ACLU of PA

National Black Lawyers Top 100; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Excellent benefits package

Hybrid remote work

Job summary

ACLU of Pennsylvania seeks an experienced staff attorney in Philadelphia to lead impact litigation and integrated advocacy advancing civil rights in Pennsylvania.

You will develop cases at trial and appellate levels, supervise cooperating attorneys, and engage in non-litigation advocacy, policy work, and community engagement. A strong commitment to public interest work is required.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an ABA-accredited law school.
• At least seven years of litigation experience (a clerkship counts).
• Exceptional writing, research and analytical skills.
• Membership in the Pennsylvania Bar or eligibility to be admitted within twelve months.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and legal research tools (e.g., Westlaw).

Responsibilities

• Investigate, develop and litigate impact cases in state and federal courts.
• Recruit and supervise private attorneys and law firms on ACLU-PA cases as cooperating attorneys.
• Review, critique and edit letters and briefs.
• Communicate with clients and partners.
• Engage in fact-gathering and pre-litigation work.
• Advocate for civil liberties and represent ACLU-PA at events and coalitions.
• Support integrated advocacy campaigns and legislative programs.
• Provide research for legislative program and supervise interns.

Skills

Litigation experience

Legal research

Legal writing

Public interest commitment

Spanish language proficiency

Education

Juris Doctorate (ABA-accredited)

Tools

Westlaw

Microsoft Word

Job description

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (“ACLU-PA”) seeks an experienced, full-time attorney in our Philadelphia office to develop and lead litigation and legal advocacy to advance the civil rights of people in Pennsylvania.

This position provides experienced attorneys with an exciting opportunity to develop and pursue impact litigation and integrated advocacy involving cutting-edge civil liberties and civil rights issues. The Staff Attorney will be directly supervised by the Senior Supervising Attorney and will work with attorneys in the legal department to develop and litigate cases at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts. In addition, the Staff Attorney will engage in non-litigation advocacy, including policy work, public speaking, and community engagement. Applicants should have meaningful experience in federal civil litigation with a demonstrated commitment to public interest work.

The ACLU-PA’s Legal Department currently comprises eight full-time attorneys as well as a paralegal and several term-limited and fellow attorneys. Legal Department staff work on a wide range of civil rights and civil liberties cases, at both trial and appellate levels, in federal and state courts. They also support the legislative, advocacy, and communications work of the ACLU-PA.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Vision Statement

The ACLU-PA affirmatively values the humanity and contributions of those we work with, inside and outside of the organization, and will take action to build and sustain an equitable, anti‑racist culture that centers the voices and experiences of marginalized and directly impacted people and communities, and an organizational environment where all people feel valued, trusted, and respected. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and having a workforce that reflects the populations that we serve; we actively recruit people of color, women, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated people, and LGBQ&T, and gender non‑conforming people.

The Approach

Our work is guided by the principles of freedom, equality, and justice enumerated in the Constitution. However, we understand that systemic racism and other forms of oppression have prevented the equitable application of these principles to all, and we strive to ensure that our approach accounts for this reality. We also acknowledge that demands of the work as well as the challenging subject matter it often involves take a toll. While we know that the path of this work is long and hard, we also value the importance of personal wellbeing. To that end, we endeavor to cultivate a culture that is supportive and sustainable and promotes taking care of oneself.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Investigate, develop and litigate impact cases in state and federal courts, including researching and drafting pleadings and briefs, engaging in discovery and motions practice, and conducting evidentiary hearings, oral arguments, trials and appeals.
• Recruit and supervise private attorneys and law firms to work as “cooperating attorneys” on ACLU of Pennsylvania cases. Most of our cases are litigated in teams, comprising other ACLU lawyers (from Pennsylvania and the national office), public interest organizations, and/or private practitioners.
• Review, critique, and edit letters and briefs of co-counsel and other ACLU-PA staff.
• Communicate with clients, potential clients and our outside partners.
• Engage in fact‑gathering and other pre‑litigation work.
• Advocate for civil liberties and civil rights and represent the ACLU‑PA at events and in coalitions, as appropriate.
• Work with ACLU‑PA staff to implement integrated advocacy campaigns and high‑impact strategies utilizing ACLU‑PA’s communication, legislative, advocacy and legal programs.
• Provide research and support for our legislative program.
• Assist in hiring and supervising law student interns.

Supervise attorney fellows.

Support the legal work of the ACLU‑PA’s Legal Department, as needed.

Required Qualifications

A Juris Doctorate from an American Bar Association‑accredited law school.

At least seven years of litigation experience (a clerkship with a trial or appellate level court counts as litigation experience).

Exceptional writing, research and analytical skills.

Demonstrated commitment to advancing the ACLU’s values, mission, goals and programs.

Membership in the Pennsylvania Bar. If you are currently a member of another state bar, you must either be eligible to be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar or sit for the next available Pennsylvania Bar examination and pass it within twelve months.

Versed in Microsoft Suites Applications and legal research tools (e.g., Westlaw).

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with complex litigation, such as civil rights class actions or other forms of impact litigation.
• Experience managing cases and demonstrated ability to engage in complex legal analysis and fact‑finding.
• Experience in immigration detention and habeas litigation.
• Legal experience in one or more of the following areas: race, gender, disability, or LGBTQIA+ discrimination; privacy, surveillance and technology; voting rights; immigrants’ rights; police misconduct; criminal law reform; or First Amendment expression and/or religious liberty.
• Substantive knowledge of constitutional law.
• Experience with public speaking.
• Direct personal or professional experience with communities impacted by systemic bias or economic exclusion.
• Spanish language proficiency.
• The successful candidate will also exhibit the following characteristics:

Creative, flexible, well‑organized and reliable; able to handle and prioritize multiple activities and responsibilities and manage a demanding schedule; a team player who is able to work independently, jointly, and under pressure; willing to learn; a self‑starter and finisher.

Knowledgeable about racial equity and inclusion principles, including being able to recognize ways that race and other identities intersect in the work, especially with communities we serve; being comfortable talking about identities such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, or gender in plain, specific terms; and understanding the historical context for racial inequity and its present‑day implications.

Committed to working collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts.

Able to travel throughout Pennsylvania for litigation, conferences and client development.

We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce through equity initiatives, which includes equitable pay practices. Competitive compensation is commensurate with experience. The salary is $114,975-$135,560 annually, depending on experience and within the parameters of the ACLU-PA compensation scale. Excellent benefits include generous vacation and sick leave; individual/family employer-provided health and dental insurance; life insurance and long‑term disability; defined contribution plan with employer match; and 11 paid holidays. Relocation assistance may be available for out‑of‑state candidates. This position is full‑time, salaried, and exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Location

This position is located in our Philadelphia office. Under the ACLU-PA’s current hybrid remote work policy, the Staff Attorney will be permitted to work up to three days per week remotely. We offer a flexible work schedule with the understanding that our work often extends beyond the traditional hours of 9 to 5.

The ACLU-PA is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-PA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction.

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. ACLU-PA reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

About the ACLU of Pennsylvania

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization that serves as an enduring guardian of justice, fairness, and freedom, working to protect civil liberties and advance equity for all.

ACLU-PA defends and promotes the fundamental principles and values protected by the constitutions of the United States and of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as by national, state and local civil rights laws. For more than 100 years, the ACLU has sought, in particular, to protect and expand the freedoms of expression, belief and association; voting rights; the separation of church and state; the right to privacy, including reproductive freedom; due process of law, including the rights of the accused and of immigrants; limitations on the power of police; and the right to equal protection for all marginalized individuals and groups. In advancing these rights, ACLU-PA strives always to acknowledge and remedy the pervasive and persistent harms of systemic racism.

Integrating litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, organizing, and communications, ACLU-PA’s staff and volunteers work both independently and in coalition with those most affected by the issues we address to ensure that threats to liberty and the civil rights of all persons in Pennsylvania are met with stark resistance as we progress toward a more genuine multiracial, multicultural democracy.

ACLU-PA’s hiring process will comply with Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards (“Ban the Box”) ordinance.