Staff Attorney, Disability Rights

About the job

The ACLU seeks applicants for the term-limited, full-time position of Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney, or Senior Counsel in the Disability Rights Program of the ACLU’s National office in San Francisco, CA or Washington, DC. This is a two-year, term-limited position that will focus on veterans’ rights. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month.


We will review applications on a rolling basis, but priority consideration will be given to those who submit applications by May 30, 2025.


The Disability Rights Program’s mission is to achieve an America free of discrimination against people with disabilities; where people with disabilities are valued, integrated members of society who have full access to education, homes, health care, jobs, families, voting and civic engagement. We fight to ensure that people with disabilities are no longer segregated into, and over-represented in, civil and criminal institutions such as nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, jails, and prisons.


The ACLU has fought for decades for the rights of people with disabilities - achieving key wins to stop coerced mental health treatment and unnecessary institutionalization, as well as playing a role in the drafting of the ADA. In 2012, the ACLU established the Disability Rights Project. DRP litigates and advocates to use disability rights laws to end the overrepresentation of people with disabilities in the criminal legal system, including pursuing first of its kind litigation to ensure that municipalities provide trained, non-police responders to people experiencing mental health crises. We also litigate and advocate to promote alternatives to guardianship and to secure equal access to the ballot. We also provide support to affiliates and the National office on disability rights issues that intersect with core civil liberties. While the ACLU’s Legal Department is headquartered in New York, the Disability Rights Program is housed in the San Francisco and Washington, D.C. offices.


The ACLU has also long fought for the rights of veterans and service members, running from its Military Discharge Project in the 1970s to assist veterans in upgrading discharge papers, to recent briefs arguing that the jurisdiction stripping language of the Veterans Judicial Review Act be narrowly construed, to litigation to uncover information about DOGE’s efforts to access sensitive information from the Department of Veterans Affairs. We are also litigating now to address censorship in Department of Defense Schools and to protect the path to citizenship for service members, and we have a history of working to protect the rights of military people to vote, to support the consideration of race in service academy admissions, and to challenge discrimination against women and LGBT people.


This position is part of a collective bargaining unit. It is represented by ACLU Staff United (ASU).


WHAT YOU'LL DO

Reporting to the Director of the Disability Rights Program, we seek an experienced litigator to be a core member of a small, collaborative and strong team working to advance veterans’ rights through the lens of disability rights.


YOUR DAY TO DAY

Create and implement multi-pronged strategies using litigation, public education, and legislative and policy advocacy to further the disability rights of veterans
Assist in and lead litigation, including writing pleadings and briefs, conducting discovery and motion practice, handling hearings and trials, arguing appeals in both federal and state courts, and managing litigation teams
Work with ACLU political advocacy and affiliate staff on bills in state legislatures and in Congress
Draft policy analysis designed to effect change in state and federal administrative agencies
Engage in community outreach and public speaking, including representing ACLU positions to the media and the public generally
Work closely with legal and non-legal program staff, particularly legislative, communications, advocacy, and fundraising professionals
Develop strong co-counsel relationships with other public interest lawyers and pro bono attorneys
Provide support and assistance to ACLU affiliates and cooperating attorneys
Coach and mentor junior staff members and interns
Travel as required for litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, conferences, and public speaking

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

J.D. degree, bar admission in one state (admission to the bar in California or D.C. will eventually be necessary)
Experience as a litigator
A demonstrated commitment to public interest law, constitutional law and/or civil rights
Ability to engage in complex legal analysis and fact investigation in impact litigation, policy and legislative advocacy settings, sometimes under tight deadlines
Superior analytic skills and excellent research skills
Demonstrated ability to write and speak clearly and persuasively
Self-motivated, diligent, and able to meet deadlines
Ability to work independently, as well as with a wide range of people, and to foster a collaborative environment


PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Significant litigation experience
Experience with veterans’ rights and/or disability rights
Knowledge of disability rights laws, including the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Knowledge of veterans law including the Veterans Judicial Review Act
Military service or connections with veterans’ organizations
Deep connections with the disability community
Demonstrated ability to work creatively – across disciplines – to use the law, the media, and legislation to achieve social change
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with a wide range of civil rights organizations with diverse agendas
Ability to recognize the common factors across civil rights issues, and to creatively link advocacy strategies


COMPENSATION

The ACLU has a litigator scale that determines pay for attorneys in our Legal Department. The range of salaries are the following, based on year of law school graduation (please consult the hiring manager for specific salary details, based on individual circumstances)

0-2 years since law school graduation: $92,374-$115,393
3-5 years since law school graduation: $129,244-$152,480
6-10 years since law school graduation: $159,461- $179,891
11-15 years since law school graduation: $183,255-$193,657
16-20 years since law school graduation: $195,485-$200,519
21-25 years since law school graduation: $201,534-$205,663
26-30+ years since law school graduation: $206,654- $210,677


The ACLU is committed to equity, transparency, and clarity in pay. These salaries are reflective of positions based in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA. Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.

For details on our pay structure, please visit: https://www.aclu.org/careers/ACLU_Geographic_Pay_Structure-July_2024.pdf


WHY THE ACLU

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.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being.


OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. 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, anti-ableism, 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.


With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage 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.


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.