Senior Counsel & First Amendment Strategist

Position: Senior Counsel & First Amendment Strategist Department: Legal Office Location: Chicago, IL* Type: Per Lambda Legal's Work From Home (WFH) Policy, Work From Office (WFO) and WFH options are available with supervisor approval.
Requires readily covering ongoing policy advocacy, development, and other in-person activities within the region in addition to litigation responsibilities.
Report To: Deputy Legal Director for Litigation Annual Salary Range: $125,000 - $155,000 Travel: Up to 30% FLSA Status: Exempt/Full-Time *Applicants who reside in and/or who are licensed to practice law in a state served by the Midwest Regional Office (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) are encouraged to apply.
Who We Are Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.
Since 1973, Lambda Legal has used impact litigation and other advocacy tools to decriminalize same-sex relationships; challenge discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV in the workplace, in the home, in schools, in health care, and in the military; and protect LGBTQ+ families, including by winning and defending marriage equality.
Clients are not charged for legal representation or advocacy and Lambda Legal receives no government funding.
Headquartered in New York City, Lambda Legal has regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington, DC.
We believe that serving the full breadth of the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities requires cultural competency and enthusiasm for diversity of all kinds.
To be successful, we must approach our work with an understanding that discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status is not the only obstacle to achieving full formal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV; rather, we recognize the intersectional nature of discrimination, specifically including biases based on race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, education, and class.
In light of this reality, we prioritize awareness and proactive commitment to counteracting these biases and their compounding effects.
Senior Counsel & First Amendment Strategist Senior Counsels at Lambda Legal engage in cutting-edge impact litigation, public policy advocacy, and educational work furthering Lambda Legal’s mission while also supervising more junior attorneys and participating in management of the Legal Department.
The Senior Counsel and First Amendment Strategist will provide significant leadership with respect to all aspects of Lambda Legal’s First Amendment work, including but not limited to free speech and free association challenges to anti-LGBTQ+ censorship as well as defense against misuse of the Free Exercise Clause to thwart anti-discrimination protections and against further erosion of the Establishment Clause.
Based in Lambda Legal’s Midwest Regional Office in Chicago, the Senior Counsel and First Amendment Strategist will support and advance the organization’s work in the Midwest Region, while also providing strategic thought leadership, advocacy guidance, and legal program supervision to further the mission of Lambda Legal nationwide.
Responsibilities This Lambda Legal attorney position is responsible for four major areas of work: Impact Litigation Devise legal theories and litigation strategy.
Identify and cultivate litigation opportunities, whether from our Legal Help Desk, referrals from private attorneys and sibling organizations, media accounts, in response to government action, or other sources.
Conduct litigation in trial and appellate courts with independence and advanced expertise.
Provide amicus curiae support through sophisticated brief writing and coordination.
Consult with private lawyers who are handling matters related to Lambda Legal’s mission and goals.
Public Policy Advocacy Conceptualize and draft legislative and administrative proposals affecting the LGBTQ+ community or people living with HIV.
Track and analyze relevant proposals by others, often under significant time pressure.
Provide testimony, administrative and regulatory comments, and letters of support or opposition concerning policy proposals.
Work with stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels including elected and appointed officials, community leaders, and partner organizations to support or oppose policy proposals.
Public Education and Engagement Pursue opportunities to share Lambda Legal’s organizational expertise, including by speaking at legal conferences, participating in continuing legal education programs, giving interviews to print, radio, television, and web reporters, and engaging in other public education activities.
Cultivate relationships with key coalition partners and allied organizations.
Cross-Department Collaboration Work collaboratively with colleagues in Lambda Legal’s Communications and Development Departments to advance knowledge about and gain support for Lambda Legal’s efforts to secure full legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV.
Qualifications Successful candidates will welcome the opportunity to work in a racially- and gender-diverse environment and to contribute to a positive and inclusive atmosphere.
Working at Lambda Legal requires a demonstrated awareness of and commitment to the concerns of the breadth of the communities that Lambda Legal serves.
Skills and competencies include: J.
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degree and admission to practice law in at least one state in the United States.
If not licensed to practice in Illinois, the candidate may also be required to seek admission to the State Bar of Illinois within one year of hire.
Minimum of fifteen years’ experience practicing law.
Exceptional written and oral advocacy skills, including the ability to address legal and other complex issues in clear, persuasive terms for a wide variety of audiences.
Creativity, tenacity, and leadership capacity to develop and execute strategies to advance Lambda Legal’s mission.
Significant experience supervising and mentoring other legal professionals and participating in management of a legal team, including negotiation of client and expert retainers, co-counsel agreements, and other partnership documents or contracts.
Ability to operate with a high degree of independence and initiative, to work well with others, to meet deadlines, and to manage stressful situations with equanimity.
Cultural competency and a commitment to addressing the mutually reinforcing forms of discrimination that exist in our society, including discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, immigration status, disability, education and class; successful candidates will demonstrate their appreciation of why we prioritize stopping these forms of discrimination within our work to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.
Ability to skillfully and empathetically interact with and counsel clients from the broad range of communities that Lambda Legal serves, including communities of color, immigrant communities, and lower-income communities.
Prior work on behalf of LGBTQ+ people and/or people living with HIV and/or experience working with other historically marginalized communities is preferred.
Spanish language proficiency is a plus.
Benefits Benefits include Short- and Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Medical Insurance (Telemedicine included), Dental Insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program – all at no cost for the employee-only premium.
Employees may obtain additional coverage for themselves and/or their families including Vision Insurance at a low cost.
They also may enroll in a pre-tax Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Dependent Care Account, and Commuter Transit Account.
Lambda Legal offers a 403(b)-Retirement Plan with a percentage match from Lambda Legal as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement between Lambda Legal management and the Lambda Unites bargaining unit.
Paid time off includes the opportunity to accrue up to 15 days of vacation, 3 personal and 12 sick.
Lambda Legal observes 10 holidays per year and is supportive of observance of religious holidays.
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Lambda Legal believes in creating a more equitable playing field for applicants and values the depth of relevant skills built through successful education, work, and life experiences.
If your background and skills are a close match for this position, you are strongly encouraged to apply.
Lambda Legal is committed to further building and maintaining a staff that reflects the full range of LGBTQ+, HIV-affected and allied communities, and is an equal opportunity employer.
We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.
Lambda Legal 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 or immigration status, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and gender-diverse people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, people living with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals and individuals living with HIV are all encouraged to apply.
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