Senior Staff Attorney

Job Summary

The Senior Staff Attorney is the equivalent of a senior associate at a law firm. They will manage complex litigation matters with the oversight and approval of the Legal Director and will first chair some cases; develop new matters; and hold primary drafting responsibility for a variety of litigation documents, demand letters, and other legal materials. The Senior Staff Attorney is consulted on litigation and long-term strategy for the entire legal department and will be responsible for developing strategies for cases assigned to them.

Job Location – Overland Park or Wichita, KS. **Position will onboard remotely during COVID.

Reporting Relationship and Organizational Impact

• Position reports to: Legal Director
• Manager, Supervisor, Team Leader, or Individual Contributor (Team Leaders may train, provide direction to, or assign projects to department employees or interns.)
  • Team Leader, including training, providing direction to, and assigning projects to:
    • Interns as assigned to them by the Legal Director
    • Staff Attorney with respect to work the Staff Attorney is doing on cases the Senior Staff Attorney is leading
    • Legal Assistant with respect to work the Legal Assistant is doing on cases the Senior Staff Attorney is leading.
• Bargaining Unit Status: 
  • This position is part of the bargaining unit
• Internal and External:
  • Regular unsupervised contact with other department staff and managers, and with National office
  • Regular contact and communications with clients and opposing counsel
  • Regular contact with all members of Legal Department, including interns
  • Regular contact with members of the Advocacy and Communications Departments
  • Occasional public facing presentations
• Budget Authority: 
  • Assist Legal Director with developing budget for litigation related to program/issue areas they are leading, to be included in the overall Legal Department budget.
• Influence: 
  • Has input into Legal Department strategies developed by management
  • Represents legal department in integrated strategy sessions on program and campaign issues they are leading

Qualifications

Abilities

• Develop and independently implement litigation strategy
• Understand campaign model and role of litigation within model
• Independently manage pretrial tasks in federal court litigation
• Effectively and respectfully communicate with other department directors and staff within integrated advocacy model
• Strong legal writing abilities
• Ability to work with diverse communities
• Demonstrated ability to first chair federal court pretrial hearing with minimal supervision

Education and/or Experience

• JD
• BA
• 4-5 years litigation experience

Knowledge

• Movement lawyering principles
• Federal civil rules of procedure
• Federal rules of evidence
• ABA professional rules of responsibility

Personal Characteristics

• Committed to advancing the ACLU KS values, mission, goals and programs, with an understanding of the range of civil liberties issues and their implications
• A person who can handle and prioritize multiple activities and tasks; a person who takes initiative and demonstrates follow-through
• A team player who inspires collaboration and functions decisively and with flexibility; a person who assumes the best from colleagues and who resolves conflicts directly
• A demonstrated ability to work productively in an unstructured environment; the capability to conduct oneself with a calm and professional demeanor when dealing with the public and/or difficult situations

Skills

• Advanced client interview skills
• Mastery of direct and cross-examination
• Mastery of depositions
• Trial practice including presentation of evidence
• Oral advocacy 
• Ability to write complex legal briefs and memoranda

Duties and Responsibilities and approximate % of overall time spent on tasks

 Work on active litigation – 40%

• Participate directly in litigating civil liberties and civil rights cases in federal and state court, as first chair on cases and issues assigned by the Legal Director.
• Manage all aspects of discovery, depositions, requests for productions, 3^rd party subpoenas, etc. on cases assigned by Legal Director
• Manage co-counsel on cases assigned by Legal Director
• Manage in-court proceedings on cases assigned by Legal Director
• Maintain client relationships throughout on cases assigned by Legal Director
• Write appellate and amicus briefs

Develop new litigation – 40%

• Conduct factual and legal research, prepare memoranda, draft Open Records Act requests, write demand letters, draft pleadings and briefs
• Review, comment on, and edit letters and briefs of co-counsel and other ACLU-KS staff
• Consult with issue area experts and potential cooperating counsel on cases assigned by Legal Director
• Manage potential plaintiff selection and outreach on cases assigned by Legal Director

Develop strategic integrated advocacy plans for issues and areas – 10%

Assist legal director in management of interns, volunteers, and staff  - 10%

• Assist with management of legal intake process
• Assist with developing assignments and providing feedback to legal interns
• Assist with mentoring of staff attorney and legal assistant

Working Conditions

Physical Requirements
This job is primarily sedentary work which requires extended periods of sitting and/or standing in an office setting.

Travel Status
Travel outside home office area but within the state of Kansas 3-4 times a month. Occasional travel outside
Kansas but within the United States.

Additional Information

• The starting salary for this position is $70,000. 
• The ACLU of Kansas offers an excellent benefit package including employer paid health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, 401k match, 14 paid holidays, a generous paid vacation/sick leave policy, and a flexible work schedule (as appropriate for the position).
• To apply for this position forward your resume and cover letter to Ms. Roberta Beier at [email protected].