January 22, 2013
JOB TITLE: LITIGATION ASSISTANT
Application Deadline: February 21, 2013
(Inquiries welcome after deadline)
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California (“ACLU-NC”) seeks a Litigation Assistant to provide support to the Legal Department. The Litigation Assistant will provide support for individual attorneys in the Legal Department, add content to our website and perform other administrative duties. The successful candidate will have significant experience with state and federal court filings, possess strong organizational skills, write clearly, and work well both independently and with a team. This position requires the ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound independent judgment, multi-task, take initiative, and meet deadlines. The position is full-time with benefits. A commitment to civil liberties and civil rights principles and the work of the ACLU is essential.
Responsibilities for assigned lawyers include:
- Formatting, serving and filing of legal pleadings;
- Word processing, including producing legal briefs and tables of authorities/contents, legal memoranda and correspondence;
- Maintaining and keeping current paper and electronic case files;
- Assisting lawyers with investigating civil liberties complaints and other special projects;
- Assisting attorneys with Westlaw and other Internet research;
- Working closely with the attorneys, assisting with the creation of power point and other presentations;
- Keeping track of Public Records Act and Freedom of Information Act investigations, including drafting PRAs and FOIAs, tracking responses and following-up to ensure responses are complete, and assisting in substantive review of responses;
- Working closely with the attorneys and our Communications Department to organize and update the Legal Department’s section of our website, and utilizing other methods to disseminate information about our work; and
- General Litigation Support.
Administrative responsibilities include the following:
- Drafting, formatting, and mailing letters and faxes;
- Maintaining attorneys’ Chron files;
- Organizing, filing, scanning/photocopying materials;
- Reviewing and responding to correspondence;
- Providing logistical support for meetings, both in and out of the office;
- Preparing expense reimbursement reports;
- Making travel arrangements; and
- Other administrative tasks.
Required qualifications include:
- A strong commitment to civil liberties and civil rights is essential;
- A Bachelor’s degree with prior litigation assistant or paralegal experience and significant familiarity with state and federal court rules and procedures;
- Applicants must be proficient in working with computers, especially with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, PowerPoint and other Office programs, including facility with mail merge, spreadsheets, tables and charts;
- Strong attention to detail and ability to juggle multiple priorities effectively;
- Excellent writing skills;
- Sound independent judgment;
- Ability to work independently and in a team, meet deadlines, take initiative, maintain confidentiality and possess strong organizational skills;
- Candidates must be willing to work occasional overtime on evenings and weekends; and
- Personal enthusiasm, optimism, and a sense of humor.
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience in public interest or social justice advocacy work; and
- Bilingual skills.
Salary based on experience. Excellent benefits include four weeks paid vacation, medical, vision and dental insurance for staff members and their eligible dependents and domestic partners, defined contribution plan with employer match, life insurance, long-term disability insurance and thirteen paid holidays.
Applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter describing the applicant's interest in this position to the attention of Angela Galdamez, ACLU of Northern California, 39 Drumm Street, San Francisco, CA 94111 or via e-mail to HR-Admin02@aclunc.org.
The ACLU-NC is proud to be an affirmative action employer.
All interested individuals, including people of color, women, persons with disabilities and persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex are particularly urged to apply.
About the Legal Department of the ACLU of Northern California:
The ACLU-NC is the largest state affiliate of the ACLU, a nationwide, non-profit, non-partisan membership organization dedicated to the defense and expansion of civil rights and civil liberties. The ACLU-NC has approximately 50,000 members in Northern California, 22 all-volunteer chapters, a 45-member Board of Directors and a staff of more than 50. The Legal Department consists of the Legal Director, the Managing Attorney, five staff attorneys, several legal fellows, a Senior Legal Department Administrative Assistant, and two Litigation Assistants. The attorneys engage in litigation in federal and state courts, advocacy with state and local agencies, and public education. The Department works closely with other departments of the ACLU-NC, including Communications, Policy, Organizing, and Development. The office is congenial and the work is rewarding.
