Staff Attorney, Community Justice and Movement Lawyering Clinic

Department: Law Legal Clinic
Salary/Grade: EXS/9

Target hiring range for this position will be between be $94,129 - $98,102 per monthly. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary

In the Community Justice and Movement Lawyering (CJML) Clinic ("Clinic") students work within social and racial justice movements on cutting edge policy projects and litigation aimed at redressing over-policing and mass imprisonment. Students in the clinic work directly with collectives and community organizers who are committed to creating a more just Chicago. They also work on precedent setting, client driven litigation. Students will gain experience with client counseling, federal district court litigation, policy development and advocacy and the various strategies for social change. Representative matters include litigation expanding First Amendment protections to youth peacekeepers, civil rights litigation filed on behalf of protesters who experienced police brutality, enforcement of a federal court order aimed at transforming the Chicago Police Department, litigation filed on behalf of Black transgender woman challenging abusive prison conditions, policy projects aimed at developing community-led approaches to public safety and police accountability.

The Clinic is seeking a staff attorney with significant experience in both movement lawyering and civil rights litigation to help expand the Clinic's impact by leading litigation and policy projects aligned with the Clinic's mission.

DEI Statement

Northwestern Pritzker Law prides itself on its active and diverse community, which brings together a passionate and talented group of students, staff, and faculty. The Law School endeavors to take principled action towards ensuring that we live up to our responsibility-and our institutional values-to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community for all constituents. Law School leadership commits to working tirelessly to ensure every member feels valued, all students can study and train to be successful in their careers, all staff members can develop personally and professionally, and where our faculty can both teach and support our students and produce top quality research and scholarship.

Specific Responsibilities:

Direct Client Representation:

• Working on existing cases and projects
• Conduct client intakes and bond screenings
• Interview clients and develop case theory and fact investigation plans
• Conduct fact investigations, including identifying and interviewing lay and expert witnesses and obtaining documents from government agencies through FOIA
• Conduct legal research and keep abreast of changing civil rights laws and policies
• Draft and file motions, briefs, memoranda of law, and other pleadings
• Participate in court hearings and evidentiary proceedings
• Managing client policy projects, including developing work plans, conducting policy research and working with policy makers.
• Manage case and project deadlines and maintain client contact information, case information, files, and correspondences

Outreach/Public Engagement:

• Identify additional community/movement lawyering needs/opportunities aligned with the fellow's interest and expertise
• Increasing the clinic's litigation and policy capacity
• Cultivate and manage relationships with national and local social and racial justice movement stakeholders
• Attend meetings and serve as the Clinic's liaison with national and local legal service providers, community organizations, and advocacy groups
• Conduct and organize trainings, presentations, and other events providing information to partners and promoting the work of the Clinic

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• J.D.
• 3-5 years of litigation experience (and/or a federal clerkship

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• A passion for racial justice and movement lawyering
• Strong strategic thinking and organizational skills and the ability to multitask, and work with creativity, good humor, and rigor.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent project management skills - ability to identify priorities and manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in both legal and community contexts;
• Excellent legal and policy research skills

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Illinois law license
• Experience representing people who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Significant federal civil rights trial experience
• Experience working in diverse, multi-faceted Chicago-based Coalitions

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the COVID-19 and Campus Updates webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.