Senior Staff Attorney

Local Progress•,

7d•$108,600 - $111,000•Remote

About The Position

Local Progress is seeking a Senior Staff Attorney to provide legal, policy, and research support to local elected officials across various geographies. The role will focus on the organization’s priority issue areas: immigrant justice, economic justice and worker power, reimagining public safety, home rule and local democracy, and advancing housing justice. The Senior Staff Attorney will lead and support strategies to address attacks on democracy and marginalized communities, including providing legal analysis on local policies, drafting amicus briefs, and developing creative policy solutions to counter state and federal preemption. A key responsibility will be driving the organization’s work on immigrant justice, collaborating with partners to protect immigrant communities and advance inclusion. This role offers an opportunity to build the legal and policy capacity of the Local Progress network, which includes elected officials from cities, counties, and school boards. The position involves working closely with impacted communities to achieve transformational local policy changes. The Senior Staff Attorney will provide resources, strategy, and collaboration to Local Progress members and lead the Immigrant Justice Steering Committee. The position is remote, based in the U.S., with no in-office requirement, but requires travel up to six days a month for in-person events.

Requirements

A juris doctor degree and admission to a state bar.
At least 9 years of relevant policy or legal experience and at least 4 years working on immigrant justice issues via policy, organizing, direct legal representation, impact litigation, etc.
Experience with organizing and campaigns, including working with organizers or movement lawyering.
Strong attention to detail and excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey and translate complex information for a variety of audiences.
Ability to manage multiple projects, create and execute work plans, anticipate obstacles and identify ways to navigate challenges, and identify and involve stakeholders appropriately.
Awareness of and ability to address issues of power, race, class, gender, and other forms of privilege within the internal dynamics and culture of a workplace.
A demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and interest in local policy, politics, and government.
Experience in relational organizing and an ability to relate to and move to action a diverse group of people from a variety of local contexts and backgrounds, including in a virtual setting.
Ability to take initiative and exercise strategic judgment.
Ability to travel monthly.

Nice To Haves

Experience with “inside/outside” strategies and movement governance that features deep partnership between “outside” organizing and “inside” elected officials.
Litigation experience.
Familiarity with core municipal authorities including land use, zoning, and procurement.

Responsibilities

Produce, edit, and review legal memos, amicus briefs, and other legal documents; manage and oversee the production of such documents by partners.
Lead development of resources that enable us to move members into action across the full diversity of our network, test and popularize bold policy ideas, and model collaborative governance in our work, including policy briefs, campaign toolkits, template resolutions, and training curricula.
Engage with LP staff, members and partners to assess and advise on policy and legal questions, and perform research and policy analysis to respond to those questions, sometimes in rapid response situations.
Serve as the expert and lead strategist for the organization’s work on immigrant justice.
Envision, plan, and implement program offerings to advance immigrant justice, both in-person and virtual.
Staff the Immigrant Justice Steering Committee comprised of Local Progress members and develop the leadership of the Steering Committee’s members.
Build and maintain strong working relationships with external partners on immigrant justice.
Provide additional issue area policy leadership as needed, including potentially land use, procurement, legal authority of counties, and first amendment / democracy protections.
Collaborate across Local Progress teams to support organizational activities and infrastructure including caucus work, state chapter activities, Collaborative Governance Academy trainings, reports, convenings, web products, etc.
Play a supporting role in maintaining funder relationships and identifying new opportunities for expanding support.