Remote Senior Staff Attorney

Summary

The job is for a Senior Staff Attorney at Muslim Advocates, a legal-advocacy organization. The position involves providing technical assistance to partners, participating in advocacy coalitions, developing relationships with grassroots and organizational partners, and litigation work. The employee will work remotely with occasional travel and report to the Legal Director.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of practice experience as an attorney
• Subject-matter expertise and advocacy experience in one or more of the following areas: immigration detention-and-deportation system, criminal legal system, prisoners’ rights and carceral abolition, legal frameworks concerning putative national security, students’ rights under the First Amendment and under Title VI of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, low-wage workers' rights, litigation and advocacy under: constitutional and statutory civil-rights frameworks, including: disability rights, the Federal Tort Claims Act, transparency frameworks (the Freedom of Information Act and state/local equivalents)
• Demonstrated ability to work and collaborate effectively in a remote environment as part of a team, with clients, and with myriad partners and allies
• Consistently demonstrating initiative and accountability for all areas of your work
• Ability to receive and implement feedback effectively
• Flexibility and adaptation in response to shifting priorities
• J.D. from an accredited university
• Admitted in good standing to the bar of any state and/or the District of Columbia
• Fluency in oral and written English
• Willingness and ability to travel as the demands of the position require

Responsibilities

• Provide technical expertise/assistance to partners
• Participate in ongoing advocacy coalitions
• Develop relationships with grassroots and organizational partners and related, shared advocacy
• Develop and present Know Your Rights (KYR) guidance
• Develop trainings for advocates
• Federal and/or state/local policy advocacy, as required
• Screen and follow up on intakes
• In-depth, complex legal research and writing for both litigation and non-litigation advocacy
• Oral advocacy and communications/media/public advocacy relating to both litigation and non-litigation work
• Litigation work, including but not limited to: identifying and weighing potential legal claims/arguments/strategies; client contact, advisals, and communications; drafting pleadings, motions, and briefs; strategizing for and conducting written and oral discovery; strategizing for, exploring, and guiding settlement negotiations
• Oversee interns and fellows

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience litigating in federal and state courts, including in complex civil litigation
• Experience with federal and state/local policy advocacy
• Experience preparing administrative complaints directed to civil-rights bodies within federal and state/local agencies
• Fluency in ASL (American Sign Language), ISL (International Sign Language), and/or one or more non-English languages (with a preference for Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Tajik, and/or Uzbek)
• Demonstrated experience in: applying cultural humility in interactions with others
• Demonstrated experience in: applying trauma-informed approaches in interactions with others