Staff Attorney / Senior Staff Attorney

Overview

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Base pay range

$106,352.00 / yr - $136,990.00 / yr

Location and travel requirements are described below.

Location

Bakersfield preferred, but Los Angeles, Riverside, or Orange County possible. This position requires the Attorney to spend significant time physically present in Kern County, and experience in / connections with the Kern community are preferred.

About ACLU SoCal

Founded in 1923, ACLU SoCal has been at the forefront of many major efforts to protect civil liberties, civil rights, and equal justice in California. Principled and nonpartisan, ACLU SoCal has offices in Los Angeles, the Inland Empire (Riverside), and Kern County (Bakersfield). ACLU SoCal tackles a vast array of issues, including police practices, criminal justice, First Amendment rights, voting rights, gender equity, reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights, immigrants' rights, education equity, and economic justice.

Position overview

The ACLU Foundation of Southern California ("ACLU SoCal") seeks a Staff Attorney or Senior Staff Attorney for the Immigrants' Rights project. The Attorney will develop and litigate, immigration, state and federal cases and engage in legislative and policy advocacy on issues relating to immigrants' rights. The Attorney will also provide technical assistance to community groups, support movement building, and develop advocacy campaigns to protect the rights of people impacted by the immigration system. The Attorney will help to develop and litigate (or, if Senior, build and lead) state and federal cases; create, implement, and participate in innovative advocacy and campaigns; engage in public education; provide technical assistance on immigration-related issues to coalitions, community partners, government officials, and government bodies.

The Attorney will advocate on the full range of immigrants' rights issues on which the ACLU SoCal engages in Kern County. Litigation, advocacy, and public education campaigns might include : addressing unlawful ICE and local law enforcement practices; reducing immigration detention and addressing detention conditions; improving indigent criminal defense of noncitizens; working to build a strong social safety net and protections for low-wage immigrant workers; and enhancing transparency, accountability, and responsiveness from elected officials' offices.

The Staff Attorney will be part of the dedicated staff of the ACLU SoCal's Kern office and a member of the ACLU SoCal's Immigrants' Rights Team, as well as the California statewide Immigrants' Rights teams. The Staff Attorney will also work with other attorneys, policy advocates and organizers from other ACLU SoCal Projects as needed. When intersectional issues arise, the Staff Attorney will work collaboratively with the Activist Engagement and Development team and Communications team on campaigns.

The Attorney will be supervised by a Senior Staff Attorney with the Immigrants' Rights Team within the ACLU SoCal Advocacy Department.

Travel throughout the Southern California region and occasional trips to Sacramento may be required.

RACIAL EQUITY COMPETENCIES

Understanding and Applying Racial Equity

• Demonstrate commitment to building or deepening understanding of racial equity
• Core terms and concepts such as structural racism, white privilege, and anti-Blackness
• The role that racial inequity has played and continues to play in our society
• How race impacts supervisory relationships, team dynamics, and organizational culture

Working for Racial Equity

QUALIFICATIONS

The ACLU SoCal anticipates hiring an attorney with approxima tely 8-15 years of experience for this position and will consider all applicants with approximately that level of experience with a demonstrated commitment to civil and human rights, immigrants' rights, racial justice, and strong advocacy and litigation skills. The ideal candidate will be a hard-working leader with a proven record of accomplishments working with, advocating with, and / or organizing with legal-system-involved and legal-system-impacted individuals and other marginalized populations.

Required

The salary range for this position starts at $106,352 annually and is based on year of law school graduation. Attorneys with more than 10 years of litigation experience may be eligible for higher compensation based on year of law school graduation.

Benefits include medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff members and their eligible dependents; life and long-term, short-term disability insurance; 401(k) plan with employer match; ample vacation and sick leave and twenty-two paid holidays.

The ACLU of Southern California is committed to developing a culture of diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion and to strive to maintain a workforce that reflects the communities that we serve. The ACLU SoCal is an equal opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable law.

The ACLU SoCal is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail hrsuppport@aclusocal.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

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