and backgrounds to apply. We will not discriminate against applicants and employees because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity or expression), pregnancy, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant people and qualified individuals with disabilities, including in the application process. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please send an email with the subject line “Reasonable Accommodation Request” to [email protected].