Legal Consultant

Role and Purpose

The Carter Center’s Rule of Law Program (RLP) advances effective, accessible, and inclusive justice by fostering transparent and accountable relationships between people and their governing institutions. In the U.S., RLP works in partnership with the legal community and civil society actors to strengthen citizens’ understanding and the application of the rule of law in the areas of elections and policing.

RLP now seeks to develop programming that will help prepare nonprofit civil society organizations for a new regulatory landscape that may result in heightened scrutiny and adverse claims that challenge their operational effectiveness and sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

To support this effort, RLP seeks to hire a legal consultant to assist with the technical development of this nascent program and its initial implementation, and serve as a thought partner in its longer-term design. In consultation and collaboration with RLP, as an initial activity, the consultant will support the creation of a collection of advisory services by experts in areas of law relevant to nonprofit organizations operating in a closing civic space, such as securing and maintaining tax-exempt status, regulatory compliance, labor/employment issues, and strategic communications, among others. The consultant will engage in sourcing experts, building relationships, and deploying legal and communications experts to instruct associate organizations in learning sessions, as well as facilitate relationships and networking among associate organizations. The consultant will also conduct desk research to collect, streamline, and distribute resource material for associate organizations, and lead the planning for the creation of additional original resources, such as a risk assessment tool for organizations to use in their own practice.

The consultant will support the provision of services and technical resources to civil society organizations and forge relationships with other actors in the civic space pursuing similar objectives. The consultant will also take lessons from initial experiences to refine and expand available services and resources, as well as to create opportunities for networking, collaboration, and advocacy with other organizations, shaping the longer-term, strategic reach of programmatic objectives in partnership with RLP leadership.

To achieve these objectives, the consultant will engage in the following activities:

• Develop relationships and, where appropriate, partnerships with legal, nonprofit, and governmental actors relevant to the nonprofit sector and that help advance the goals of this project; network among civil society organizations to seek participation and collaboration to strengthen the nonprofit sector to prepare for a more challenging operating environment.

• Conduct research—including desk- and discussion-based—on the legal, regulatory, reputational, and other primary challenges faced by the nonprofit sector.

• Identify and secure collaboration with expert service providers for the technical areas in which civil society organizations need support, such as those relating to tax exempt status, regulatory compliance, labor/employment practices, and strategic communications.

• Draft concept notes and related planning products for learning sessions, meetings, and other similar events

• Plan, organize, and facilitate learning sessions for associate organizations, including coordinating the technical development of expert advisory services.

• In collaboration with RLP leadership, develop a project design and proposal document that sets forth the longer-term vision and objectives of the program, including proposed activities and partnerships, and sections relating to monitoring and evaluation and budgeting.

• Report to RLP’s Director and Associate Director regularly for technical and management guidance.

Qualifications:

• JD or LLM degree

• Working knowledge of the principles of nonprofit management, especially in the areas of legal and regulatory compliance

• Strong understanding of the US civic space and its significant players and networks

• Experience working with social issues that are the focus of likely associate organizations, such as immigration, diversity and inclusion, voting rights, climate change, criminal justice reform, human and civil rights, among others

• Excellent networking skills and ability to make connections between ideas, people, and initiatives

• Experience in project design and implementation strongly preferred

• Entrepreneurial approach to projects, with experience in successful start-up and ‘proof of concept’ project stages

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills

Term:

April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026 (with possibility of extension).

To apply:

Please submit CV and cover letter at this link: https://filerequestpro.com/up/the-carter-center-rule-of-law-legal-consultant. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis