Staff Attorney – Cross-Program

The Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of Illinois (ACLU-IL) seeks a Staff Attorney to engage in litigation and, in collaboration with other Departments, non-litigation advocacy to promote transformational change across our substantive program areas as described below.

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU of Illinois works to advance civil liberties throughout Illinois. Our work includes fighting institutional and structural racism that undermines civil rights and civil liberties, including in the criminal and civil legal systems and immigration; protecting democracy by advancing First Amendment rights, government transparency, and voting rights; promoting the rights of women and people in the LGBTQIA+ community, including the right to reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy, and gender-affirming care; and fighting to enforce the rights of people in government care, including children in foster care and people in prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Cross-Program Staff Attorney is a highly collaborative team player who works in tandem with colleagues across our organization to advance our goals. Staff Attorneys litigate cases in state and federal court. In addition, they work closely with colleagues in our Advocacy, Communications, and Philanthropy & Engagement Departments to promote change through legislative initiatives, advocacy with government officials, and public education.

A core priority of our work is to safeguard and expand access to reproductive and gender affirming health care, promote gender equity, protect and expand the rights of pregnant and parenting people and the LGBTQIA+ community in the workplace, and fight back against the use of religion as a license to discriminate. The person hired for this position initially will be expected to concentrate their work primarily in these programs (the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project and the LGBTQ & HIV Project), but the focus of their work over time may expand and change to meet the needs of the Legal Department program.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The job responsibilities of a Staff Attorney include, but are not limited to, the following:

Conduct efficient legal research and prepare sound written analysis on novel and/or complex legal issues in emergency and non-emergency situations.
Produce polished and near-final quality written work (e.g. discovery, pleadings, briefs, and correspondence in litigation and non-litigation settings) with minimal supervision.
Handle court appearances at administrative proceedings and at the trial and appellate level in federal and state courts.
Assist in development of high-impact cases, including by researching systemic practices, obtaining and analyzing public records, working with coalition partners, and learning from directly impacted people.
Investigate, develop, and advance, in coordination with other Departments, non-litigation strategies for advancing civil rights and civil liberties such as policy reform and legislative campaigns, public education, and fundraising initiatives.
Develop and maintain trusting, respectful, and collaborative relationships with clients, impacted individuals, issue experts, and community-based and allied organizations, stakeholders, coalitions, communities affected by our work, and ACLU-IL members.
Serve as an ACLU-IL spokesperson with the media and external partners on identified issues.
Assist with other organizational responsibilities, such as by serving as a member of the team that recruits and supervises legal interns.
Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned to advance the work of the Legal Department as a whole.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants seeking full-time employment are strongly preferred, but those seeking reduced hours commitments will be considered.

All applicants must:

Have a J.D. and be admitted to practice in Illinois, be eligible to waive into the Illinois bar, or be willing to take the Illinois bar exam no later than February 2024.
Have at least 5 years of litigation experience in state court, federal court, and/or in state or federal administrative proceedings. Experience should include a broad range of responsibilities, such as drafting pleadings, drafting motions and related memoranda of law, preparing and responding to discovery, expert discovery and development of expert opinions, and the like. Experience in appellate briefing and conducting evidentiary proceedings is highly valued but not essential.
Have demonstrated ability to speak clearly, persuasively, and effectively with individuals and organizations from a broad and diverse range of identities, interests, and backgrounds in non-legal and legal settings.
Have demonstrated ability to take initiative, multi-task, identify priorities amidst competing demands, and complete projects with strong problem-solving skills.
Have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the workplace, using an approach that values all individuals and respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, socio-economic circumstance, and other factors.
Be willing and available to travel throughout Illinois and to work beyond the normal workday and/or on weekends when needed.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Salary for a full-time hire will be in accordance with the ACLU-IL salary scale and commensurate with experience. As an example, the annual salary for a full-time attorney with 5 years of legal experience, is $72,500; for more experienced candidates, salary is determined proportionate to additional years of legal experience.

Benefits include 20 days of paid vacation (pro-rated the first year); 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff and eligible dependents; a 403(b)-retirement benefits plan with employer match; life insurance; and long-term disability insurance.

The Staff Attorney is a non-exempt union position that is part of a bargaining unit represented by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers/United Auto Workers Local 2320. ACLU–IL staff are based in Chicago, IL, but are currently working on a blended in-office / remote work schedule. Staff members will be expected to work in our Chicago office on in-office days.

JOB APPLICATION STATMENT

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

The ACLU-IL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance applying online, please email jobs@aclu-il.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants should provide:

A resume.
A cover letter summarizing why you are interested in working with the ACLU of Illinois on efforts to help protect reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights.
A legal writing sample that has not been substantially edited by others, such as a legal memorandum or your draft section of a legal brief.

Applications are due by May 30, 2023, and will be considered on a rolling basis.

Please fill out the fields below. Then, email your application materials to jobs@aclu-il.org and use the subject line: “Staff Attorney – Cross-Program.”

Referral Source

Please share how you heard about the job: through a website, from a friend, etc. This information will be kept confidential and shared only with our Human Resources department for tracking purposes.

Demographic questions (optional)

At the ACLU of Illinois, we’re committed to making our organization one where people from all backgrounds – including people with marginalized identities – thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer, working to incorporate equity and inclusion into all aspects of our work, and we welcome all individuals, including individuals with historically marginalized identities, to apply for open positions. The following questions about your identity are completely optional, and anonymous: we do not ask for your name, email address, or other personally identifying information on this form. (See our privacy statement at the bottom of the page for more information.) The answers we receive will be used to confirm that our recruiting and outreach practices are effective at attracting a diverse pool of candidates in the initial stages of the hiring process.

Race and/or Ethnicity (optional)

If you chose ‘A race or ethnicity not listed,’ or “Two or more races/ethnicities” please let us know how you self-identify:

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What is your gender identity? (optional)

Voluntary self-identification of disability

For the purposes of this form, a disability is defined as “a physical or mental impairment or medical condition that substantially limits a major life activity.”

Disabilities include, but are not limited to: blindness, deafness, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, autism, cerebral palsy, HIV/AIDS, schizophrenia, muscular dystrophy, bipolar disorder, major depression, multiple sclerosis (MS), missing limbs or partially missing limbs, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, impairments requiring the use of a wheelchair, and intellectual disability.

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Significant Disability Status

Disability diversity in the workplace includes people with significant disabilities. A “significant disability,” for the purpose of this survey, is one that is associated with particularly low employment rates. The federal government has recognized that individuals with certain disabilities face barriers to employment above and beyond the barriers faced by people with the broader range of disabilities. (For more information, see Questions and Answers: The EEOC's Final Rule on Affirmative Action for People with Disabilities in Federal Employment at https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/regulations/qanda-ada-disabilities-final-rule.cfm)

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