Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney, or Senior Counsel, Immigrants' Rights Project

Location: New York, NY or San Francisco, CA (hybrid: 2 days per week in-office or 8 days per month)

About the role

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney, or Senior Counsel in the Immigrants’ Rights Project (IRP) of the ACLU’s National office. The Immigrants’ Rights Project is part of the Legal Department of the national ACLU and has offices in New York and San Francisco. For nearly 40 years, the Project has litigated in trial and appellate courts across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court, to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants and seek equal justice under the law. Our work has focused on due process, access to the courts, unfair detention, equal treatment, and state and local laws and policies. For example, we have challenged attacks on birthright citizenship; removals under the Alien Enemies Act; the targeting of student activists for arrest, detention, and deportation; family separation; the Muslim ban; multiple attacks on the asylum system; indefinite and mandatory detention; immigration detainers; state and local anti-immigrant laws; racial and language profiling connected to immigration enforcement; and attempts to eliminate judicial review. We work closely with partners at the national ACLU and affiliates, as well as allied organizations, to pursue litigation and to engage in and support other forms of advocacy and education. This position is part of a collective bargaining unit represented by ACLU Staff United (ASU).

Responsibilities

• Litigate in federal courts throughout the country and potentially in state courts
• Handle a substantial caseload in federal court, working closely with other staff attorneys, local counsel, immigrant rights organizations, and clients
• Conduct legal research and write legal memoranda
• Organize and participate in multi-organization rapid responses to immigration enforcement events
• Fact-gathering through interviews and investigations
• Analyze legislation for potential litigation
• Draft pleadings and briefs, engage in discovery and motion practice, and conduct evidentiary hearings and oral arguments
• Provide technical assistance and expert legal advice to local ACLU affiliates, cooperating attorneys, and others who seek assistance from the Project
• Conduct policy advocacy on immigrants’ rights
• Develop new cases and non-litigation advocacy projects
• Engage in public speaking and articulate ACLU views to a variety of audiences on a broad range of immigrants’ rights issues
• Supervise paralegals and legal interns

Requirements

• J.D. degree and active Bar membership in NY or CA (based on office assignment)
• A minimum of two years complex civil litigation experience in federal courts
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as within a team
• Excellent legal research and writing skills
• Demonstrated ability to perform complex legal analytical work
• Demonstrated ability to write and speak clearly and persuasively
• Self-motivation, diligence, and the ability to meet strict deadlines while under pressure
• Ability to travel frequently, on short notice, and for extended periods
• Commitment to advancing the mission of the ACLU and embedding the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in work
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluency in a language commonly spoken by immigrants in the U.S.
• Demonstrated experience working in immigrant community settings
• Experience working with reporters and the media

Pay

The ACLU has a litigator scale that determines pay for attorneys in the Legal Department. The range of salaries are based on years since law school graduation:

• 0-2 years: $96,069 - $120,009
• 3-5 years: $134,414 - $158,579
• 6-10 years: $165,839 - $187,087
• 11-15 years: $190,585 - $201,403
• 16-20 years: $203,304 - $208,540
• 21-25 years: $209,595 - $213,890
• 26-30+ years: $214,920 - $219,104

These salaries are reflective of positions based in New York, NY. Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting. For details on the pay structure, visit ACLU Geographic Pay Structure.

Benefits

• Generous paid time-off policy
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits (medical, dental, and vision coverage)
• Parental leave, gender affirming care, and fertility treatment
• 401k plan with employer match
• Annual professional development funds
• Internal professional development programs and workshops