Staff Attorney, Judicial Strategy

Overview

The Center’s Judicial Strategy team works inside and outside of the courts to defend and expand constitutional protection for reproductive rights in the United States. Judicial Strategy works collaboratively across Center teams and with external partners to support the Center’s litigation and policy advocacy; and to develop original legal research, analysis, publications, and long-term strategies to build a comprehensive and enduring right of reproductive autonomy grounded in principles of racial, gender, and economic justice; and human rights. 

The Role: This role will report directly to the Director, Judicial Strategy. The staff attorney will work closely with the senior attorney, Judicial Strategy who is leading our new initiatives focused on state constitutions and state courts. Deepening existing state court strategies, and developing potential new bodies of work, are a priority under the Center’s five-year strategic plan. The ideal candidate will be collaborative, flexible, creative, and bring ideas or experience on how to advance legal and judicial goals in partnership and coalition with state advocates. The staff attorney will work to raise awareness about the importance of state judiciaries and threats to the independence of state courts that impact reproductive rights and access; support and connect local and national cross-issue coalitions and campaigns committed to strengthening state courts; and conduct research specific to state courts and judicial pipeline building in the Center’s priority litigation and advocacy states. The staff attorney will collaborate regularly with other JS team members, and Center staff and teams, in particular the state advocacy and policy team and litigation team.

The staff attorney will also be responsible for developing and contributing to other work led by the Judicial Strategy team, including legal research and analysis to build stronger federal protection for reproductive autonomy; conceiving and producing legal reports and other publications for key audiences, including internal stakeholders, advocacy partners, scholars, and the broader legal community; and leading other priority projects.

 

The Staff Attorney, Judicial Strategy will be based in New York City in a hybrid work model. Remote placement may be possible. Covid-19 vaccination is required for all US-based employees of the Center.

Primary Responsibilities: 

The Staff Attorney will focus on implementing new areas of work to build a stronger judicial environment for protection of reproductive rights in state courts. Ideally they will bring familiarity with the broader progressive legal advocacy community and prior experience advocating in partnership with one or more legal and policy advocacy movements (for example, gender justice, racial justice, voting rights and elections, criminal law reform, immigrant rights, disability rights, among others). The staff attorney’s balance of state focused work may shift depending on the state courts landscape and the Center’s other capacity needs. Main responsibilities will include:

• Develop workplan priorities, in collaboration with the senior state attorney for judicial strategy, related to promoting the importance of state courts and judiciaries for protecting reproductive rights;
• Lead outreach and engagement, in collaboration with State Policy and Advocacy team, with state-based progressive groups and coalitions working to defend and improve the courts in at least one priority state;
• Manage research and development of materials related to state courts, in collaboration with senior attorney and in coordination with State Policy & Advocacy teams, Lawyers Network team, Human Rights team, and Communications department, including reports, blog posts, fact sheets and other materials for public education, media, local bar associations, and other audiences;
• Track state court developments such as significant cases, constitutional decisions, and state legislative, executive or other efforts to interfere with independence or authority of state courts.
• As needed, support other areas of legal work to advance the Center’s litigation, amicus, and long-term legal theory development to build and defend reproductive rights in the courts;
• Represent the Center at convenings, conferences, and on legal panels, in particular those organized by and for state advocates and/or related to state courts;
• Engage in legal and factual research to support Center internal research, learning, or strategic legal planning;
• Potentially draft amicus briefs in support of non-Center cases; and develop strategic amicus campaigns in support of Center cases.
• Please note: May supervise support staff, legal interns, or law fellows as needed

Qualifications:

• Bar Admission Required. Admission to the New York Bar preferred. If not currently admitted to the New York Bar, candidate must be admitted to the bar of another state, and agree to become admitted to the New York Bar within 18 months if practicing from the New York office.
• Four to six years in practice as a member of the bar, including time in judicial clerkship, litigation, law and policy advocacy, legal research or academia, or comparable legal or advocacy work. Strong preference for prior experience working within, or in close collaboration with, progressive advocacy organizations at the state level.
• Strong understanding of civil rights and constitutional law, reproductive rights, and related areas of constitutional doctrine, as well as experience or familiarity with litigation practice.
• Demonstrated experience building and sustaining authentic and collaborative partnerships with members of historically marginalized communities, ideally including experience with or strong understanding of state advocacy and coalition landscapes
• Outstanding legal analysis skills, including the ability to analyze academic scholarship, court opinions, legislation and regulations
• Excellent research, writing, and communications skills, with a demonstrated ability to write clearly and persuasively for both courts and other audiences
• Ability to self-direct and self-motivate, handle multiple tasks simultaneously, to work under pressure and meet deadlines, and provide quick turnaround of assignments while collaborating in a team
• Displays a problem-solving and supportive attitude with colleagues and enjoys working to support cross-team and Center-wide priorities and goals
• Demonstrates a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regard to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding these values in programmatic work and in collaborating with external partners
• Demonstrates a commitment to racial equity work and incorporating racial equity principles into legal, programmatic, and partnership work