Campaign Coordinator, American Civil Liberties Union, Jacksonville, FL

Campaign Coordinator

Posted on: December 17, 2014
Posted by: American Civil Liberties Union of Florida

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLU-FL) seeks a full-time, temporary Campaign Coordinator to staff the Justice for Jacksonville Coalition. The goal of the Coalition is to reduce death sentences in the 4^th Judicial District (Jacksonville/Duval County). The ACLU of Florida convened the Coalition and seeks to support and expand its work through this position. The position is based in the ACLU of Florida's Northeast Regional Office in Jacksonville. The Campaign Coordinator will report to the ACLU of Florida's Director of Public Policy. This is a one year position that will end in January 2016.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY

• Design and implement grassroots and grasstop strategies to mobilize supporters to take meaningful action to reduce the disproportionately high number of death sentences in the 4^th Judicial District;
• Undertake coordination of, expand, and provide support to the Justice for Jacksonville Coalition which operates in four primary areas – communications, public education and outreach; policy advocacy; and research.
• Recruit, mentor and develop local individual, political, and organizational leaders as possible participants, representatives, and spokespersons for the Coalition and to support Coalition work to reduce death sentencing in the 4^th Judicial district;
• In collaboration with the ACLU-FL Communications Department, develop and disseminate public education materials including fact sheets about death penalty practices specific to the region via media, social media, and at events and meetings;
• Organize regional public education and public policy events and activities to advocate for a reduction in death sentencing in the 4^th Judicial District;
• Engage ACLU members and supporters to advocate to reduce death sentencing in the 4^th Judicial District through community forums, public hearings, panel discussions, phone banks, movie screenings, training for activists, and other activities;
• Develop effective outreach techniques and tailor them to specific target groups, including communities of color, ethnic minorities in the region, religious groups, victim's families and advocates, community leaders, and law enforcement to encourage education, involvement, and engagement in Coalition work;
• Public speaking on behalf of the Coalition;
• Additional responsibilities as assigned and consistent with the goals of this position and the work of the Coalition.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience;
• Minimum of three years' experience with issue advocacy, preferably in the criminal justice field, which should include familiarity with grassroots and grasstop organizing, strategically identifying and targeting decision makers, identifying and developing influential spokespeople, and leveraging community and political power to effect policy change;
• Demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and civil rights and the mission of the ACLU;
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and familiarity with social media networking;
• Ability to keep organized in a fast-paced environment and to manage several tasks simultaneously;
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency in using Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Publisher);
• Experience and skills in public speaking;
• Experience in supervising and motivating volunteers; working cooperatively with diverse groups and organizations;
• Ability to stimulate and inspire others;
• Ability to attend evening and weekend meetings, and to travel throughout Duval County; must have own transportation;
• Fluency in Spanish is desired, but not required.

The ACLU of Florida is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

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

HOW TO APPLY

Please send cover letter, resume, and list of three references by email to jobs@aclufl.org

All inquiries should include "Coordinator Applicant" in the subject line or reference field and all attachments should be in Microsoft Word or pdf format. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please indicate where you learned of this job posting.

Transgender Rights Project Staff Attorney, Lambda Legal, New York, NY

Transgender Rights Project Staff Attorney

Posted on: September 29, 2014
Application deadline: October 17, 2014
Start date: November 1, 2014
Posted by: Lambda Legal

Lambda Legal seeks a staff attorney to engage in cutting-edge impact litigation, public policy advocacy, and education furthering Lambda Legal's mission. This position will be based in Lambda Legal's New York office. The attorney will devote approximately 50% of the position's time to the national work of the Transgender Rights Project and the other 50% to work in Lambda Legal's other priority areas in the Northeast region.

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in New York City, Lambda Legal has regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles.

Lambda Legal's law reform, policy, and education work encompasses a wide range of areas critically important to LGBT people and those living with HIV, including federal and state constitutional law issues; gender identity, sexual orientation and HIV discrimination in employment, schools, youth in out-of-home care systems, health care, identity documents, the criminal justice system; relationship protections, including the freedom to marry; child custody, visitation, assisted reproduction, and adoption; foster care and juvenile justice; asylum and immigration policy; and anti-LGBT harassment and violence. Lambda Legal has been involved in numerous landmark United States and state Supreme Court cases, including Lawrence v. Texas, Romer v. Evans, Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, Bragdon v. Abbott, University of Alabama v. Garrett, In re Marriage Cases, Varnum v. Brien, Benitez v. North Coast Women's Care Medical Group, and Brandon v. County of Richardson. For more information about Lambda Legal, visit www.lambdalegal.org

Lambda Legal's Transgender Rights Project works specifically on behalf of transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming people. Recent Lambda Legal landmark victories include Glenn v. Brumby, in which we established important law governing gender discrimination in the course of representing a transgender woman fired for transitioning at her job in the Georgia Assembly, and the Smith v. Fields case, which we won on behalf of several Wisconsin transgender women in prison who were denied transition-related health care. In other examples of our recent work, earlier this year the Transgender Rights Project secured Social Security survivor benefits for our 93-year-old client whose claim had been denied following her husband's death, as well as a Social Security Administration policy change for all transgender spouses.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Attorney will devote approximately 50% of the position's time to Lambda Legal's transgender advocacy nationwide and the other 50% to work in Lambda Legal's other priority areas in the Northeast Region (New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.), increasing Lambda Legal's presence as a force for civil rights there. The attorney will handle all aspects of litigation in precedent-setting cases, as well as engage in education efforts and policy advocacy. Litigation responsibilities include devising litigation strategies to produce the greatest positive impact most efficiently, conducting each stage of litigation in trial and appellate courts, writing amicus briefs, organizing amicus strategies, supervising Lambda Legal cooperating attorneys, assisting with the screening of requests for legal assistance, and investigating and developing potential new matters.

In addition, attorneys on staff often consult with private lawyers who are handling matters related to Lambda Legal's areas of expertise, advocate with government agencies and officials, and advise policy makers. The attorney will engage in public speaking, write for a variety of audiences, and help implement education strategies to advance public knowledge and change dialogue about sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and HIV-related legal issues. The education work involves frequent interviews with print, radio, television, and web reporters. Some travel is required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants are expected to possess experience sufficient to allow them to work with substantial independence in furtherance of Lambda Legal's mission in all areas of our work. Applicants should have a minimum of four (4) years experience as a practicing attorney, including litigation experience that prepares the applicant to handle law reform litigation.

The applicant should have a high level of independence and initiative, excellent speaking and writing skills, the ability to produce the highest caliber legal work, creativity, good judgment, and a willingness to work with others toward the most effective strategies and initiatives to advance civil rights. In addition, the successful candidate will have the ability to talk and write about legal and other complex issues in clear, persuasive terms for non-lawyer audiences.

Working at Lambda Legal requires a demonstrated awareness of and commitment to the concerns of the communities Lambda Legal. Prior work on behalf of transgender people, the LGBT community and/or people living with HIV is highly desirable, as is fluency in Spanish and/or other languages in addition to English.

HOW TO APPY

The position is open until filled, and may start as soon as November 1, 2014. Interviews may start as early as October 1, 2014. Send resume, brief writing sample (preferably including discussion of a constitutional, discrimination, federal courts or other complex issue), and a letter or email explaining your interest in the position and how you learned of the job opening to:

Amy Shapiro

Legal Administrative Manager

Lambda Legal

120 Wall Street, 19^th Fl.

New York, NY 10005

ashapiro@lambdalegal.org

Include the words "Staff /Transgender Rights Project Attorney position" on the first line of the address of the envelope or the subject line of the email transmitting your application materials.

No calls please. Due to the high volume of applications, Lambda Legal will not accept phone calls about the position and does not notify applicants of status except when an interview is granted.

Lambda Legal is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, transgender people, and people with disabilities, including HIV, are encouraged to apply.

Voting Rights Attorney, ACLU, San Diego, CA

Voting Rights Attorney

Posted on: June 21, 2013
Application deadline: July 15, 2013
Posted by: American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties

DESCRIPTION

The ACLU and ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties seek a voting rights attorney who will help protect civil rights and civil liberties by coordinating the ACLU's policy work to reduce barriers to voter registration in the state of California. The voting rights attorney will work under the supervision of the director of the ACLU of California's Voting Rights Project, and will work closely with the ACLU's legal, policy, field/organizing, and communications teams to build a statewide infrastructure for voter registration at state and local agencies.

The ACLU fights for individual rights and fundamental freedoms for all, through education, litigation, policy advocacy, and organizing. The ACLU promotes and defends civil rights and civil liberties, including First Amendment rights, equal protection, privacy, and due process. The San Diego ACLU works collaboratively with the ACLU affiliates headquartered in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and with a lobbying office in Sacramento. Together, the three affiliates have more than 110,000 members and 130 staff in California.
Located in beautiful San Diego, the ACLU affiliate covers the length of California's border with Mexico. It has 23 staff members, 22 board members, 9,000 members, and an annual budget of $3.1 million. San Diego is the eighth largest city in the United States and the second largest in California. San Diego County has the third largest number of registered voters in California. Imperial County is the poorest county in California.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Coordinate a multi-county project to develop the infrastructure for increased voter registration opportunities.
• Facilitate and maintain relationships with state agency leaders and policy makers to ensure full implementation of state and federal laws relating to voting rights.
• Develop and maintain relationships with other ACLU affiliates, state and local government stakeholders, and local, state and national policy advocates and networks.
• Monitor and analyze state and national policies, trends and issues related to the project and recommend courses of action when necessary.
• Work with allies and other ACLU affiliates in California to prepare legal responses to voting rights issues that affect the state of California.
• Create a system of research and documentation for the project, including the development of ACLU's statistical research capacity. Generate quarterly reports in relation to the project and produce any required grant reports and/or future funding applications.
• Create quarterly work plan and confer with the Project Director as necessary.
• Contribute to other projects as needed by the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

The candidate must possess a minimum of three years experience in elections, civil rights and social justice work. Experience with election law and policy preferred. He/she must have excellent skills in research, writing, and complex data analysis; possess the ability to plan, organize and implement a multi-county project; analyze legal compliance and advocate for state level policies; have the initiative and ability to exercise good judgment; and have an understanding of and commitment to the goals and values of the ACLU. The candidate must be willing to travel and spend multiple days per month in the Bay Area and Central Valley. The candidate must have a driver's license and proof of insurance.
Fluency in Spanish desired but not required.
Education: J.D. and California Bar Admission

HOW TO APPLY

Interested individuals must send a cover letter, resume, list of references, and an analytical writing sample (no more than 5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font), preferably by e-mail to jobs@aclusandiego.org or by mail to:
ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties
PO Box 87131
San Diego, CA 92138-7131