Deputy General Counsel For Litigation

ABOUT LATINOJUSTICE PRLDEF

Founded as the Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Education Fund in 1972, LatinoJustice PRLDEF uses and challenges laws to create a more just and equitable society. We transform harmful systems, empower our communities, fight for racial justice, and grow the next generation of líderes. Headquartered in New York City, LatinoJustice also has offices in Orlando, FL and Austin, TX, to do work in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the U.S., respectively. LatinoJustice focuses on six pillars of work: Economic Justice (i.e., education, employment, and housing), Immigrant Rights, Voting Rights, Policing and Prison Reform, Puerto Rico, and Leadership Development. And our Racial Justice Project does targeted advocacy on behalf of Afro-Latino and Indigenous-Latino members of our communities. LatinoJustice utilizes a variety of strategies—including litigation, advocacy, and community education and empowerment—to achieve strategic priorities on the issues that are most critical to the advancement and wellbeing of the Latino community.

Since its inception, LatinoJustice has brought groundbreaking litigation in key areas including establishing a right to bilingual education in public schools, providing bilingual ballots and language assistance to Spanish-speaking voters, and fighting anti-immigrant ordinances. Our current litigation docket includes challenges to various local and state agencies for denying services to immigrant families and to individuals who do not speak English; demanding greater law enforcement transparency and accountability; advocating for fair pay of home care workers; defending school districts’ efforts to diversify the student body of magnet schools; challenging law enforcement agencies that illegally detain and hold immigrants to turn them over to ICE; and challenging redistricting plans that dilute the votes of Black, Latinx, and Asian voters.

JOB DESCRIPTION

LatinoJustice PRLDEF (LJP) seeks an experienced and dynamic litigator and manager to play a key leadership role in developing and directing LJP’s litigation during a period of unprecedented growth and the expansion of LJP’s programmatic reach.

LJP’s Deputy General Counsel for Litigation (DGC-L) oversees LJP’s Legal Department and directs and coordinates LJP’s extensive litigation docket across multiple issue areas and in multiple jurisdictions. The DGC-L identifies and develops new litigation matters based on organizational priorities and ensures their effective execution. The DGC-L directly participates in litigation as well, maintaining an active docket and serving as lead counsel in selected cases.

The DGC-L supervises the Legal Department and is responsible for providing supervision, leadership, and professional development to a diverse group of legal professionals. This includes supervising the Supervising Counsel for Voting Rights, Policing and Prison Reform, and Immigrant Rights, respectively, the Director of Racial Justice Strategy, and the Managing Attorney for the Southeast Regional Office.

The DGC-L works closely with the Chief of Advocacy to align LJP’s litigation docket and non-litigation advocacy priorities. They also serve as a resource for LJP’s legislative, policy and campaign work.

As a key representative of the organization, the DGC-L serves as a public spokesperson for LJP, working with Communications staff and media to raise and maintain the organization’s public profile.

The DGC-L reports directly to the President & General Counsel (PGC), Lourdes M. Rosado, and is a member of LJP’s Senior Leadership Team, which is charged with executing the strategic direction of the organization’s legal and advocacy programs, operations, and administration.

This is a hybrid role that has in-person requirements of eight (8) days per month.

The position requires an individual with extensive experience in complex civil rights litigation in one or more of LJP’s issue areas; who constantly surveys external environment to identify opportunities for LJP to do cutting edge litigation and then develops and implements litigation; cultivates and maintains productive working relationships with allied civil rights groups and represents LJP in key coalitions; and has a strong orientation to community-driven litigation and advocacy with a movement lawyering lens.

They successful candidate is highly collaborative and possesses a high degree of emotional intelligence, and an ability to thrive in quick-paced and high-pressure environments while always treating their colleagues with the utmost respect; approaches their work with a level of sincerity and humility, and embraces teamwork; creates a culture of transparency around them while also enforcing appropriate and necessary boundaries and maintaining confidentiality around sensitive matters; builds respect, trust, camaraderie, and credibility among their colleagues while also driving performance and holding team members accountable; and shares in LJP’s commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and its mission to advance social justice and civil rights.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Litigation and case management

• Direct and coordinate LJP’s litigation docket across its multiple pillar areas.
• Identify and develop new litigation matters based on organizational priorities and ensure their effective execution.
• Maintain an active docket and serve as lead counsel in selected cases.
• Oversee and direct the provision of direct legal services, referrals, and information to community members in selected jurisdictions pursuant to current New York State contracts.
• Cultivate and maintain productive working relationships with allied civil rights groups who serve as co-counsel on matters.
• Coordinate with the Chief of Advocacy to align LJP’s litigation docket and non-litigation and advocacy priorities.
• Travel as required for litigation, conferences, and client development.

Supervision and management

• Oversee and manage the Legal Department and provide supervision and leadership to all legal staff.
• Curate and create professional development opportunities for Legal Department staff.
• Ensure that Legal Department staff receive regular, comprehensive, constructive performance evaluations that will facilitate their professional growth.
• Ensure that Legal Department staff are aware of and understand LJP policies and protocols, including updates and changes, and that staff follow and implement such policies and protocols.

Senior Leadership Team

• Serve as member of the organization’s Senior Leadership Team and contribute to developing and executing the overall strategy for advancing the organization’s mission.

Communications and Development

• Serve as public spokesperson for LJP, working with Communications staff and media to raise and maintain the organization’s public profile.
• Serve as primary Legal Department liaison and contact with other LJP departments concerning communications and media outreach, and development and fundraising.
• Collaborate with the Development Department as needed in preparing grant proposals and reports and ensure that legal staff support and participates in the organization’s communications and development efforts.
• Ensure that LJP meets grant deliverables with respect to litigation and provision of direct legal services.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A J.D. degree.
• Admission to the New York Bar, Florida Bar and/or Texas Bar. Admission to the bar of another state where LJP conducts litigation will also be considered.
• Demonstrated professional commitment to civil rights issues and commitment to advancing social justice and human rights for Latinos.
• Minimum of 15 years federal and state litigation experience including handling complex and affirmative class action cases.
• Minimum of six years supervising and managing legal professionals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including ability to speak publicly at both formal and extemporaneous presentations.
• Strong and engaging interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence, and a savvy manager of relationships. Comfortable and effective at managing challenging conversations and situations.
• Commitment to values of transparency, respect, integrity, accountability, equity, and inclusion in their management and leadership style.
• Detail-oriented individual; able to prioritize, delegate, and manage multiple tasks and responsibilities.
• Proven problem solver who can make clear-headed decisions while under pressure.
• Flexible, adaptable, and ability to prioritize and multi-task when necessary.
• History of successful collaboration with a broad and diverse range of communities and individuals.
• Ability to communicate effectively and fluently with a predominantly Spanish speaking client community, including the ability to create community education and communication resources in Spanish, is highly preferred.

COMPENSATION

Salary is commensurate with experience and starts at $160,000 in New York City ($144,000 outside of New York City), for a minimum of 15 years of litigation experience, where six of those years are in a supervisory or management role.

LJP comprehensive benefits include fully paid health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability. Generous paid time off, voluntary retirement plan with employer match, and professional development. Employees can also take advantage of various pre-tax offerings such as commuter, parking, health savings accounts, and dependent care accounts.

LatinoJustice PRLDEF is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.

Ability to communicate effectively and fluently with a predominantly Spanish speaking client community, including the ability to create community education and communication resources in Spanish, is highly preferred.