Career Center

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Staff Attorney or Senior Staff Attorney in the Reproductive Freedom Project. The Project is based in the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY, but the position will be remote eligible.

The ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project envisions a world that respects and supports each of us in making deeply personal decisions that determine the shape of our lives: with whom to form intimate relationships, and whether, when, and how to have children. In the world we see, we can all get the health care and other resources necessary to have a child, to prevent pregnancy, or to have an abortion—regardless of where we live, our income, race, age, gender identity, immigration status or whom we love.

For nearly five decades, the ACLU has been a leader in the efforts to ensure that every person has access to affordable and stigma free abortion care. The ACLU has participated in nearly every reproductive rights case before the Supreme Court and in significant cases in federal and state courts too numerous to count. The ACLU is currently involved in challenges to abortion bans around the country, including the bans in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee as well as a challenge to a host of other restrictions on access to abortion. The ACLU also has several lawsuits seeking to expand access to abortion care in general and medication abortion in particular.

Reporting to the Project Director, the Staff Attorney or Senior Staff Attorney (designation will depend on years of experience) will be primarily responsible for litigating cases seeking to protect and expand access to abortion throughout the United States.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Litigate in federal and state courts, including developing claims, writing pleadings and briefs, conducting discovery and depositions, handling hearings and trials, and arguing motions and appeals
• Run case teams, including supervising and mentoring more junior lawyers on those teams
• Analyze legislation for its effect on the provision of reproductive health services and provide support to advocacy staff on such legislation
• Advise abortion providers and others about compliance with abortion restrictions
• Develop and implement new legal and policy strategies for protecting access to abortion
• Engage in public speaking including representing ACLU positions to the media, at conferences, and on panels
• Draft and edit public education and non-litigation advocacy materials
• Provide support to ACLU affiliates on reproductive rights matters
• Develop strong relationships with abortion providers, partner organizations, and ACLU affiliates
• Travel as required for litigation, conferences, and public speaking
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
• Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• J.D. degree and admission to practice in one state is required. If the candidate is not already admitted to practice in New York, admission to the New York Bar is required within one year of hire
• Significant litigation experience, preferably in federal court
• Demonstrated capacity to perform complex legal analytical work
• Excellent research skills
• Demonstrated ability to write and to speak clearly and persuasively
• Applicants should be self-starters, be diligent, and have the proven ability to work with a wide range of people and to perform under pressure
• Experience supervising and mentoring junior lawyers
• Familiarity with reproductive rights is a plus; commitment to those rights is essential

PREFFERED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of seven years of litigation experience is preferred
• Experience litigating constitutional claims in impact cases preferred 

COMPENSATION

The ACLU has a litigator scale that determines pay for attorneys in our Legal Department. The range of salaries are the following, based on year of law school graduation (please consult the hiring manager for specific salary details, based on individual circumstances):

• 0-2 years since law school graduation: $72,000-$82,818
• 3-5 years since law school graduation: $88,201-$98,635
• 6-10 years since law school graduation: $101,594-$114,345
• 11-15 years since law school graduation: $117,776-$132,558
• 16-20 years since law school graduation: $136,534-$153,671
• 21-25 years since law school graduation: $158,281-$178,146
• 26-30+ years since law school graduation: $183,491-$206,521

These salaries are reflective of positions based in New York, NY. The salary will be subject to a locality adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting. Note that most of the salaries listed on our job postings reflect New York, NY salaries, where our National offices are headquartered.

ABOUT THE ACLU

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union – beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

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, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable 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 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 is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.