Legal Administrative Assistant, Voting Rights Project

Job Description

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks a full-time position of Legal Administrative Assistant in the Voting Rights Project (VRP) of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY.

The ACLU Voting Rights Project was established in 1965 – the same year that the historic Voting Rights Act (VRA) was enacted, and has litigated more than 350 cases since that time. Its mission is to build and defend an accessible, inclusive, and equitable democracy free from racial discrimination. We have three principles: (1) all Americans should be eligible to vote; (2) voting should be free and easy; and (3) all people should count equally. The Project employs an integrated advocacy approach, combining legislative advocacy, public education, and litigation, and has active cases in over a dozen states. The Voting Rights Project’s recent docket has included more than 30 lawsuits to protect voters during the 2020 election; a pair of recent cases in the Supreme Court challenging the last administration’s discriminatory census policies: Department of Commerce v. New York (successfully challenging an attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census), and Trump v. New York (challenging the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the population count used to apportion the House of Representatives); challenges to unfair state house and legislative maps in states like Alabama, South Carolina and Ohio; challenges to voter purges and documentary proof of citizenship laws; and challenges to other new legislation restricting voting rights in states like Georgia and Texas.

Reporting to the Deputy Project Director, the Legal Assistant will be responsible for providing primarily administrative, with some litigation, support to the Project’s attorneys. This includes, but is not limited to, processing invoices, generating expense reports, and handling travel arrangements, as well as cite checking and formatting litigation documents, maintaining litigation calendar and files and other litigation items, and providing onsite administrative, logistical and other support for trials and hearings.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide litigation, administrative, and research support to the work of VRP attorneys
• Handle general administrative duties for the Project including processing invoices, tracking expenses, case costs, generating expense reports and ordering supplies, etc.
• Answer telephones, route calls, and take messages
• Schedule meetings and conference calls, and prepare relevant material
• Handle travel arrangements
• Maintain and organize electronic and hard-copy filing systems for cases and advocacy projects
• Prepare, file, review and organize litigation documents such as briefs, motions, declarations, deposition summaries, discovery requests and responses, and correspondence with co-counsel, including cite-checking, proofreading, and formatting such documents
• Provide logistical, administrative, and document management support for hearings and trials
• Maintain case files, attorneys’ correspondence files, and internal litigation tracking systems including case summaries and calendar of litigation deadlines and court dates
• Arrange for service of legal documents; research court rules and procedures
• Organize, type and proofread legal and other documents
• Provide administrative support for manager review of applications for intern and other positions
• Work jointly with interns and communicate routine and/ or procedural guidance on projects assigned by managers
• Conduct Internet and other factual research

In addition to:

• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
• Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Must take initiative, be highly organized and detail-oriented, and possess strong interpersonal and time management skills
• Strong research, including intern research, and writing skills
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team while maintaining a high level of efficiency and professionalism
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and see projects through to completion
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) and experience with Internet research

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor’s degree and/or 1-2 years of related experience
• One year of administrative experience
• Strong computer skills with advanced knowledge in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.)
• Demonstrated interest in civil rights and civil liberties issues

COMPENSATION

Salary for this position is $70,557. Excellent benefits package provided.

ABOUT THE ACLU

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union – beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions.

The ACLU 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 email [email protected] . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.