Director of Voting Rights Litigation

LatinoJustice PRLDEF•New York, NY

13d•$0 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

LatinoJustice PRLDEF (LJP) seeks an experienced and dynamic litigator and manager to play a key leadership role in developing and directing LJP’s voting rights litigation during a period when the ability of Latinos to fully participate in our democracy is under attack. The Director of Voting Rights Litigation directs and coordinates LJP’s voting rights litigation docket, identifies and develops new litigation matters based on organizational priorities and ensures effective execution. The Director directly participates in litigation as well, maintaining an active docket and serving as lead counsel in selected cases. The Director of Voting Rights Litigation position requires a legal professional who has an extensive background in civil rights litigation and policy and legislative advocacy with a special emphasis on voting rights. Who constantly surveys external environment to identify opportunities for LJP to do cutting edge litigation and then develops and implements litigation; cultivates and maintains productive working relationships with allied civil rights groups and represents LJP in key coalitions; and has a strong orientation to community-driven litigation and advocacy with a movement lawyering lens. The position requires an individual who is a creative thinker and excellent communicator, and who is relationship-oriented and highly collaborative in planning and executing work. The Director of Voting Rights Litigation focuses on the intersectionality of voting rights with LJP priority issue areas (pillars), including, voting rights, redistricting, census, criminal justice and policing, immigrant rights, economic justice, education and leadership development. The position advises and guides the staff in developing and implementing a range of strategies to advance voting rights, including through litigation, research, advocacy, community engagement and education, developing and expanding coalition partnerships, and strategic communications. The Director of Voting Rights Litigation is a practicing litigator who works collaboratively with LJP’s broader legal team on its litigation docket as needed. The Director will also work closely with the Chief of Advocacy to align LJP’s voting litigation docket and non-litigation advocacy priorities. They also serve as a resource for LJP’s legislative, policy, and campaign work. This position reports directly to the Deputy General Counsel-Legal Director (DGC-LD) for all litigation-related work. The position is a member of LJP’s management team and will supervise Voting Rights legal staff as designated by the DGC-LD.

Requirements

Demonstrated professional commitment to civil rights issues and commitment to advancing social justice and human rights for Latinos and other communities of color.
Minimum of 10 years federal and state litigation experience including handling complex and affirmative class action cases.
Minimum of 6 years of supervision experience.
Demonstrated commitment and experience in developing and executing litigation and other advocacy projects to further voting rights goals.
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to speak publicly at both formal and extemporaneous presentations.
Excellent interpersonal and supervisory skills.
Detail-oriented individual; able to prioritize, delegate, and manage multiple tasks and responsibilities.
History of successful collaboration with a broad and diverse range of communities and individuals.
Admission to practice law in good standing is required. Admission to New York State Bar preferred. Admission to other primary state bars designated by LatinoJustice will be considered.
Ability to communicate effectively and fluently with Spanish-speaking client community and media, including the ability to create community education and communication resources in Spanish.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute voting rights and redistricting litigation.
Supervise and direct attorneys on the voting rights litigation team.
Develop and implement annual work plans on voting rights litigation.
Support the Communications team in developing messaging on voting rights.
Serve as a key public spokesperson and resource for LJP on voting rights issues in the press and other forums, as well as funders.
Support the Advocacy team in identifying voting rights goals and developing and executing campaigns to achieve those goals.
Keep abreast of developments in the field and urgent threats to voting rights and make recommendations to senior leaders and directors as to appropriate responses by LJP.
Build and maintain relationships with voting rights partners, organizations, community stakeholders, academics, and thought leaders to engage them in LJP’s work and implement collaborative projects.
Work with LJP’s President & General Counsel and Development team to identify new revenue opportunities to grow internal capacity to expand LJP’s voting rights work including but not limited to redistricting and census.