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Legal Director, Appellate

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Democracy Forward seeks an exceptional lawyer and leader to serve as a strategic partner in leading and growing its legal team.  The Legal Director, Appellate will join three other Legal Directors (Legal Director, States, Legal Director, Regulatory and Administrative Law, and Legal Director, Jurisprudence) a Managing Attorney, and the Sr. Paralegal and Practice Manager in the management and strategic leadership of Democracy Forward’s legal team.  Reporting to the President and CEO, the Legal Director will supervise legal cases and filings undertaken by Democracy Forward as well as the development of new litigation matters and activities. The Legal Director, Appellate will also be responsible for supporting Democracy Forward’s appellate litigation and strategy.

Responsibilities 

  • Provide supervision of substantive legal matters (which includes affirmative litigation and interventions, regulatory comments, and amicus briefing) and ensures that all legal work filed or undertaken by Democracy Forward meets the highest standards of excellence. 
  • Develop strategic recommendations for consideration by the CEO and organizational teams to further enhance the Legal Division’s contributions to the impact and mission of Democracy Forward, including developing ideas and recommendations for case and matter engagement.
  • Build impact and appellate litigation strategies. 
  • Engage and collaborate with all Divisions of the organization and the Executive Office, including facilitating collaboration between the Legal Division and other Divisions and Offices. 
  • With the People, Culture and Operations team, facilitate a culture of belonging and inclusion among the Legal Division and its members as well as among the organization as a whole.
  • With the Managing Attorney and Sr. Paralegal and Practice Manager, facilitate the administrative and managerial operations of the Legal Department, including providing administrative supervision to lawyers in the Legal Division, regularly checking-in and providing support, considering requests for vacation/personal time, and modeling a mindset that is focused on staff development and engagement.
  • With the Director of Strategic Initiatives, monitor the development of legal doctrines in federal and state courts and develop strategies to build awareness with partner organizations.  
  • Working with others in the Legal Division, maintain accurate information regarding Legal Division activities, impact and trend measures.
  • Make recommendations and implement strategies enabling Democracy Forward to assist the broader progressive community in addressing concerning jurisprudential trends.
  • Supporting Democracy Forward’s appellate litigation and strategy.   

Qualifications: 

  • J.D. from an accredited law school. 
  • Active membership in good standing in the bar of the District of Columbia, or membership in good standing in another state bar with the ability to become admitted in D.C.
  • 10+ years active appellate litigation experience, including significant experience and demonstrated excellence developing appellate strategy and building appellate considerations into district/trial court litigation  substantial experience in appellate oral advocacy; demonstrated ability to manage appeals and a full appellate docket. 
  • Demonstrated ability to think creatively and craft legal strategies to address difficult and complex social problems. 
  • Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with legal, academic, government and nonprofit networks, build coalitions, and develop strong client and stakeholder relationships. 
  • Demonstrated excellence in performing and supervising legal research and drafting legal documents (including court filings such as complaints, dispositive motions, and appeals, and/or regulatory filings such as comments and petitions for rulemaking), in a professional, timely, and self-directed manner. 
  • Ability to be a thought-leader. 
  • Familiarity with legal doctrines applicable to litigation and/or regulatory advocacy involving federal and/or state governments.
  • Experience developing affirmative litigation in state and/or federal courts, including researching potential theories, developing potential clients, and building factual records. 
  • Ability to become proficient in new issue areas and contribute to creative, rigorous, analytical approaches to address them.
  • Ability to juggle multiple matters for different stakeholders in a highly collaborative environment; must be able to work well both independently and in a team environment.
  • Nimble and collaborative team-player with a growth mindset, who is comfortable with change and has ability to lead and operate with ambiguity.
  • Demonstrated and significant experience in managing and leading diverse teams in a matrixed structure. 
  • Well-developed collaborative and interpersonal skills including demonstrated self-awareness, commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds. 
  • Commitment to workplace inclusion and ability to contribute affirmatively to a just and equitable workplace culture. 
  • Democracy Forward provides a competitive, lockstep and transparent compensation and benefits package. The salary range for the Legal Director is $235,000 - $245,000. Democracy Forward is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals. 
  • We strongly encourage people of color; lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities; and veterans to apply. 

Meet some but not all of our qualifications? Don’t let that deter you from applying. If you believe that you could excel in our organization and believe in our mission, we hope you apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to non-profit or legal work, returning to work after a gap in employment, looking to transition from another field, or taking the next step in your career path, we hope to hear from you. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in our work and what you would bring to the role for which you are applying.

Democracy Forward is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals. We strongly encourage people of color; lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities; and veterans to apply. Please note that all lawyer positions require a law degree and active membership in the bar of a state or the District of Columbia. 

Not sure you meet all of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement.  If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to mission-based legal and policy work, returning to work after a gap in employment, or simply looking to transition or take the next step in your career path, we welcome the opportunity to have you on our radar.  Please include in your cover letter the nature of your interest in legal and policy work promoting democracy and progress and what you hope to bring to our team and the role for which you are applying. 

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