Counsel

Clearpath; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

6% 401(k) match

Flexible time off

Health and dental plans

Wellness and mental health support (e‑

Supportive culture with PBM

Job summary

Stand Together in Arlington, VA is seeking a Senior Counsel to provide strategic legal solutions on lobbying, campaign finance, and nonprofit law for AFP and related partners.

You will partner with Finance, Grassroots, Operations, and Policy teams to deliver compliant guidance, training, and support for First Amendment-related litigation as needed, in a mission-driven, collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of legal practice experience.
• Subject matter expertise in campaign finance and lobbying laws.
• Strong research, writing, and communications skills, with ability to translate laws for non-lawyers.
• Comfortable using legal technology to enhance efficiency and work product.
• Proven track record delivering impactful legal advice in fast-paced environments.
• Desire to support mission-driven organizations focused on limited government and free markets.
• License to practice law in Virginia or eligible to qualify as Virginia in-house counsel.
• Enthusiasm to contribute to Stand Together's vision and PBM culture.

Responsibilities

• Partner with clients on strategies and operations, offering timely legal guidance.
• Monitor laws and enforcement actions, ensuring nonprofit compliance across jurisdictions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to establish policies and improve procedures.
• Synthesize complex laws into digestible guidance and training resources.
• Support litigation and policy efforts, including First Amendment matters.

Skills

Campaign finance law

Lobbying laws

Legal research

Writing & communications

Legal technology

In-house experience

Virginia licensure eligibility

Tools

AI-powered legal tools

Job description

Stand Together is a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, from education to the economy, broken communities, and toxic division, among dozens of other pressing issues. We provide our partners with access to resources including funding, thought leadership, a network of peers, and a playbook for applying proven principles to transform lives and society.

Stand Together is a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, from education to the economy, broken communities, and toxic division, among dozens of other pressing issues. We provide our partners with access to resources including funding, thought leadership, a network of peers, and a playbook for applying proven principles to transform lives and society.

Stand Together is seeking a passionate and innovative lawyer to join our high-performing in-house legal team. As Counsel, you will provide effective and efficient legal solutions related to lobbying, issue advocacy, and political activity to our non‑profit clients and fuel their social impact. Our client organizations—Americans for Prosperity (AFP), Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), and yes. every kid among others—are focused on multiple priority initiatives across government, education, the economy, health care, and foreign policy.

Open to hiring as a Senior Counsel for a candidate bringing additional experience and leadership potential to the team.

How You Will Contribute

• Be a Strategic Thought Partner: You will partner directly with clients on their strategies and operations, spotting legal issues, conducting legal research using both traditional and AI‑powered tools, and recommending paths forward. Our clients are nimble and move fast. Being their lawyer sometimes will require an immediate, on‑the‑fly legal response followed by more thorough follow‑up guidance later.

• Deliver Legal Excellence & Compliance: You will monitor new laws, court decisions, and enforcement actions, leveraging AI and other legal technology to spot emerging trends and help ensure that our organizations comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including non‑profit laws, government ethics laws, and business organization laws.

• Collaborate & Innovate: You will join and sometimes lead cross‑functional teams—including with our Finance, Grassroots, Operations, and Policy capabilities—to solve problems, establish policies, improve procedures, and deliver organizational value. You will bring fresh ideas on how to balance risk with opportunity.

• Educate & Train: To address evolving laws or to fill any gaps you identify in client knowledge, you will synthesize dense laws and regulations (including from case law and advisory opinions) into easily digestible legal guidance for your clients, including through creative one‑page resources, training sessions, and other ways you think will connect with your clients.

• Support Groundbreaking Litigation and Policy Efforts: In partnership with senior attorneys and coalition partners, you occasionally will contribute to First Amendment/free speech strategic litigation and policy efforts.

What You Will Bring

• 3+ years of legal practice experience with a law firm, in‑house counsel team, government agency, or any combination thereof

• Subject matter expertise in and/or a passion for: (1) campaign finance law – state and/or federal, and (2) lobbying laws and regulations – federal and/or state

• Strong research, writing, and communications skills, including the ability to translate laws into practical, risk‑adjusted, and actionable advice for non‑lawyers.

• Comfortable using legal technology to enhance efficiency and work product.

• Track record of delivering impactful legal advice as an individual contributor and as member of a collaborative team in a fast‑paced environment

• Sincere desire to support mission‑driven organizations focused on bottom‑up (vs. top‑down) solutions, free markets, and limited government

• Integrity, humility, and contribution mindset

• Impeccable attention to detail

• License to practice law in Virginia or eligible to qualify as Virginia in‑house corporate counsel

• Enthusiasm to contribute to Stand Together's vision and principled approach to solving problems, and a commitment to stewarding our culture, which champions values including transformation and innovation, entrepreneurialism, humility, and respect.

Standout Candidates Will Bring

• 5+ years of legal practice experience with a law firm, in‑house counsel team, government agency, or any combination thereof

• Subject matter expertise in non‑profit laws and regulations or tax law

• 2+ years of experience advising multi‑entity non‑profit organizations including 501(c).(4), 501(c).(3), and 501(c).(6) organizations as well as Political Action Committees

• 1+ years of experience implementing AI‑powered legal tools in in‑house environment

What We Offer

• Competitive benefits: Enjoy a 6% 401(k) match with immediate vesting, flexible time off, comprehensive health and dental plans, plus wellness and mental health support through Peloton and Talkspace.

• A meaningful career: Join a passionate community of over 1,400 employees dedicated to improving lives and driving innovative solutions to complex social challenges.

• Commitment to growth: Thrive in a non‑hierarchical environment that empowers employees to discover, develop and apply their unique talents.

Our Values: Working for an organization within the Stand Together philanthropic community is different from many other places. The culture is deeply rooted in Principle Based Management (PBM), a framework guided by the principles that drive human progress, such as dignity, openness, and bottom‑up empowerment. PBM empowers employees to be entrepreneurial, to innovate, and to continually drive transformation.

We believe diversity fuels creativity, broadens knowledge, and helps drive success. That is why we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and strive to treat all employees and applicants with honesty, dignity, and respect.

180000 - 225000 USD a year

For this role, the anticipated base salary range is $180,000–$225,000 per year. This role may also be eligible for additional bonus compensation designed to align total compensation with an employee’s overall contribution to the organization.

Our Principles-Based Management (PBM) compensation philosophy is grounded in an individualized approach that rewards the long-term value each person creates for the organization. Compensation decisions are informed by a variety of factors, including relevant experience, capabilities, demonstrated skills, role responsibilities, and expected contribution. Consistent with this approach, base salary may vary within or outside of the anticipated range based on these considerations.