Staff Attorney
ACLU OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & AIDS Project

The ACLU of Northern California and the national ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & AIDS Project seek applicants for a joint Staff Attorney position in San Francisco.

The ACLU of Northern California. The ACLU of Northern California (ACLU-NC), founded in 1934, is the largest ACLU affiliate in the nation, with more than 55,000 members, 22 all-volunteer chapters and a staff of 50, including a legislative office in Sacramento. The ACLU-NC has been at the forefront of the fight for LGBT equality for decades.

The LGBT & AIDS Project. Founded in 1986 as part of the national ACLU, the goal of the LGBT & AIDS Project is the creation of a society in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and people with HIV enjoy the basic rights of equality, privacy and personal autonomy, and freedom of expression and association. This means an America where people can live openly without discrimination; where there’s respect for our identities, relationships, and families; and where there’s fair treatment in employment, schools, housing, public places, health care, and government programs.

The Work We Do. We litigate in state and federal courts throughout California and around the country in cases designed to have a significant effect on the lives of LGBT people and people living with HIV/AIDS. Our legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means not just persuading judges but ultimately changing the way people think. We use targeted media, online and outreach campaigns to change public attitudes and to give people on the frontlines the tools they need.

Today, the ACLU brings more LGBT cases and advocacy initiatives than any other national civil rights organization. Doing this work as part of the broad civil liberties agenda of the ACLU exemplifies the notion that the LGBT and AIDS communities must work in concert with other social change movements in order to achieve a just society for all. The ACLU strives to ensure that the racial and economic diversity of the LGBT community is reflected in its work and continues to explore ways to make its efforts more sensitive to the needs of people of color and people who are economically disadvantaged.

The Job. The staff attorney will be responsible for significant constitutional and statutory litigation and policy work on a wide range of LGBT and HIV-related issues in California, as well as in a number of other western states. Work will include writing pleadings and briefs, discovery and motion practice, handling hearings, trials and appeals, policy analysis, legislative lawyering, and community outreach for strategic docket development. The attorney will be part of the legal staff of both the Affiliate and the Project, and will work closely with legal and non-legal program staff, particularly legislative, public education, and field organizing staff members. The attorney will litigate as co-counsel with other public interest attorneys and will supervise ACLU volunteer attorneys. The attorney must be able to speak publicly and to represent ACLU positions to the media and the public generally. Travel, as well as work on nights and weekends, will be required.

Qualifications. Familiarity with LGBT rights, HIV/AIDS and other civil liberties issues is desirable; commitment to those issues is essential. Excellent research skills, superior analytic skills, and the ability to write and to speak clearly are essential. Significant litigation experience is required; experience with constitutional issues, federal court litigation, legislation, and community outreach is preferred. Applicants should be self-motivated, diligent, and have the proven ability to work with a wide range of people.

Compensation. Salary is based on the ACLU scale for litigators. Excellent benefits package provided.

Applications. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, which will not be earlier than January 30, 2008. Send a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, and list of references to: Bonnie Anderson, ACLU of Northern California, 39 Drumm Street, San Francisco, CA 94111 or email to HR-Admin@aclunc.org.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. people of color, people with disabilities, and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex are particularly encouraged to apply.