Sr. Counsel, Director of Center for Life

Adflegal; Lansdowne (VA); On-site; USD 238,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) match

Paid holidays

Job summary

Alliance Defending Freedom in Lansdowne, VA is seeking a Sr. Counsel, Director of Center for Life to lead strategic litigation efforts and manage a high-performing team. You will collaborate with the VP of U.S.

Litigation, oversee complex cases, and build coalitions to defend life and related freedoms. The role requires a JD with bar admission, 10+ years of legal practice (including supervision), and strong leadership in a fast-paced advocacy environment.

Qualifications

• JD and bar admission in applicable jurisdiction.
• Over 10 years of legal practice including supervisory experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Westlaw.

Responsibilities

• Strategically lead Center for Life litigation efforts and set objectives with senior leadership.
• Supervise and mentor a team of attorneys across complex state and federal litigation.
• Coordinate coalition-building with pro-life groups and allied attorneys.

Skills

Legal research

Supervisory experience

MS Office

Westlaw

Education

Bachelor's degree; JD, licensed to practice law in relevant jurisdiction

Job description

Sr. Counsel, Director of Center for Life

Lansdowne, VA

Make a difference with us! At Alliance Defending Freedom, we believe God has brought you here for His purpose—to stand for truth and defend the God-given right to live and speak it. Together, we protect religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights. Review our Statement of Faith to ensure we’re a fit for you.

Location: Lansdowne, VA

Team Overview

As Senior Counsel, Director of Center for Life, you are a vital part of the Legal Advocacy Team. In this role, you will report to the VP of U.S. Litigation and are responsible for leading the Center for Life litigation team in all respects. This includes, but is not limited to, setting strategic objectives for the team in collaboration with the VP of U.S. Litigation and Chief Legal Counsel; managing and mentoring team members; supervising and leading litigation and advocacy efforts of the team in order to meet stated objectives; building coalitions among pro-life groups; speaking and presenting on pro-life issues; coordinating across teams within ADF and coordinating allies outside of ADF to meet stated objectives; and other similar responsibilities related to directing the Center for Life.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategically assess, develop, initiate, and successfully lead legal advocacy that advances the objectives of the ADF Center for Life.
• Lead and supervise a team of attorneys able to undertake advanced and complex litigation. This includes:
  • ensuring that legal filings are of superior quality through drafting, review, and editing;
  • leading the team in conducting advanced legal research on novel questions of law;
  • training junior, mid-level, and senior attorneys in all phases of state and federal litigation;
  • leading the Center for Life team in administration, personnel, supervision, and litigation.
• Litigate complex cases and represent clients before trial and appellate courts as well as administrative agencies.
• Exercise initiative to investigate potential cases. When necessary, initiating immediate legal action to protect life or secure constitutional rights in urgent circumstances.
• Facilitate coalition building with pro-life groups nationwide.
• Network and develop relationships with allied attorneys and/or potential allied attorneys.
• Public speaking and media appearances on pro-life issues.

As Team Leader, you will:

• Act as a servant leader by training, encouraging, coaching, and developing your Team Members.
• Foster a spirit of trust, innovation, creativity, and excellence on your team.
• Meet regularly with your Team Members to discuss their progress and complete performance reviews.
• Approve PTO requests, timecards, and expense reports.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree; JD, licensed to practice law in relevant jurisdiction
• 10+ years of experience in practicing law, including in a supervisory role.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Westlaw software

At Alliance Defending Freedom, we offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package to support your well-being and growth. Our benefits include 100% covered medical and dental insurance, medical and dependent care reimbursement, paid disability, long-term care, life insurance, and a 401(k) plan with a 4% company match. We prioritize work-life balance with paid time off and 12 paid holidays each year.

This salary range is reflective of a position based in Lansdowne, VA. This range is a good-faith estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, and office location.

Virginia Salary Range

$238,300 - $275,000 USD

Statement of Faith

Based on our adherence to the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God in Scripture, we profess with the Christian Church throughout time and around the world the faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Doctrinal Distinctives

Also, based on this confession, we are committed to honoring God by obeying the two Greatest Commandments, loving God and loving neighbor, and based on that commitment and derived from the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God in Scripture, we profess the following as necessary for living the gospel:

• We believe in the spiritual unity and equality of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
• We believe that the Lordship of Christ requires us as disciples to seek to conform our actions, thoughts, and desires in obedience to Him.
• We believe God creates each person with an immutable biological sex — male or female — that reflects the image and likeness of God.
• We believe God designed marriage as a unique conjugal relationship joining one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, life-long union, and God intends sexual intimacy only to occur within that relationship.
• We believe God endows all human life with inherent dignity, and it must be respected and protected from conception to natural death.
• We believe that God has endowed all humans with the natural, and inalienable right of religious freedom to believe, pursue truth, and live within ordered liberty such that no civil government may justly infringe upon it.
• We believe that God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, calls all of us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him, knowing that He promises us abundant and eternal life.