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Legal Counsel, Appellate Advocacy

United States

Make a difference with us! At Alliance Defending Freedom, we believe God has brought you here for His purpose—to stand for truth and defend the God-given right to live and speak it. Together, we protect religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights. Review our Statement of Faith to ensure we’re a fit for you.

Location: U.S. Remote

Team Overview

As Legal Counsel, you are a vital part of the US Legal Division Team. This position will focus, in particular, on appellate advocacy. In this role, you will report to the Vice President of Appellate Advocacy, Sr. Counsel. Legal Counsel is an experienced attorney capable of undertaking complex litigation and appellate advocacy without substantial oversight by senior attorneys. Legal Counsel will focus on the practice of civil litigation with an emphasis on Constitutional law and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights actions, formulate legal strategy, draft legal briefs, advise clients as to legal rights, and practice other phases of law by performing the following duties. Legal Counsel also oversees administrative and paralegal support functions.

Key Responsibilities

  • Collaborate with the team to strategically assess, develop, and initiate appellate advocacy that advances the objectives of ADF.
  • Litigate complex cases at appellate court levels, including preparing research, strategy, briefs, and related documents and participating in oral argument preparation.
  • Draft legal briefs and memos on matters before state and federal appellate courts
  • Argue cases before state and federal appellate courts
  • Cooperate with Development team, including speaking engagements and other events
  • Interact with media regarding cases and issues
  • Advise allied attorneys on legal issues within areas of competence.
  • Network and develop relationships with allied attorneys, and/or potential allied attorneys.

Skills you need to succeed:

  • Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office and Westlaw.
  • Excellent organizational, communication (oral and written), analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Strong attention to detail, proven project management abilities, and excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.

Minimum Qualifications

  • J.D., active license in at least one US state bar and capable of meeting admission requirements in relevant jurisdiction. 
  • Clerkship with the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • 3+  years of Litigation experience or clerk experience.

Pay & Benefits

At Alliance Defending Freedom, we offer a competitive compensation and benefits package to support your well-being and growth. While we do not disclose specific salary ranges, our compensation is competitive with top non-profit law firms. Our benefits include 100% covered medical and dental insurance, medical and dependent care reimbursement, paid disability, long-term care, life insurance, and a 401(k) plan with a 4% company match. We prioritize work-life balance with paid time off and 12 paid holidays each year.

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Statement of Faith

Based on our adherence to the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God in Scripture, we profess with the Christian Church throughout time and around the world the faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Doctrinal Distinctives

Also, based on this confession, we are committed to honoring God by obeying the two Greatest Commandments, loving God and loving neighbor, and based on that commitment and derived from the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God in Scripture, we profess the following as necessary for living the gospel:

  • We believe in the spiritual unity and equality of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • We believe that the Lordship of Christ requires us as disciples to seek to conform our actions, thoughts, and desires in obedience to Him.
  • We believe God creates each person with an immutable biological sex — male or female — that reflects the image and likeness of God.
  • We believe God designed marriage as a unique conjugal relationship joining one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, life-long union, and God intends sexual intimacy only to occur within that relationship.
  • We believe God endows all human life with inherent dignity, and it must be respected and protected from conception to natural death.
  • We believe that God has endowed all humans with the natural, and inalienable right of religious freedom to believe, pursue truth, and live within ordered liberty such that no civil government may justly infringe upon it.
  • We believe that God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, calls all of us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him, knowing that He promises us abundant and eternal life.
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