Career Opportunity
STAFF ATTORNEY [LGLF-07]
American Civil Liberties Union
National Security Project, NYC

OVERVIEW:
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU) invites applications for a Staff Attorney position with the ACLU’s National Security Project. The attorney will work with a team of lawyers in the ACLU’s national headquarters in New York City on civil liberties and human rights issues relating to national security.

The ACLU is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution. One of the ACLU’s central concerns today is the effect of the government’s national security policies on civil liberties. Since September 2001, the ACLU has litigated numerous challenges to government attempts to restrict civil liberties and violate fundamental rights in the name of national security. For example, we are challenging the government’s “rendition” program, under which the CIA has kidnapped foreign nationals and transferred them to the custody of foreign intelligence services that use torture. We are engaged in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation to demand information about the torture and mistreatment of detainees held in U.S. custody abroad. We are challenging the government’s practice of denying visas to foreign scholars whose political views the government disfavors. We are also litigating several challenges to the government’s expanded surveillance powers.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Litigate national security/human rights cases in the trial and appellate courts.
• Develop new cases, and conduct legal and factual research, on national security issues, including the treatment, detention, and trial of prisoners held on national security grounds.
• Manage case development and conduct client and witness interviews.
• Serve as a resource for ACLU legislative and policy work, and advance ACLU policy goals through public education, organizing, and participating in coalitions.
• Develop and write advocacy materials for audiences of lawyers and non-lawyers.
• Work in collaboration with other members of the ACLU’s National Security Project, with other Projects within the ACLU’s Legal Department, and with other Departments within the ACLU.

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• A J.D. degree and a minimum of five years of litigation experience, including experience litigating cases involving national security and civil liberties.
• A demonstrated commitment to public interest law.
• Experience managing cases.
• Experience arguing before district and appellate courts.
• Experience dealing with the media.
• A demonstrated ability to engage in complex legal analysis and fact-finding.
• A demonstrated ability to write advocacy materials for audiences of lawyers and non-lawyers.
• A demonstrated ability to develop new cases without close supervision.
• Excellent legal research and writing skills.

COMPENSATION:
The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and within parameters of the ACLU compensation scale.

HOW TO APPLY:
Applications should consist of a cover letter, a resume, the names of two references, and two writing samples, at least one of which should be a legal research memo, brief, or article. Email applications to hrjobs@aclu.org and reference [LGLF-07/WACLU] in subject line, or mail applications to:

Human Resources
RE: [LGLF-07/WACLU]
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18^th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, which will not be before April 27, 2008. Please indicate where you learned of this job posting.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.