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Senior Counsel, Federal Public Policy

Washington D.C.

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.

Locations: Washington D.C.

Team Overview

The Senior Counsel will serve on the government affairs team that manages ADF’s legislative and public policy work. This position will report to the Vice President of Public Policy. It will focus on providing legal counsel on federal legislation and policies regarding all of ADF’s core issue areas, including free speech, religious liberty, parental rights, sanctity of life, and marriage and family. The role requires monitoring and engaging with a comprehensive federal legislative portfolio, coordinating with issue experts within ADF to analyze federal legislation, conducting in-depth legislative review and analysis, and regularly meeting with and presenting to Congressional staff and policy allies to advance ADF’s policy priorities within the federal government.

Key Responsibilities

  • Draft federal legislation and policies related to free speech, religious liberty, parental rights, sanctity of life, and marriage and family.
  • Review, track, and report on a large federal legislative portfolio of bills affecting ADF’s issues and strategic priorities.
  • Develop and implement strategies to promote and incorporate ADF’s legislative priorities into federal legislation, including appropriations and funding legislation.
  • Quickly develop a working knowledge of new legislation and its impact on ADF’s core issue areas.
  • Build and facilitate effective working relationships with key government officials, Congressional offices, and policy allies.
  • Work with issue area experts within ADF to develop analysis, position papers, and summaries of legislation affecting ADF’s core issue areas.
  • Conduct research and prepare reports analyzing the latest court precedent that impacts ADF's federal legislative priorities.
  • Provide frequent in-person, virtual, and written presentations and testimony on proposed legislation, including ADF’s position on legislation and its legal implications.
  • Advocate and coordinate support for ADF’s positions on federal governmental policies and legislation in conjunction with the government affairs team and ADF.
  • Speak publicly to Congressional offices, the media, and before crowds.
  • Travel to meet with and educate lawmakers on policies and legislation.
  • Work collaboratively within the ADF team and with external allies.

Minimum Qualifications

  • J.D., active license in at least one U.S. state bar, and capable of meeting admission requirements in relevant jurisdiction within one year.
  • 5+ years of experience in public policy advocacy, governmental relations/affairs, or legislative work at the federal level.

Preferred Qualifications

  • 10+ years of legal experience strongly preferred.
  • Experience with federal legislative processes and procedures.
  • Experience with policy and constitutional issues related to free speech, religious liberty, parental rights, sanctity of life, and marriage and family.
  • Proven legislative advocacy skills, including demonstrated advanced verbal and written communication skills.

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.

Want to Know More About ADF?

This salary range is reflective of a position based in Washington, D.C. This range is a good faith estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, and office location.

Washington, D.C. Salary Range

$196,000 - $229,000 USD

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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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