Counsel - Building The Bench

Alliance for Justice; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 93,425 - 103,582; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Sick leave

Parental leave

Bereavement leave

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Alliance for Justice is seeking a Building the Bench Counsel to help develop and advance BtB goals, focusing on judicial diversity and proactive outreach to candidates. The role supports tracking, research, coalition work, and post‑nomination activities across federal and state courts.

The candidate will manage data systems, prepare reports, and assist in communications and campaign efforts while collaborating with partners, law firms, and volunteers.

Qualifications

• J.D. and at least 2 years of legal, policy, or advocacy experience.
• Strong proficiency with spreadsheets and experience managing data for programmatic work.
• Experience managing and analyzing data to inform strategy and decision‑making.
• Willingness to learn new technologies including AI to improve research and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Identify and research qualified BtB candidates with focus on diversity.
• Oversee research of nominees in coordination with partners and volunteers.
• Maintain and improve data tracking systems and workflows.
• Draft, edit and review communications and reports for courts and campaigns.
• Plan and execute judicial legacies events and outreach campaigns.

Skills

Legal experience

Policy advocacy

Nonprofit experience

Legal research

Data management

Education

J.D.

Tools

CRM databases

Project management software

Collaborative platforms

Job description

Job Title

Building the Bench Counsel

Reports To

Helen Rosenthal, Building the Bench Director

FLSA Status

Exempt Position

Job Purpose

AFJ and AFJ Action Campaign seek a lawyer with two or more years of experience to serve as Building the Bench Counsel. The Counsel will be integral to the Justice Team, helping develop and achieve AFJ and AFJ Action Campaign’s Building the Bench (BtB) goals. These include transforming our courts by building a pool of highly qualified state and federal judicial nominees and raising awareness of the importance of filling vacancies with professionally and demographically diverse lawyers.

The BtB Counsel will lead tracking, training, advocacy, research, coalition, and Judicial Legacies work, primarily handling tracking systems, research, and event management. The Counsel will also support the federal and state court teams with post‑nomination work such as advocacy, nominee reports, substantive reports, and multimedia campaigns. The program evolves with changes in judicial selection, so the role requires strong legal judgment, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to build relationships across the legal community.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Identify and research potential qualified candidates for the BtB pipeline, emphasizing professional and demographic diversity.
• Oversee research of potential nominees in coordination with law firms, initiative partners, outside counsel, and volunteers.
• Review and edit research, op‑eds, fact sheets, and reports for federal and state courts work, including nominee‑specific and substantive topics like judicial diversity.
• Maintain and improve data tracking systems, processes, and workflows—spreadsheets and databases—to inform strategy and strengthen recruitment, outreach, and overall effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to leverage emerging technologies to strengthen BtB’s research, outreach, candidate recruitment, and operational effectiveness.
• Assist the Director in setting team strategies, geographic priorities, and developing a continually evolving work plan for BtB and judicial legacies.
• Draft, review, and edit communications materials—fact sheets, blog posts, reports, website content, press materials, and social media.
• Support meetings with key legislative and executive offices in coordination with state and federal courts teams.
• Liaise and build relationships with partner groups, nomination coalitions, AFJ members, and other thought leaders and allied organizations.
• Build relationships with attorneys, community leaders, and partner organizations to identify, recruit, and support prospective judicial candidates.
• Coordinate with state and federal courts teams to develop relationships with key judicial gatekeepers.
• Speak at conferences and brief academics, member organizations, and other audiences on BtB and related initiatives.
• Identify judges deserving of legacy honors and outreach to their clerk networks.
• Help plan and execute judicial legacies events in coordination with internal teams.
• Work with communications on the external presence for BtB and judicial legacies initiatives.
• Develop and maintain clear documentation of processes, workflows, and strategic priorities.
• Engage law firms, outside counsel, law students, and volunteers to advance BtB initiatives and strengthen the judicial pipeline.
• Coordinate coalition efforts to track and strategize around federal magistrate judge vacancies and nominations.
• Assist the Director in engaging and supporting the BtB Advisory Council and AFJ Action board.
• Other duties as assigned.

Desired Qualifications

• J.D. and at least 2 years of legal, policy, or advocacy experience—including nonprofit work, policy analysis, issue‑based campaigns—potentially law practice or judicial clerkship.
• Strong proficiency with spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel) and experience managing data for programmatic and strategic work.
• Experience managing and analyzing data to inform strategy and decision‑making.
• Willingness to learn new technologies and adopt practical tools—including AI—to improve research, collaboration, project management, and organizational effectiveness.
• Preferred experience in judicial pipelines, judicial clerkships, or civil rights, labor, consumer, public interest, or constitutional law.
• Strong legal research skills and ability to quickly develop expertise in state and federal judicial appointment processes.
• Strong networking experience with progressive coalitions and legal communities.
• Capacity to manage multiple long‑term and short‑term projects simultaneously.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills for various audiences.
• Commitment to underrepresented and diverse constituencies.
• Comfortable working in a remote environment with responsiveness and willingness to engage on video calls.
• Preferred experience with CRM databases, project management software, or collaborative technology platforms.
• Demonstrated initiative in process improvement, new approaches, or strengthening organizational systems.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of all job‑acquired information.
• Ability to inspire and work collegially with others.
• Ability to work quickly and independently under pressure, with shifting deadlines and priorities.
• Passion for civil rights, social justice, and judicial advocacy.
• Strong interpersonal skills and positive attitude.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on federal or state judicial nominations, court reform, or access to justice initiatives.
• Familiarity with vacancy and selection processes for Article III, federal magistrate, and state appellate judgeships.
• Experience collaborating with national or state‑level progressive coalitions and civil rights organizations.

Traits That Will Make You Successful In This Role

• Strategic thinking, connecting day‑to‑day work with broader, long‑term programmatic and organizational goals.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, quickly establishing trust and rapport with legal community and community leaders.
• Detail‑oriented, enabling management of complex data and multiple court systems.
• Commitment to civil rights, equal justice, and diversifying the state and federal bench.

Compensation

This is a union position under the Washington‑Baltimore News Guild, CWA Local 32035. Salary range for Group 5 is $93,425 – $103,582, depending on qualifications. The position includes comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

• Full employer‑paid medical, dental, vision, and employee assistance program.
• Employer‑paid life and disability insurance.
• Employer‑matching 401(k) and flexible spending account.
• Generous paid time off: 11 days (first year), 15 days (second year), 21 days (third year and beyond).
• 10 days of sick leave annually.
• 3 days bereavement leave for immediate family members.
• Up to 16 weeks of parental leave and a range of paid and unpaid family leave programs.

Work Environment

• Geographic Location: contiguous U.S.
• Work Arrangement: remote.
• Typical setting: office.
• Physical demands: regular computer use and communication; occasional travel.
• Travel: approximately 1 – 4 times per year for events and meetings.
• Schedule: full‑time, Monday‑Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (some occasional evenings and weekends).

Direct Reports

This exempt position has no direct reports.

DEIA and Equal Employment

Alliance for Justice values diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. All employment and hiring decisions are underpinned by these principles. The organization prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, political affiliation, marital status, familial status, gender identity, military status, medical condition, disability, physical characteristics, and ethnicity. AFJ also ensures a non‑discriminatory policy regarding criminal records; no inquiries about arrests or convictions are made until a conditional offer has been extended. Background checks may follow a conditional offer.

EEO Statement

AFJ/AFJAC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination against employees and applicants based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, or income.

Application Request

Qualified applicants should submit a letter of interest and resume. No phone calls, please.