Paralegal, Voting Rights Project

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks a full-time position of Paralegal in the Voting Rights Project of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. 

The ACLU Voting Rights Project was established in 1965 – the same year that the historic Voting Rights Act (VRA) was enacted, and has litigated more than 300 cases since that time. Its mission is to build and defend an accessible, inclusive, and equitable democracy.  

The Project has three guiding principles: (1) all Americans should be eligible to vote; (2) voting should be free and easy; and (3) all people should count equally. The Project employs an integrated advocacy approach, combining legislative advocacy, public education, and litigation, and has active cases in over a dozen states.  

Within the last few years, the Voting Rights Project has litigated several cases in the Supreme Court including Department of Commerce v. New York, successfully challenging an attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census; and Allen v. Milligan, successfully defending the constitutionality of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

This position is part of a collective bargaining unit. It is represented by Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers Union. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Deputy Project Director the Paralegal will provide litigation and administrative support to the Project’s legal team. This includes, but is not limited to cite checking and formatting litigation documents, maintaining litigation calendar, files and other litigation items, processing invoices, generating expense reports, and handling travel arrangements, as well as providing onsite administrative, logistical and other support for trials and hearings.  

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Provide paralegal support for a wide range of federal, state, and administrative litigation, including by filing, reviewing, and organizing litigation documents such as briefs, motions, declarations, deposition summaries, discovery requests, and responses, and correspondence with co-counsel, including cite-checking, proofreading, and formatting such documents.  


• Handle general administrative duties for the Project, including processing invoices, tracking expenses, case costs, generating expense reports, and ordering supplies, etc. 


• Handle travel arrangements.  


• Provide logistical administrative, and document management support for hearings and trials.  


• Assist in case management, including maintenance of electronic files, physical files, court records, and litigation calendars; anticipate and identify potential litigation tasks and prepare accordingly.  


• Coordinate logistics for depositions, client meetings or phone calls, service of process, courtesy copy delivery, and other litigation support. 


• Work jointly with interns and communicate routine and/or procedural guidance on projects assigned by managers.  


• Conduct internet and other factual research. 


• Handle special projects and other duties as assigned. 

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU


• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives


• Be committed to working collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Demonstrated interest in civil rights and civil liberties  


• Demonstrated related administrative experience 


• Basic knowledge of the bluebook  


• Strong computer skills with advanced knowledge in Microsoft Office Suite, e.g., Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. 


• Must take initiative, be highly organized and detail-oriented, and possess strong interpersonal and time management skills.  


• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and see projects through to completion.  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree


• One year of paralegal experience


• Basic knowledge of Westlaw Next


• Experience creating tables of contents, table of authorities, mail merges, and creating/inserting macros


• Experience with legislative monitoring and/or Quorum

COMPENSATION

WHY THE ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being. 

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid time-off policy


• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)


• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match


• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change.  We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.    

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.