Senior Counsel, Digital Justice Initiative

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 76,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Parental leave

403(b) match

Cell phone stipend

Job summary

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, DC, is seeking a Senior Counsel for the Digital Justice Initiative to lead high-impact litigation and advocacy at the intersection of technology, equity and justice.

You will develop and prosecute cutting-edge cases, shape strategy across DJI’s portfolio, and drive advocacy that defines the field, reporting to the Director of DJI.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited law school.
• Minimum of 9 years post-JD legal experience.
• Active membership in the District of Columbia bar or ability to waive in.
• Experience independently leading complex litigation matters or legal workstreams.
• Familiarity with technology and civil rights issues such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, online harassment, content moderation, or related laws.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly for client matters and other meetings.

Responsibilities

• Litigate in federal and/or state courts.
• Independently develop and execute litigation and advocacy strategies for complex, high-impact matters from investigation through resolution.
• Lead complex legal workstreams and case teams, set priorities and timelines, assess risk, and ensure high-quality deliverables.
• Conduct legal research and write memoranda, briefs, and other documents.
• Produce final-quality legal analysis, pleadings, briefs, and discovery documents.
• Mentor and advise less-experienced attorneys and staff.
• Collaborate with clients, co-counsel, and partners across units to pursue shared advocacy objectives.

Skills

Litigation leadership

Legal research

Public advocacy

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is one of the nation’s leading national racial justice legal organizations. Formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real.

The Lawyers’ Committee has litigation, public policy, and advocacy programs in the substantive areas of Voting Rights, Election Protection, Digital Justice, Economic Justice, Criminal Justice, Economic Opportunities, and Fair Housing. The organization advances its mission as the premier organization marshaling the resources of the private bar alongside our own talented staff, with over 1 million pro bono hours billed to our cases and matters over the past decade.

Job Title

Senior Counsel, Digital Justice Initiative

Location: Washington, DC

Job Type: Full-time

Union Affiliation: Union

Accountable to: Director, Digital Justice Initiative

About the Role

Are you ready to shape the legal fight for civil rights in the digital age? The Digital Justice Initiative (DJI) is looking for a Senior Counsel to help lead high-impact litigation and advocacy at the intersection of technology, equity and justice.

This is a rare opportunity for an experienced litigator to make a real mark: you’ll develop and prosecute cutting-edge cases, shape legal strategy across DJI’s full portfolio, and drive the advocacy work that defines the field. Reporting to the Director of DJI, you’ll operate with significant autonomy – owning complex, high-stakes matters from strategy through execution and delivering the kind of work that sets the standard for the team.

If you’re a skilled litigator who wants your expertise to directly advance digital rights and justice, this role offers the platform, trust, and the mission to do exactly that.

What You’ll be Doing

• Litigate in federal and/or state courts.
• Independently develop and execute litigation and advocacy strategies for complex, high-impact matters from investigation through resolution.
• Lead complex legal workstreams and case teams, establish priorities and timelines, assess legal and strategic risk, and ensure high-quality, timely deliverables.
• Conduct legal research and write legal memoranda, briefs, and other documents.
• Produce final-quality legal analysis, pleadings, briefs, discovery, and other written work that reflects advanced legal judgment, accuracy, and strategic insight.
• Lead investigations, identify plaintiffs for impact lawsuits, and develop new cases.
• Conduct in-depth research of potentially highly offensive subject matters.
• Effectively work and manage relationships with law firms and non-profit co-counsel.
• Work in close collaboration with organizational and individual clients.
• Engage in public speaking and write public-facing articles, reports, and other materials.
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within and outside the office and an ability to implement an impact-driven approach to the work.
• Monitor key developments and stay abreast of new technologies and data practices that impact civil rights and equal opportunity.
• Serve as a senior subject-matter resource on digital justice, discriminatory data practices, algorithmic systems, emerging technologies, and their civil rights implications.
• Advise colleagues and organizational leadership on complex legal questions, litigation risk, advocacy strategy, and developments affecting the Digital Justice Initiative portfolio.
• Identify and implement improvements to legal processes, case-management practices, research tools, and quality standards.
• Mentor and provide substantive guidance to less-experienced attorneys, fellows, paralegals, and other team members.
• Work closely with colleagues across Lawyers’ Committee units to help identify and pursue shared advocacy objectives and in support other legal advocacy as needed.

Minimum Requirements and Competencies

• Deep commitment to the advancement of civil rights and racial justice.
• Graduation from an accredited law school.
• A minimum of 9 years post-JD legal experience.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex litigation matters or legal workstreams and exercise sound judgment with limited supervision.
• Active membership in the District of Columbia bar or the ability to waive in.
• Significant experience litigating complex civil matters, ideally including trials, fact and expert discovery, motion practice, and witness examinations.
• At least some familiarity with technology and civil rights issues such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, online harassment, content moderation, anti-discrimination laws, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, unfair and deceptive practices laws, or other similar issues.
• Excellent legal research and writing skills.
• Advanced ability to analyze novel and complex legal issues and consistently produce accurate, well-reasoned, final-quality work product.
• Demonstrated strength in strategic judgment, creative problem solving, risk assessment, and decision-making.
• Strong project and matter-management skills, including the ability to set priorities, manage competing deadlines, coordinate contributors, and move complex work forward.
• Demonstrated ability to advise colleagues, provide constructive feedback, share expertise, and support the development of less-experienced team members.
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential, privileged, sensitive, and high-risk information.
• Strong, creative, and curious intellect and ability to analyze issues, develop novel legal strategies, and apply traditional civil rights laws in a new environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the capacity to build trust and credibility and collaborate with multiple partners, internal and external.
• Demonstrated stakeholder-management skills and the ability to build effective relationships with clients, impacted communities, co-counsel, experts, advocates, organizational leaders, and other partners.
• Demonstrated experience working with and for communities of color and/or low-income communities.
• Willingness and ability to travel on a regular basis for client matters and other meetings.

Ready to Make an Impact

If you are passionate about civil rights, racial justice, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, we want to hear from you. Join our mission to drive positive change and contribute to our dynamic team!

Benefits

• Health coverage (medical, dental & vision)
• Parental leave
• 403(b) contribution with employer match contributions
• Voluntary short- and long-term disability and an employer-paid monthly cell phone stipend

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The Lawyers’ Committee embraces diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We strongly encourage candidates of color and candidates from under-represented communities to apply. The Lawyers’ Committee does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, religion, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, pregnancy, parental status, family responsibility, personal appearance, genetic information, matriculation, immigration status, union activities, political affiliation, military veteran status, credit information or any other status protected under law.

Reasonable Accommodation

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state and local laws. If you require an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact Human Resources [e-mail].

This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union. Employment terms, including wages and benefits, are subject to collective bargaining agreements.

The Lawyers’ Committee offers competitive compensation for our exempt attorney positions, with salaries ranging from $76,000 to $165,000. The specific salary within this range is determined based on the candidate’s experience, including the timing of their law degree attainment. Generally, candidates who obtained their law degree more recently will start at the lower end of the scale. Candidates with more extensive experience or those who obtained their law degree earlier may be eligible for salaries towards the higher end of the scale. We are committed to providing a fair and transparent compensation structure that reflects the value and experience of our attorneys.