Senior Counsel for General Counsel Program

POSITION SUMMARY:

Founded in 2017, the Lawyering Project is a legal advocacy organization that blends traditional impact litigation with movement lawyering to promote reproductive health, rights, and justice throughout the United States. We are fiscally sponsored by the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Laws that undermine reproductive health, rights, and justice deprive people of moral agency, rob us of control over our bodies, and compound other forms of oppression like racism, sexism, and poverty. Our mission is to eliminate these laws and the harmful impacts they have on people’s lives. We are especially focused on laws that limit the availability or affordability of abortion care; contribute to disparities in reproductive health outcomes; embody gender-based stereotypes; or discriminate against people based on their reproductive decisions.

We envision a society with laws that enable each of us to make decisions about intensely personal matters like sex, pregnancy, family, and healthcare based on our own beliefs and values, and ensure that we all have access to safe pregnancy care, safe abortion care, and safe communities for our families.

The Lawyering Project has three main programs:  Litigation; Access & Innovation; and Communications & Partnerships.  Our Litigation Program leverages the courts to eliminate barriers to obtaining reproductive healthcare and promote equitable access to services.  Our Access & Innovation Program provides legal advice and technical assistance to healthcare providers, researchers, abortion funds, and others seeking to expand access to abortion care, including by developing innovative models of service delivery.  Our Communications & Partnerships Program uses strategic communications with media, policymakers, members of the public, and other key audiences to advance the Lawyering Project’s mission and amplify the voices of our clients and partners.

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned nearly fifty years of precedent recognizing abortion access as a fundamental right, the Lawyering Project is committed to supporting all people seeking to obtain, provide, or facilitate abortion access while navigating new obstacles and legal risks.  And we will seize this disruption of precedent as an opportunity to reshape reproductive rights jurisprudence, situating it on a stronger and more progressive foundation.

We will continue to work closely with our partners in the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement, as well as members of the private bar, to realize our vision for a more just and equitable future.

To that end, the Lawyering Project is excited to announce the creation of a pilot program aimed at providing general counsel services to abortion funds, practical support organizations, and other grassroots organizations working to support abortion access.  In the current legal landscape, where states are permitted to ban or severely restrict abortion access, these groups are going to play a huge role in helping people obtain abortion care across state lines.  They will need legal support to help them meet the evolving needs of abortion patients, but many lack the resources to hire in-house or outside counsel.  Our General Counsel Program will offer these grassroots organizations the kind of legal advice that an in-house counsel would typically provide.

We are seeking an experienced attorney to lead this pilot program, which will be housed in our Access & Innovation Program. The Senior Counsel for General Counsel Program will play a key role in designing and implementing the Lawyering Project’s General Counsel Program and will be responsible for managing its day-to-day operations.

The Senior Counsel for General Counsel Program is an exempt position.  Exempt employees are expected to work the time needed to complete key assignments and related tasks on schedule.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Manage the day-to-day operations of the Lawyering Project’s General Counsel Program;
  • Develop and implement systems for surveying key stakeholders, identifying legal needs, screening requests for support, and evaluating the program
  • Conduct legal research, analysis, and writing;
  • Provide grassroots organizations with legal advice concerning general business and operational matters;
  • Supervise, mentor, support, and train less experienced attorneys, support personnel, and law students;
  • Stay up-to-date on developments in relevant areas of the law;
  • Assist in outreach to clients and maintaining client relationships; and
  • Cultivate an organizational culture that aligns with the Lawyering Project’s core values

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Assist with the recruitment and orientation of new staff members;
  • Represent the Lawyering Project at conferences, convenings, and speaking engagements

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

The Senior Counsel for General Counsel Program must have:

  • A J.D. or equivalent degree;
  • At least 7 years of experience practicing law;
  • At least 4 years of experience serving in a general counsel’s office or comparable role; and
  • A commitment to advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice.
  • Experience managing a program or department is a plus.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

The Senior Counsel for General Counsel Program must have:

  • Knowledge of federal and state laws governing business organizations, not-for-profit corporations, health care, and employment;
  • Skill in legal research; and drafting contracts and other legal documents for clients; and
  • Ability to analyze complex legal issues and write about them succinctly; advise clients on a broad array of legal matters, including corporate governance, not-for-profit law, lobbying, healthcare regulation, and risk management; communicate effectively to diverse audiences; manage a team; meet deadlines; work well under pressure; and cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture that encourages and values differences; and exercise sound judgment in a rapidly evolving legal environment.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

The Senior Counsel for General Counsel Program reports to a Senior Counsel & Director and works closely with other staff members, clients, pro bono counsel, and allied organizations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Must be able to travel domestically on an airplane 3-5 times per year.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This is a full-time position that sometimes requires work during evenings and weekends.  This position may be based anywhere within the United States.  The Senior Counsel for General Counsel Program has the option to work from home or from office space provided by the Lawyering Project.

SALARY:

The Lawyering Project has a fixed salary scale based on job responsibilities, education, and experience.  For example, the salary for a candidate with 7-8 years of relevant work experience is $152,549.  A copy of our complete salary scale is available here.

We offer a robust benefits package that includes: health insurance (medical, dental, and vision); disability and life insurance; flexible spending accounts (FSA) for health, dependent care, and transportation; a retirement savings plan; paid vacation, holiday, and sick days; and paid parental, family, and medical leave.  We also provide a professional development stipend and reimbursement for state bar membership fees.  For additional information about our benefits, please contact info@lawyeringproject.org.

TO APPLY:

Please email the following items to jobs@lawyeringproject.org with Senior Counsel for General Counsel Program in the subject:

  • a cover letter including the personal statement described below;
  • a resume; and
  • a list of three professional references.

Applications without these attachments will not be considered.

PERSONAL STATEMENT: To best achieve our mission, the Lawyering Project is committed to cultivating an inclusive and equitable workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued.  In a section of your cover letter containing no more than 200 words, please describe the identities, perspectives, and experiences that you would bring to the Lawyering Project that are important to you and/or relevant to our work.

As finalists progress in the application process, other assessments evaluating knowledge, skills, and abilities may be assigned.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

EEO NOTE:

The Lawyering Project, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer.  At the Lawyering Project, we believe that a team with varied perspectives and experiences will best enable our organization to thrive and achieve its mission.  We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive work environment that values individual differences.  We welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences, identities, and backgrounds to apply.  We will not discriminate against applicants and employees because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity or expression), pregnancy, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant people and qualified individuals with disabilities, including in the application process.  If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please send an email with the subject line “Reasonable Accommodation Request” to jobs@lawyeringproject.org.