The Senior Staff Attorney will represent clients in litigation and other forms of dispute resolution to protect their civil liberties, with an emphasis on impact litigation that furthers our policy priorities.

Legal Program

• Lead or co-counsel selected litigation including researching, investigating, developing, and filing impact litigation in state and federal courts to protect civil liberties and civil rights in cases consistent with our strategic policy priorities. This includes conducting factual and legal research, preparing memoranda, writing demand letters, drafting pleadings, motions, briefs, and correspondence, taking and defending depositions, conducting discovery, arguing motions, trying cases, writing appellate briefs, presenting oral arguments on appeal, and writing amicus briefs.
• Participate in case selection and development, including conducting factual and legal research, evaluating legal theory and strategy, identifying and analyzing potential claims, determining possible plaintiffs and defendants, interviewing clients and potential witnesses, working with experts, preparing internal memoranda, and drafting demand letters and litigation-related pleadings and briefs.
• Identifying clients and developing professional relations with them, negotiating with opposing parties, and handling all aspects of trials and appeals.
• Handling cases independently, with other legal staff members, pro bono cooperating lawyers, and other ALCU-affiliated lawyers.
• Drafting amicus briefs in cases of constitutional significance.
• Seek out and cultivate relationships with cooperating attorneys for potential litigation, legal interns, and externs.
• Mentor ACLU-MN Staff Attorneys and supervise law students, interns, and volunteer attorneys on discrete litigation tasks and sometimes entire cases, and provide strategic guidance and targeted feedback to foster skill development.
• Assist in updating the litigation docket and preparing reports for the public, ACLU-MN membership, Board, and staff.

• Advocacy & Community Engagement
• Doing non-litigation advocacy, including supporting partnerships with community organizations, helping with outreach and know-you-rights presentations, public speaking, and interacting with the media.
• Working with other ACLU-MN staff to implement integrated-advocacy campaigns and high-impact strategies using ALCU-MN’s communication, legislative, community members, partners, and leaders.
• Presenting testimony before legislative bodies and administrative agencies as requested by policy staff.
• Participating in public education on civil liberties issues by speaking at public events and publishing articles and essays.
• Provide strategic leadership and technical assistance to advocates and grassroots coalition partners.

• Juris Doctorate and at least seven (7) years of post-JD litigation, or commensurate experience, demonstrating the ability to independently manage complex civil rights or civil liberties matters.
• Admitted to practice and in good standing in the Minnesota Supreme Courts (or eligible for admission within six months of hire date).
• Thorough knowledge of federal and state law, and policy, particularly as they apply to the judicial branch.
• Broad substantive knowledge of constitutional law and civil rights.
• Demonstrated outstanding judgment and critical thinking skills with examples of developing and executing comprehensive legal strategies that support the organization’s mission and
  desired outcome; the ability to assimilate and balance many different views and interests of various constituent groups is critical.
• Strategic vision in case selection.
• Experience and demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively with diverse staff, coalitions, and community groups.
• Exceptional skills in legal research and writing, complex legal analysis, interviewing and fact investigation, oral advocacy, negotiations, and interpersonal communication.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and collaborate with other lawyers.
• Ability to synthesize complex issues and communicate them effectively to juries, judges, elected officials, the media, and the general public.
• Adaptability, organizational skills, and self-motivation.

• Mission Alignment: A strong, demonstrated commitment to civil rights and civil liberties that align with the mission and goals of the ACLU.
• Community Engagement: Experience engaging communities disproportionately affected by civil liberties and civil rights issues, historically underrepresented in the legal profession and most affected by ACLU-MN’s work, paired with the cultural competence to collaborate cooperatively with diverse community organizations. Relevant professional, community-
  based, advocacy, or lived experience may contribute to a candidate’s demonstrated understanding of the communities most affected by ACLU-MN’s work.
• A strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Demonstrated ability to build trust, lead inclusively, and work effectively across differences, including with staff, clients, partners, and communities whose identities, backgrounds, geographic locations, socioeconomic circumstances, or lived experiences differ from one’s own.
• Teamwork: A highly collaborative approach and demonstrated ability to contribute to a respectful, supportive, and accountable team culture.
• Work Ethic and Adaptability: Professional effectiveness when working with fellow attorneys, paralegals, and clients, alongside the willingness to travel and work extended hours (including nights and weekends) as needed.

We appreciate candidates who also bring:
Proficiency in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Oromo, or other languages commonly spoken by ACLU-MN clients with limited English proficiency.

Physical Requirements
The position requires regular use of a computer and communication technology and may require travel to meetings, court proceedings, and community events. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Salary is commensurate with experience within the range of $100,000-$110,000 per year.

The ACLU-MN offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, generous time off, flexible in-person or hybrid work schedules, and substantial professional development
opportunities.

This position is covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with the Minnesota Newspaper & Communication Guild, TNG-CWA Local 37002.

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, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction.

The ACLU of Minnesota employs affirmative action strategies in its recruitment and employment efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities have full employment opportunities in all positions. We encourage applicants with disabilities who may need accommodation in the application process to contact rhendrix@aclu-mn.org.