Immigrants' Rights Supervising Attorney at ACLU of New Jersey

Supervising Attorney for Immigrants’ Rights

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) seeks applicants with at least eight years of experience for a full-time supervising attorney to supervise attorneys focused on protecting and expanding immigrants’ rights. [This position is funded for three years, with the possibility for future extension.] In addition to immigrants’ rights experience, the ideal candidate will have significant federal court litigation experience.

In recent years, the ACLU-NJ has driven powerful legal and policy advocacy, including litigation to protect the rights of farmworkers and children of immigrants, to fight for the health and safety of immigrants in detention and push back against detention expansion, and to limit local law enforcement’s role in federal immigration action, among other work.

This [three-year term limited] position will be supervised by the Legal Director and will be based in Newark with a hybrid work schedule where we work in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Organizational Overview  

For more than 60 years, the ACLU of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) has defended liberty and justice guided by the vision of a fair and equitable New Jersey for all. Our mission is to preserve, advance, and extend the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every New Jerseyan by the state and federal constitutions in courts, in the legislature, and in our communities. We are committed to repairing and transforming spaces where constitutional promises have not been delivered.    

In every facet of our work, we strive to be anti-racist and are actively committed to advancing racial justice in the institutions of New Jersey, for the people of New Jersey. We aim to center the voices and lived experiences of those who historically have not been fully protected by government systems or laws.    

Founded in 1960 and based in Newark, we are a non-partisan organization that operates on several fronts – political, legal, cultural – to bring about systemic change and build a more equitable society.  

As part of an organization that uses an integrated, inter-departmental approach to advocacy, the staff attorney will join a 14+ person legal team that engages in litigation and a wide range of advocacy tools to protect and expand civil rights and civil liberties, and that works collaboratively with policy and communications colleagues to maximize the ACLU-NJ’s impact. All staff attorneys on the legal team are responsible for identifying possible litigation and advocacy; conducting factual and legal research; evaluating legal theory and strategy; identifying, interviewing, and counseling clients and witnesses; writing demand letters; drafting pleadings, motions, and briefs; conducting discovery; working with experts; presenting oral arguments; negotiating settlements; handling appeals; and writing amicus briefs.

Responsibilities

The focus of this position will be engaging in and supervising the development and execution of litigation and other legal advocacy projects focused on New Jersey’s immigrant communities.  

Litigation and Advocacy:

• Investigate, develop, and litigate impact cases focused on advancing and protecting immigrants’ rights at all stages in federal and state courts.
• In collaboration with other departments, engage in broader integrated advocacy campaigns, including:
  • Serving as a subject matter expert and advocate, and providing technical and other support for policy work, including analyzing bills and drafting proposed statutory text.
  • Serving as a spokesperson and directly communicating to a variety of audiences, including through public speaking, media relations, digital media, and other means.
  • Drafting and editing public education and non-litigation advocacy materials.
  • Conducting outreach and advocacy with, and providing technical assistance to, public officials and government bodies.
• Build and strengthen organizational relationships and communications with allied organizations, especially groups and coalitions representing detained and non-detained immigrants; respond to the legal needs of affected communities, potentially on an emergency and/or immediate basis.

Leadership:

• Serve as a project manager for immigrants’ rights litigation and work closely with department leaders on strategic decisions regarding priorities and capacity.
• Supervise multiple legal staff members, fellows, interns, and pro bono attorneys.
• Manage the professional development and mentoring of staff, including identifying opportunities to support the growth and development of their legal skills.
• Participate in the development of the legal department’s vision, plans, and priorities.
• Participate in the New Jersey and immigrants’ rights legal communities, including representing the ACLU-NJ in bar associations and providing technical assistance to litigators representing immigrants.
• Ensure compliance with ACLU-NJ policies, regulations, and quality standards.
• Participate in the development of the legal department’s vision, plans, and priorities.
• Ensure compliance with ACLU-NJ policies, regulations, and quality standards.
• Participate in the development of the legal department’s vision, plans, and priorities.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

Supervising attorneys are expected to have at least eight years of litigation experience (including clerkships). Attorneys who have significantly more years of experience with demonstrated success managing teams of attorneys may be eligible for the title of Director of Immigrants’ Rights Litigation. While no one person will have all of the qualities listed below, successful candidates will bring many of the following qualifications and attributes:

• Significant expertise in developing and litigating impact cases with at least five years of federal court experience.
• Significant expertise in immigrants’ rights and/or federal habeas litigation. Relevant expertise on immigration, detention, border issues, national security, or other related issues is also preferred.
• At least two years of experience supervising lawyers.
• Exceptional oral advocacy skills and ability to synthesize complex issues and communicate them effectively to diverse audiences.
• Experience with creative problem-solving, taking initiative, and identifying opportunities to advance the law.
• A strong understanding of and demonstrated commitment to immigrants’ rights and racial justice, including incorporating racial justice principles into legal work.  
• Experience working collaboratively on a variety of projects and building strong relationships with lawyers, fellow staff members, community organizers, and coalitions.
• Proven project and time management skills, including a high level of organization, the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines and set priorities.
• Ability and willingness to travel throughout the state of New Jersey, and occasionally to other states for conferences and training.
• Ability to manage a demanding schedule and work weekend and evening hours when needed.
• Knowledge of Spanish or other languages likely to be spoken by clients with limited English proficiency in New Jersey is a plus.
• Admitted to practice law in New Jersey. If not state-licensed, ability to become licensed within 12 months of joining the organization.

Compensation

This position starts at $115,000, for someone who has eight years of experience and will be commensurate with experience based on the ACLU-NJ salary bands. The ACLU-NJ supports and plans for staff member professional growth and skill development through internal and external opportunities. We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package which currently includes 30 days paid time off, 12 office holidays and 16 health care leave days; medical, vision, and dental insurance; 20 weeks (100 days) paid family leave; life and long-term disability insurance; pre-tax transit benefits; and a 401(k) plan with employer match. This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

About our Culture

We are a diverse workforce and take pride in our ability to attract and retain employees with a huge array of backgrounds and experiences. We work hard but also like to celebrate our successes. We strive to bring humility, empathy, kindness, and generosity to our work, internally within the organization and externally with our partners and those whom we are serving. We seek to build a work culture with a sense of respect and collegiality, and a willingness to be generous with our expertise and resources.

TO APPLY

Please complete the application by uploading a cover letter, resume, and two legal writing samples. We invite applicants to include in their cover letter information about how their background and/or experiences could contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and advocacy work. [Applicants who proceed beyond a first interview will be required to complete a short writing assignment.]

Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled; at which time the job announcement will be removed from our website.  

The ACLU-NJ is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture of belonging. It is our policy to employ qualified people without regard to race; color; gender, gender identity or expression; religion; sex; national origin or ancestry; age; disability; sexual orientation; veteran’s status; marital status; civil union status; arrest or court record; citizenship; credit history; genetic information; status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking; or any other characteristic protected under federal or state law. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people, women, people with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU-NJ makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions. The ACLU-NJ is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request accommodations for the interview process.