Staff Attorney, Democracy 2025

Democracy Forward•Columbia, WA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Democracy Forward Foundation is seeking a Staff Attorney to join its Democracy 2025 team. This role is designed for a junior attorney who is collaborative, detail-oriented, and eager to support the pro-democracy community through legal research, analysis, and engagement. The Democracy 2025 team serves as a strategic hub to support the pro-democracy movement in responding to increasing authoritarianism. The Staff Attorney will focus on legal analysis, supporting partners, and knowledge management. The position is full-time, with an expectation of being in the Washington, DC office an average of 2 days per week. While DC-area candidates are preferred, exceptional fully remote candidates will be considered. Occasional travel is expected. The Staff Attorney will report to the Deputy Director for Democracy 2025 and collaborate with various teams and external partners.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited law school.
Active membership in good standing in the bar of the District of Columbia, or membership in good standing in another state bar with the ability to become admitted in D.C.
2–6 years of legal experience.
Interest in and knowledge of issues related to abuses of government power, civil rights, democratic governance, or related areas.
Strong attention to detail.
Clear legal writing.
Ability to communicate legal topics clearly to generalist audiences.
Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects and workstreams under tight deadlines.
Enthusiasm for coalition engagement; strong relationship-building and collaboration skills and clear verbal and written communication skills.
Proven ability to work effectively across teams in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Willingness to be flexible and support priorities as they emerge.
Experience with basic legal research tools, such as Westlaw and PACER.
Well-developed collaborative and interpersonal skills including demonstrated self-awareness, commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a nonprofit, mission-driven, or advocacy organization.
Familiarity with Airtable, docket trackers, Google Suite, or willingness to learn.
Existing familiarity with or relationships within the Democracy 2025 partner network.

Responsibilities

Track and analyze developments in litigation and other legal actions related to authoritarianism, abuses of government power, attacks on civil rights, and weaponization of government.
Conduct legal research and analysis of emerging legal issues in response to the changing legal threat landscape.
Develop written work product, including memoranda, issue area guides, and litigation summaries, to support the legal advocacy work of the Democracy 2025 community.
Review and summarize litigation updates for clarity and accuracy.
Compose written work that analyzes and explains legal issues to generalist audiences.
Support and participate in Democracy 2025’s work to support partner organizations, including attending working group meetings.
Brief coalition partners and Democracy Forward staff on legal and litigation developments.
Maintain relationships with partner organizations across the Democracy 2025 network.
Collaborate across Democracy Forward teams to ensure coordinated approaches to emerging threats and opportunities.
Maintain and update litigation tracking databases, ensuring legal issues are tagged and organized accurately.
Convert litigation data into regular summary reports in digestible, clear, and coherent manners.
Support the team’s public-facing litigation tracking and analysis.
Proactively monitor litigation trends, current events, and the activities of relevant organizations and agencies.