Legal Director [ACLU of Utah]

The ACLU of Utah Foundation seeks to hire an experienced Legal Director. The Legal Director position leads legal advocacy efforts, including but not limited to litigation, at the ACLU of Utah. The Legal Director is a member of the Leadership Team and plays an integral role in planning and executing how the ACLU of Utah deploys its legal, policy, and advocacy expertise and resources. As such, an ideal candidate will have experience with strategic planning as well as project and people management. 

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: 

The ACLU of Utah is an equal-opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We believe that having a board, staff, and volunteer base with diverse personal and professional backgrounds and lived experience enhances our ability to meet our mission and creates an environment where all members of our community can thrive. We strongly encourage and greatly value applications from women, people of color, immigrants, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, those who have been formerly incarcerated, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.   

Position Overview & Function 

The Legal Director manages a full and active docket of state and federal cases, often with co-counsel from the national ACLU office and/or outside law firms. Issue areas include, but are not limited to: LGBTQ+ equality, voting rights, criminal legal system reform, reproductive rights, Indigenous justice, free speech, and immigrants’ rights. 

The Legal Director is a full-time, salaried, exempt position reporting to the Executive Director. The Legal Director is a strategic leader who works collaboratively to develop and manage the Legal Department’s impact litigation docket to challenge laws, policies, and other government actions that violate the civil rights and individual liberties of Utahns. The Legal Director also supervises the Legal Department’s legal advocacy efforts, including amicus briefs and administrative complaints to state and federal agencies. In addition to leading the Legal Department, the Legal Director works in an integrated manner with ACLU of Utah staff, national ACLU staff, coalition partners, and others to advance advocacy efforts and strategic priorities. The Legal Director convenes the ACLU of Utah Legal Panel and helps recruit and work successfully with cooperating attorneys.    

Responsibilities; 

Legal Work, Management, and Supervision 

• Manage and develop an ambitious docket that advances ACLU of Utah strategic priorities in civil rights and liberties through impact litigation and other legal advocacy. 

• Act as a lead attorney for the affiliate in actively litigating cases in state and federal courts, including conducting factual and legal research, interviewing clients and potential witnesses, drafting pleadings and briefs, conducting discovery, and negotiating settlements. 

• Manage staff attorneys in their work on litigation, projects with other departments, and supervision of fellows, interns, and legal support staff, including paralegal and intake staff. 

• Oversee supervising staff attorney and Intake Programs Manager in their work on Intake and Utah Judicial Bypass programs, to ensure that the affiliate is responding appropriately to requests for help from the public and using such requests to advance the work of the affiliate when possible. 

• Recruit and collaborate with cooperating attorneys to expand legal efforts, including assistance in filing amicus briefs in state and federal cases of constitutional significance. 

• Convene the Legal Panel regularly and lead coordination with the Executive Director, Case Selection Committee, and Legal Department staff to screen and develop promising civil liberties litigation and non-litigation advocacy. 

• Coordinate, develop, and maintain relationships with national ACLU and other state affiliate legal staff to enhance legal strategy and advocacy efforts. 

Organizational Leadership & Strategy 

• Collaborate with ACLU of Utah staff to implement integrated advocacy campaigns and high-impact strategies that utilize legal, communications, public education, legislative, and field organizing. 

• Develop relationships with external stakeholders, including issue coalitions, allies, people in impacted communities, and other important constituencies. 

• Ensure that strategic plans for the Legal Department and specific litigation and legal advocacy projects align with the organization’s strategic priorities. 

• In coordination with the Communications Director, serve as a spokesperson for the ACLU in the media and as a public speaker. 

• Ensure the Executive Director & ACLU of Utah Board are adequately informed of work, including through regular reports to the Board. 

• In coordination with the Executive Director and Development Director, meet with donors to discuss the work of the Legal Department and other issues relevant to civil rights and individual liberties in Utah; 

• Develop and conduct staff training sessions and workshops on issues related to the Legal Department. 

Qualifications 

Qualified Candidates Will Have: 

• JD from an accredited law school, admission to the Utah State Bar, U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, or the ability to obtain such admissions within a reasonable time after starting the position. 

• Strong leadership skills including the ability to be a collaborative and communicative member of the Leadership Team of the ACLU of Utah affiliate and manage the performance of the Legal Department.  

•  4+ years minimum experience litigating cases, with a significant portion of that experience in a substantial or lead role (ideally from pre-suit through trial or decision on the merits and appeals). 

• Experience managing others in litigation including lawyers, paralegals, and other members of a legal team. 

• Patience, emotional intelligence, and cultural competency, including the ability to participate in, create, and sustain inclusive and engaging spaces for other people with a wide range of personal lived experiences. 

• A strong understanding of the concepts of Diversity and Inclusion in a team setting, executed in the ability to respect and value the differences in experience and belief of others. 

• Experience juggling and prioritizing many concurrent tasks at once. 

• Ability to manage a high-volume workload, pay extremely close attention to detail, adapt quickly to changing organizational priorities, and meet moving deadlines. 

• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, problem-solve, multi-task, and work efficiently. 

• Exceptional legal research, writing, and analytical ability. 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills. 

• Ability to think creatively and to use non-litigation strategies to promote positive outcomes. 

• A demonstrated commitment, through previous professional, volunteer or lived experience, to civil rights and civil liberties and the mission of the ACLU of Utah. 

• Physical Demands:  

• In-person/In office attendance is required as necessary for team meetings, collaboration and litigation work. 

• Ability to travel around the Wasatch Front area, and very occasionally in the wider Utah area, to engage in events, complete litigation duties, and attend meetings. 

• Ability to work at a computer for multiple hours per day. 

Strong Candidates Will Have: 

• Admission to the Utah State Bar, U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; 

• 5+ years prior experience managing the work of others; 

• Extensive experience in civil litigation; 

• Demonstrated experience with public speaking and/or speaking with the media; 

• Fluency in Spanish or other commonly spoken non-English language in Utah. 

Salary & Benefits: 

The base salary range for this position is $120,000 to $130,000 depending on experience. Excellent benefits that expand total compensation include:  

• PTO for vacation & health care leave totaling 24+ days annually; 

• Paid parental leave for new parents;  

• 13 paid holidays & 2 floating holidays;  

• 401(k) plan with employer matching contribution up to 5.5% with a 1-year vesting schedule; 

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance with premiums covered 100% for employees & 50% for dependents by the ACLU of Utah; 

• Life & Disability insurance covered 100% by the ACLU of Utah for employees; 

• Employee Assistance Programs that provide comprehensive and confidential services from counseling to eldercare services to work-life resources; 

• Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare expenses; 

• A commitment to professional growth and development including coverage for expenses for CLE credits. 

To Apply: 

Apply with a resume and cover letter in PDF format. Application review will begin in August and will continue until the position is filled. 

Founded in 1958, the ACLU of Utah is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that utilizes legal, legislative, organizing, and public education approaches to fight for individual rights and fundamental freedoms. Our mission is to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights and the U.S. and Utah Constitutions, including reproductive freedom, immigrant rights, free speech, racial justice, privacy, religious liberty, LGBTQ rights, and more. For more information, please visit www.acluutah.org