American Civil Liberties Union

Career Opportunity
LEGISLATIVE & POLICY COUNSEL ASSISTANT [WLOU-31]
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
Washington Legislative Office, D.C.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a national not-for-profit public interest organization devoted to the defense of the Bill of Rights. The Washington Legislative Office (WLO) seeks applicants for a full-time Legislative & Policy Counsel Assistant. The Legislative & Policy Counsel Assistant will work directly with ACLU Legislative and/or Policy Counsels on pending legislation, regulatory matters, research, and policy proposals.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITES:

Provide research and administrative assistance to two or more legislative and/or policy counsels.

• Conduct research on legislation, regulations, and policies
• Track legislation by attending Congressional committee hearings
• Track mark-ups using specialized congressional databases and the Internet
• Monitor pending legislation and Federal Register Notices
• Draft memoranda and other research documents on selected issues as necessary
• Prepare lobbying materials and documents for use in legislative and executive branch advocacy
• Draft letters to Congress, federal agencies and other parties
• Proofread and prepare documents for distribution
• Attend meetings of coalitions and other interested parties on behalf of the ACLU
• Respond to requests for information
• Handle routine office tasks such as photocopying, filing, mailing letters, meeting and travel arrangements, and screening phone calls.
• Handle logistics for special functions including arrangements for space, caterers, setup, cleanup; etc
• Perform other duties as assigned by supervising counsels or the Chief Legislative and Policy Counsel

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. Paralegal experience a plus
• Highly motivated individual with superb attention to detail
• Ability to multitask and meet strict deadlines
• Ability to work independently as well as on a team
• Exceptional writing and verbal skills; strong interpersonal skills
• Legislative, regulatory, and policy research skills. Knowledge of Bluebook form for legal citations a plus
• Strong organizational skills
• Knowledge of the legislative and regulatory process is preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software and Internet research tools
• Knowledge of basic legislative and regulatory research tools such as LEXIS/NEXUS or Westlaw
• Interest in commitment to civil liberties

COMPENSATION:
The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and within parameters of the 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 (with salary requirements), resume, writing sample, and three references, complete with names, addresses and employment position by email to hrjobs@aclu.org. Re:[WLOU-31/ACLU-W] in subject line – or by mail to:

Human Resources
RE: [WLOU-31/ACLU-W]
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18^th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, which will not be before July 5, 2009. 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.”