American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberties Union
Volunteer Litigation Fellowship
Drug Law Reform Project
Santa Cruz, CA

OVERVIEW:
The American Civil Liberties Union, (ACLU) is a nonpartisan organization founded in 1920. With national and affiliate offices throughout the country, the ACLU is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier public interest law firms. The Drug Law Reform Project of the American Civil Liberties Union is seeking applications from attorneys and recent law graduates whose law firms will sponsor them to work at public interest law organizations.

The Project is now accepting applications for a one year unpaid Volunteer Litigation Fellowship position, commencing in September 2009. The Project seeks applicants at all levels of experience and expertise. Once selected, the fellow may be called upon to work on our full range of issues.

Founded in 1998, the Drug Law Reform Project is a division of the national legal department of the ACLU. Our goal is to end punitive drug policies that cause the widespread violation of constitutional and human rights, as well as unprecedented levels of incarceration.

The Project’s current priorities are challenging racial disparities in drug law enforcement, punishment of non-violent marijuana users, and drug sentencing reform.

.The Project brings impact lawsuits throughout the country, with a current litigation docket including cases in state and federal courts and administrative agencies challenging crack vs. powder cocaine sentencing disparity, federal obstruction of medical marijuana research, the federal government’s concerted efforts to undermine state medical marijuana laws through targeted enforcement of federal law in violation of the 10th Amendment, forced random drug testing of public school teachers, and abuse of the grand jury process to chill speech advocating drug policy reform. Other issues of interest include law enforcement’s misuse of confidential informants, alternatives to incarceration for drug offenders, student drug testing, and police harassment of sterile syringe exchange programs and other health-based approaches to drug use and abuse. The Project represents the first national effort to harness litigation in combination with coordinated advocacy and community organizing as a tool of drug policy reform. Project attorneys have argued cases in the United States Supreme Court, numerous courts of appeals, federal administrative agencies and trial courts throughout the country. For more information, please visit www.aclu.org/drugpolicy.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Project’s Fellows work alongside the Project’s attorneys and other staff to assist in all aspects of the Project’s litigation. The work can include the full panoply of appellate and district-court litigation, including:

• Drafting briefs and motions for litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court, courts of appeals, and trial courts
• Conducting discovery
• Participating at oral arguments and hearings
• Meeting with clients
• Preparing expert and percipient witnesses for courtroom testimony; and devising new litigation.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Applicants should:

• Be third year law students or law school graduates
• Be self-motivated
• Have a commitment to public interest, civil rights, and civil liberties issues
• Have aptitude and ability to think creatively and strategically about using litigation to achieve policy reform, particularly regarding issues that affect communities of color
• Have excellent research and writing skills
• Be willing to travel
• Have independent funding from a law firm or other comparable source

COMPENSATION:
This is a voluntary opportunity without pay or benefits. The ACLU does carry a malpractice policy that will cover the Volunteer Litigation Fellow.

HOW TO APPLY:
The position will remain open until it is filled.

Please send a cover letter explaining your interest in our work, a current resume, law school transcript, the names and phone numbers of at least two references, and a legal writing sample unedited by others to hrjobs@aclu.org or via regular mail to:

Human Resources
DLRP Volunteer Attorney
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18^th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Please indicate in your cover letter where you found this job posting.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbians and gay men to apply.

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.”