Protect Democracy’s Counsels will be responsible for driving our legal strategies in areas that are relevant to our core mission. The counsels will develop and execute creative litigation, oversight, and legal policy strategies. The counsels will manage all aspects of legal projects, including partnering with and managing law firms providing pro bono assistance, drawing on our expert and advisory networks for guidance and support, and supervising law students in our affiliated Harvard Law School clinic.
The counsels will be responsible for the following types of work:
- Developing and proposing topics and priorities for litigation, oversight, or other legal projects consistent with our mission, in coordination with the rest of the team.
- Researching and devising innovative legal arguments and potential litigation approaches, and serving as creative thought leaders on subjects within our mission.
- Managing affirmative impact litigation, including developing relationships with clients and co-counsel and working with experts and advisors.
- Drafting and editing pleadings and motions; handling discovery, witness interviews, and depositions; authoring appellate and amicus briefs; arguing motions and cases in court.
- Coordinating with communications team to educate the public on legal matters and build support for legal strategies.
- Coordinating with policy and advocacy teams to develop and advance new legal and policy approaches for protecting democracy, including work with the private sector, other NGOs, the Hill, the legal profession, and scholars of law and democracy.
- Developing strategies for conducting oversight and investigations, including overseeing preparation and submission of FOIA requests; devising strategies to ensure appropriate checks and balances from other oversight organizations (e.g., IGs, Hill, OSC, NGOs); and creating legal tools and strategies to protect and assist government whistleblowers.
Requirements
- Experience (or the potential to develop rapid proficiency in) conducting relevant legal work, including experience in constitutional and administrative litigation; experience conducting affirmative impact litigation; handling legal policy or oversight in or around federal government; experience with FOIA; experience with government ethics, civil service protection, and democracy-protection laws (note: candidates need not have experience in all of these areas but should have familiarity with some of them and ability to quickly get up to speed in the others).
- Exceptional writing skills for materials intended for both legal and non-legal audiences.
- Entrepreneurial approach and the ability to create, initiate and direct creative workstreams.
- Deep and demonstrated commitment to the mission of protecting our democracy.
- Bar membership in good standing in jurisdiction of residence and ability and willingness to waive into DC or other places as required.
- Adherence to the culture principles of the organization.
- Comfort with an open and transparent culture with constant feedback up, down and sideways.
- Rigorous attention to detail and the highest standards for excellence in execution.
- Comfort taking smart, strategic and calculated risks.
- Comfort with team collaboration; not needing to work only in an isolated and autonomous way.
- Comfort working in a start-up environment, doing whatever is necessary to build the organization and support your own work;
- A healthy mix of idealism, sophistication and practicality, coupled with personal kindness and generosity of spirit.