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

This is a full-time, hybrid role with in-office requirements of two days per week or eight days per month, based in either the New York, NY or San Francisco, CA office. The Immigrants’ Rights Project is part of the ACLU’s Legal Department and has litigated in trial and appellate courts nationwide, including the U.S. Supreme Court, for nearly 40 years to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants. The Project challenges policies such as attacks on birthright citizenship, family separation, the Muslim ban, unfair detention, state and local anti-immigrant laws, and racial profiling. 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, collaborating with staff attorneys, local counsel, immigrant rights organizations, and clients.
• Conduct legal research and draft legal memoranda.
• Organize and participate in multi-organization rapid responses to immigration enforcement events.
• Perform 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 ACLU affiliates, cooperating attorneys, and others seeking 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 on 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 of 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.

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 uses a litigator scale to determine pay for attorneys in the Legal Department, based on years since law school graduation. Salaries listed are for positions based in New York, NY, and may be subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorized to work outside this location.

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

For details on the ACLU’s pay structure, visit ACLU Geographic Pay Structure.

Benefits

• Generous paid time-off policy.
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits, including 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.