[blindlaw] FW: [Jobs] FW: Please post/forward for ACLU, Staff Attorney [VRP-04] position.

[Nightingale, Noel]

From: Jobs [mailto:jobs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Maurer, Patricia
Sent: Monday, November 11, 2013 10:46 AM
To: jobs at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Jobs] FW: Please post/forward for ACLU, Staff Attorney [VRP-04] position.



From: hrintern2 [mailto:hrintern2 at aclu.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2013 1:39 PM
To: Maurer, Patricia
Subject: Please post/forward for ACLU, Staff Attorney [VRP-04] position.

November 7, 2013


CAREER OPPORTUNITY
STAFF ATTORNEY [VRP-04]
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
Equality Center, San Francisco and New York

For more than 93 years, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU) has been at the forefront of virtually every major battle for civil liberties and equal justice in this country.  Principled and nonpartisan, the ACLU has offices in all 50 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, and brings together the country's largest team of public interest lawyers, lobbyists, communication strategists, members and activists in the advancement of equality, fairness, and freedom, especially for the most vulnerable in our society.

The Equality Center of the ACLU's National offices in San Francisco and New York seeks applications for a full-time Staff Attorney position to focus on Disability with an emphasis on Voting.

OVERVIEW

The ACLU's Center for Equality continues the ACLU's long history of working to fulfill America's ideal of equal rights for all.  The Center for Equality includes the Voting Rights Project, the Racial Justice Program, the Immigrants' Rights Project and the Disability Rights Docket.  All of this work is calculated to advance the Center's aim to uphold the federal constitution's promise that all Americans will receive the equal protection of the law.

The Staff Attorney will initially, work on disability rights with an emphasis on voting.  The ACLU has a long history of defending the rights of people with disabilities and an even longer history of defending the right to vote.

The ACLU was among the first organizations to fight the unnecessary institutionalization of people with mental disabilities; it played a major role in securing the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); and it has battled discrimination against person with HIV/AIDS.  The ACLU has stood up for the rights of prisoners with disabilities to access to adequate healthcare and services, and for the rights of immigrants with mental disabilities for the right to counsel in detention proceedings.

The ACLU played a critical role in convincing the U.S. Supreme Court to establish the "one person, one vote" rule and in strengthening the Voting Rights Act in 1982.  Through persistent litigation, voter empowerment, and fighting efforts to restrict the vote in state legislatures, the ACLU helped make it possible for minority voters all over America to participate in the electoral process, and through that, to change the face of government.

Today, the ACLU's work in both disability rights and voting includes litigation and working for strong federal and state legislation and policy. The emphasis in the disability rights work is on fighting policies and practices which unduly limit the freedom of people with disabilities to control their own lives and to participate in society.  The ACLU's voting rights work is focused on making voting easy and equal.  That has involved fighting a flood of state laws aimed at making it more difficult to register and to vote.   The work is carried out through the Legal and Advocacy Departments of the national ACLU, its Washington Legislative Office, and by the ACLU's 53 affiliate offices around the country.
The Staff Attorney reports to the Equality Center's Disability Counsel, who will be assisted by the Director of the Voting Rights Project.
The ideal candidate will be willing to begin work in San Francisco, where the Center's Disability Counsel is based, and within a few years be willing to relocate to New York.   However, applicants who wish to start and be based in either New York or San Francisco will be considered.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Applicants should be prepared to contribute to all aspects of the ACLU's litigation and non-litigation work.  Although the position will focus on disability with an emphasis on voting rights, it may include work on other issues, and the subject matter or focus could change over time.  The work will include:


*         Helping to implement the disability rights and voting rights strategic plans;

*         Creating multi-pronged strategies using litigation, public education, and  legislative and policy advocacy to further the ACLU's voting rights goals;

*         Drafting legislation, regulations and policy, preparing legislative and policy analyses and arguments, and working to get them adopted and implemented;

*         Supporting and advising ACLU state affiliates in their disability rights and voting rights litigation, legislation and advocacy;

*         Engaging in litigation, both trial and appellate, including supervision of and drafting pleadings and briefs, discovery and depositions, motion practice, interviewing witnesses, working with expert witnesses, trials, and appellate briefs and arguments;

*         Preparing memos, briefing papers, and talking points for internal and external use on disability and voting issues;

*         Engaging in public speaking, including to the media, at conferences, and other speaking engagements;

*         Working closely with legal and non-legal program staff, particularly legislative, communications, and advocacy staff members to advance the Equality Center's agenda;

*         Fostering relationships with other advocates, lawyers, civil rights organizations and potential clients;

*         Supervising administrative assistants, paralegals, legal fellows, and law students;

*         Travel as required for legislation and policy, litigation supervision and litigation, conferences, and issue development.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
Required Qualifications

*         J.D. degree, bar admission in one state (admission to the bar in New York will eventually be necessary).

*         A demonstrated commitment to public interest law, constitutional law and/or civil rights.

*         Ability to engage in complex legal analysis and fact investigation in impact litigation, policy and legislative advocacy settings, sometimes under tight deadlines.

*         Superior analytic skills and excellent research skills.

*         Demonstrated ability to write and speak clearly and persuasively.

*         Diligence, the capacity for self-motivation and the ability to meet deadlines.

*         Ability to work independently, as well as with a wide range of people, and to foster a collaborative environment.

*         Flexibility to switch from one specialty area to another.
Preferred Qualifications

*         Two or more years of litigation experience and/or experience as a legislative lawyer or in crafting or implementing civil rights policy.

*         Knowledge of disability rights laws, and/or voting rights laws.

*         Demonstrated ability to work creatively - across disciplines - to use the law, the media, and legislation to achieve social change and to creatively link advocacy strategies.

*         Demonstrated ability to collaborate with a wide-range of civil rights organizations with diverse agendas.

*         Ability to recognize the common factors across civil rights issues.
COMPENSATION
The ACLU offers a generous compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and within the parameters of the ACLU compensation scale.
HOW TO APPLY
Interested persons should submit a cover letter (with salary requirements), a resume, a legal writing sample, and three references, to: hrjobsVRP at aclu.org<mailto:____ at aclu.org>. Reference [VRP-04/INCL] in the subject line. Please note that this is not the general ACLU applicant email address. This email address is specific to the Voting Rights Projects at Equality Center department postings. In order to ensure your application is received, please make certain it is sent to the correct e-mail address. You can expect to receive an automatic response that acknowledges the submission of application materials.
Applications can also be mailed to:

American Civil Liberties Union
RE: [VRP-04/INCL]
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Please indicate where you learned of this career opportunity.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required.  It does not represent a contract of employment.  The ACLU reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.
The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer.  We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.    The ACLU encourages 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, and veteran status.
The ACLU undertakes affirmative action strategies in its recruitment and employment efforts to assure that persons with disabilities have full opportunities for employment in all positions.

We encourage applicants with disabilities who may need accommodations in the application process to contact HRJobsINCLReq at aclu.org<mailto:HRJobsINCLReq at aclu.org>. Correspondence sent to this email address that is not related to requests for accommodations will not be reviewed.  Applicants should follow the instructions above regarding how to apply.
The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation.  Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission, and share office space and employees.  The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties.  This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name "ACLU."


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