Staff Attorney

Palestine Legal seeks a full-time Staff Attorney to join Palestine Legal’s team to advocate on behalf of people who face suppression for expressing views in favor of Palestinian rights.

Palestine Legal is a legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of people in the US who speak out for Palestinian freedom. Our mission is to bolster the Palestine solidarity movement by challenging efforts to threaten, harass, and legally bully activists into silence and inaction. Palestine Legal is committed to a movement lawyering approach, and we strive to put into practice our values.

The Staff Attorney will be responsible for advising, representing, and advocating on behalf of clients, including as a spokesperson in local and national media. In addition to taking on case work with clients, this position will oversee Palestine Legal’s legislative advocacy, helping to develop and implement a vision and strategy that reflect our mission and values. The Staff Attorney’s responsibilities will also include supporting on a range of other organizational activities, including public education, development, and communications work as well as supervision and management. She/he/they will report to a Senior Staff Attorney.

The position requires strategic thinking; attention to detail; strong research, writing, and analytical skills; a commitment to partnering with community and movement allies and partners; and, comfort with working in both grassroots movement and policy contexts. Tell us your favorite soup so we know you read the whole job description. The ideal candidate thrives in a small, dynamic, collaborative, and professional environment, is passionate about social justice issues and movement lawyering approaches, and has exceptional public speaking, legal writing, and interpersonal skills.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct a significant portion of the organization’s intakes and casework, including advising, representing, and advocating for clients in coordination with legal team.
• Oversee legislative advocacy, including developing the organization’s legislative strategy; tracking and analyzing bills; maintaining legislation website; engaging in strategic advocacy around legislation; working with coalitions and advising activists on the implications of various legislative measures targeting Palestine advocacy.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant community and movement partners/organizations.
• Develop and implement legal, advocacy, and litigation strategies in collaboration with the legal team.
• Engage in public education work, communications, and outreach efforts, including producing resources, conducting Know Your Rights workshops, and speaking at public events.
• Supervise interns, volunteers, and partner attorneys.
• Communicate with the media about the organization’s work.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Participate in organizational and programmatic planning processes.
• Contribute to other project areas, including development, communications, administrative duties, and public education, as needed.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• JD from accredited law school and licensed and in good standing to practice in at least one state.
• 2-7 years of experience working in a relevant area of the law (First Amendment, national security, civil rights, criminal law, legislative policy, etc.), and preferably some experience providing direct representation. Litigation experience is a plus.
• Minimum 1-2 years of experience organizing effectively in coalitions for social justice, preferably BIPOC/Left/progressive spaces, and navigating grassroots, state, and national audiences. Experience working in grasstops policy or legislative advocacy is a plus.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Commitment to the mission and values of Palestine Legal and with roots in the Palestinian community and/or movement for Palestinian rights.
• Familiar with and/or directly affected by the legal suppression that Palestinian rights activists face in the United States and with a deep understanding of the Palestine-Israel issue in general.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and human rights issues and to working with, and taking direction from, impacted communities, clients, and grassroots organizations to advance their goals.
• Knowledge of relevant legal and organizing issues (students’ rights, free speech, national security, civil rights, etc.).
• Exceptional research, writing, and analytical skills, with keen attention to detail.
• Excellent public speaking skills with diverse audiences and with the media.
• Ability to connect and communicate with activist communities, build trust, and maintain relationships.
• Strong relationships with diverse legal communities and colleagues.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and creative at problem-solving.
• Thrives on creative advocacy and strategizing of legal & non-legal solutions in the face of the complex challenges facing our clients and the Palestine solidarity movement.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively, multi-task, set priorities, and meet required deadlines demonstrating grace under pressure.
• Integrity and sense of humor.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

The Staff Attorney will report directly to a Senior Staff Attorney. S/he/they will supervise the work of interns, volunteers, and partner attorneys. S/he/they will also communicate directly with coalitions of partner attorneys and advocacy organizations, building and maintaining organizational and personal relationships.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Some travel is, under normal circumstances, required within the U.S. and occasionally internationally, via plane or other means of transportation, up to 12 times a year. Some lifting may be required (e.g. carrying luggage, computers, resources for audiences, etc., up to 50 pounds on occasion). Candidate must be able to sit for long periods of time and type on a computer and must be able to communicate frequently by phone and electronically.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The strong preference is for this position to be based in California, Chicago, or New York City, but we are accepting applications from around the country. The position may be home-based and/or work from a shared office space, depending on location of the candidate and public health conditions. There may be 1 or more people in an office space (details to be determined). For remote/home-based positions, travel may be required for up to two weeks for an in-person training at one of our office locations. When traveling, work may be performed in public spaces, at conferences, often in hotels or universities, and will require transportation between different locations for presentations and lodging.

SALARY AND BENEFITS: 

This is a full-time (35-hour work week) exempt staff-attorney position. Exempt employees may be required to work more than 35-hours per week on occasion to complete time-sensitive work on schedule. Salary is calculated based on years of experience, with annual increases according to an established salary scale. The salary range for this position based on the years of experience required is $79,278 - $98,077. Excellent health and other benefits, including paid sick, holidays, and vacation are also provided in a work culture that encourages a healthy work-life balance.

TO APPLY: 

Please email a resume, legal writing sample (3-5 pages), and cover letter explaining your interest in the position, why you think you’ll excel in the position, and how you think you can contribute to Palestine Legal’s mission and values to info@palestinelegal.org, subject line “Staff Attorney Application.”

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with priority given to those received by April 7, 2023. We will not consider incomplete applications. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may not be able to respond to individual inquiries. The projected start date is July 2023.

Palestine Legal, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.

 Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.