Employment Opportunity
SENIOR STAFF ATTORNEY/ RACIAL JUSTICE
ACLU FOUNDATION of TEXAS

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Texas (“ACLU TX”) invites applications for the position of senior staff attorney. The ACLU is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with more than 500,000 members dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality embodied within the U.S. Constitution. ACLU TX is a leader in the field of advocacy that addresses various problems facing today’s racial and ethnic minority communities.

The ACLU TX Legal Department coordinates all litigation and investigation conducted on behalf of the ACLU TX. Under the direction of the Legal Director, the Attorney’s primary responsibility will be the development and administration of an active litigation program addressing systemic patterns of race-based discrimination in Texas. The Attorney will work on issues involving criminal justice, racial profiling, and immigrants’ rights, employing strategies involving litigation and general legal advocacy. Applicants for this position must be willing to work beyond the normal work day, including frequent evening and weekend meetings and events. A work week commonly in excess of 40 hours and substantial travel should be anticipated. The Attorney will office in Austin at ACLU TX headquarters.

Responsibilities:

Develop and manage racial justice litigation docket:

• Review and investigate complaints received through the ACLU TX intake system as well as referrals from other agencies and attorneys;
• Research civil liberties issues concerning racial justice and/or immigrants’ rights that arise, and preparing legal memoranda, demand letters, advocacy letters, complaints and briefs;
• Present selected cases to the Legal Committee for evaluation and authorization of litigation;
• Secure the services of and expand the pool of cooperating attorneys for litigation the ACLU undertakes;
• Monitor litigation being handled by cooperating attorneys and provide back-up assistance as needed;
• Participate directly in litigation in selected cases; either as co-counsel with cooperating attorneys or as lead counsel when necessary;
• Obtain and supervise the assistance of legal interns, law students, and other legal volunteers;
• Prepare necessary dockets and reports for the Legal Director, Legal Committee, the Board and the Executive Director;
• Coordinate with ACLU of Texas Project Directors and Legislative Team to progress our larger agenda;
• Develop and maintain relationships with legal staff at the national ACLU, its projects and other affiliates;
• Participate in national ACLU legal conferences and maintain the requisite CLE requirements;
• Provide assistance and recommendations to the Legal Director; ACLU of Texas Project Directors; private attorneys and others who seek assistance; and
• Research and draft materials for public education, engage in public speaking, and respond to press inquiries.

At the request of the Legal Director, the Racial Justice Staff Attorney will also be required to:

• Work with the Development Director and associated staff to participate in fund raising efforts;
• Work with the Public Education Director and associated staff to engage in public speaking and articulate ACLU views to the public and the media on a broad range of topics;
• Work with the Legal Director and associated staff to support and supervise the Chapter Legal Panels; and
• Travel to attend local, statewide, or national meetings, and travel for the purposes of litigation.

Qualifications:

• Ideally, 4-7 years of experience litigating constitutional issues;
• Experience litigating complex federal class action claims, ideally including police pattern-and-practice and/or prison/jail conditions of confinement claims;
• Broad substantive knowledge of constitutional law and a strong and demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and civil rights;
• Exceptional analytic, research, writing, and oral advocacy skills, including the capacity to research and think quickly under pressure;
• Capacity for administrative work, including the supervision of others and coordinating with others inside and outside the ACLU;
• Licensed to practice law and a member of the State Bar of Texas;
• Ability to work well with a diverse range of strong personalities;
• Spanish speaking and writing ability preferred; and
• Strong consideration will be given to applicants with federal law clerk experience, although such experience is not a prerequisite for submitting an application.

Salary and Benefits:
Annual salary of $60,000. Paid time off in accordance with ACLU of Texas policies and procedures. Additionally, the ACLU of Texas offers excellent medical and dental insurance, disability insurance and a pension plan.

Application Procedure:
Applications should include a cover letter, resume, three references, and an ACLU of Texas Employment Application. Two writing samples are also required, at least one of which should be a substantive legal research memo, brief, or article. Applicants who graduated from law school within the past five years should include a law school transcript. Please indicate in your cover letter where you found this job posting. Previous applicants need not reapply.

Applications should be sent electronically in MS Word format or Adobe PDF to: jobs@aclutx.org

Absolutely no unsolicited calls.

Applications accepted until position is filled.

NOTE: the Employment Application must be completed in full. Download ACLU TX job application at: http://www.aclutx.org/files/ACLU%20TX%20Employment%20Application.doc

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals to apply.