American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
Criminal Law Reform Project, New York

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU) is a nationwide,
nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, founded in 1920 and dedicated to the
principles of liberty and equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution.  The
Criminal Law Reform Project of the ACLU is seeking a dynamic and resourceful
staff attorney.  The position is located at the National Office in New York
City.

OVERVIEW

The Criminal Law Reform Project seeks an end to excessively harsh crime
policies that result in mass incarceration and stand in the way of a just
and equal society.  The Project focuses its work at the "front end" of the
criminal justice system, from an individual's first contact with law
enforcement through to the sentencing phase, with an emphasis on ending our
nation's punitive drug policies, which have failed to achieve public safety
and health while putting unprecedented numbers of people behind bars and
eroding constitutional rights. We fulfill our mission through strategic
litigation and advocacy that promotes reform of the criminal justice system
and drug laws in particular, reduces the number of people entering the
system, and protects the constitutional rights of those in the system.

The Project's current priorities include: reducing reliance on
incarceration, with a focus on decriminalizing drug offenses and shortening
sentencing schemes overall; reducing racial disparity in the criminal
justice system through challenging the selective enforcement of drug laws;
and challenging police and prosecutorial misconduct and abuses of power. In
addition to these core priorities, the Project also works in the following
areas: enacting pre-arrest diversion and similar reforms that reduce entry
into prisons and jails; reducing penalties not only by ending drug
prohibition but also reducing penalties for other offenses; reducing the
collateral consequences of drug convictions; protecting emerging rights of
the seriously-ill to use medical marijuana; halting the expansion of random
drug testing programs in schools and the workplace; and addressing the
criminal justice implications of emerging surveillance technologies.

The Project (formerly the Drug Law Reform Project) has changed its name to
reflect an evolution and expansion in the range of criminal justice issues
it confronts in doing its work.  The Project maintains an explicit - though
not exclusive - focus on ending punitive drug policies in recognition of the
fact that while our nation's drug policies have largely driven the crisis of
over-incarceration in the U.S., drug laws are only one aspect of the
criminal justice system in urgent need of reform. 

The Project is part of the ACLU's Center for Justice, which also comprises
the National Prison Project and the Capital Punishment Project.  The Center
seeks to transform the U.S. criminal justice system into one that views
incarceration as an option of last - not first - resort; that is effective,
fair, and free of racial bias; that rejects death as a legitimate form of
punishment; and that is evidence-based rather than fear-based.

For more information, please visit: www.aclu.org/drugpolicy.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
 
The Staff Attorney will report directly to the Director of the Project, and
applicants should be prepared to contribute to all aspects of the Project's
litigation and non-litigation work, including:

*        Performing legal work including trial and appellate level
litigation, possible criminal representation, discovery and motion practice,
appellate briefs and arguments, occasional trials, legislative advocacy and
policy analysis
*        Creating multi-pronged strategies  utilizing litigation and
non-litigation policy advocacy and public education to further the Project's
mission and goals
*        Engaging in non-litigation advocacy in conjunction with legal
strategies
*        Collaborating with other drug policy reform advocates and
organizations
*        Participating in public speaking opportunities, press interviews and
presenting at conferences on relevant issues on the Project's behalf
*        Supervising legal fellows and law students

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

*        J.D. degree required and a minimum of five years of experience in
federal court litigation is preferred, particularly experience in
constitutional law, civil rights or criminal law. Experience should included
lead counsel role and supervision of junior attorneys in litigation and
non-litigation projects. Outstanding candidates with less experience will be
considered.
*        Member of New York State Bar or willingness and ability to gain
admittance shortly after being hired
*        Demonstrated commitment to public interest generally and civil
liberties issues in particular is required; experience with criminal justice
issues and civil litigation is preferred.
*        Experience in criminal justice policy including advocacy to
governmental organizations, community organizing, and public education
preferred.
*        Excellent writing, analytic and research skills
*        Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to speak clearly and
effectively
*        Self-motivation and proven ability to manage a variety of complex
tasks, preferably in integrating advocacy with litigation
*        Demonstrated ability to think creatively and strategically about
using litigation to achieve policy reform, particularly regarding issues
that affect communities of color
*        Ability to work in a collaborative team environment
*        Experience in motivating and directing other litigation staff.
*        Significant travel will be required

COMPENSATION
The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits
package, commensurate with experience and within parameters of ACLU
compensation scale.

HOW TO APPLY
If you are a proactive and resourceful team player with a passion for public
interest issues, please send a cover letter explaining your interest in our
work; a resume; two references; and two writing samples unedited by others,
at least one of which should be a legal research memo, brief, or article.
Applicants who graduated from law school within the last five years should
include law school transcript.  Applications should be sent by email to
hrjobs@aclu.org - reference [CLRP-10/DIV] in the subject line - or by mail
to:

Human Resources
RE: [CLRP-10/DIV]
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Applications will be accepted until position is filled, which will not be
before August 15, 2010. Please indicate where you learned of this job
posting.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages
applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil
Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties
Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same
overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two
separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect
civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two
organizations under the name "ACLU."