The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (ACLU-VA) is seeking a paralegal who wants to advance civil liberties and civil rights in Virginia by providing litigation and administrative support to the ACLU of Virginia’s legal team. This position will be responsible for preparing litigation documents for filing, maintaining files and records, and assisting in case development; as well as managing the ACLU of Virginia’s intake program. The ideal candidate must be highly professional with the capacity to excel in varying capacities, most importantly organization, communication, and discretion. They will be comfortable taking on challenging situations, collaborating, and leading internal initiatives, but also find satisfaction in supporting our legal team’s efforts behind the scenes. See full job description for complete details.
Who We Are
The ACLU-VA strives to be Virginia's premier guardian of civil liberties and a recognized champion of civil rights for all Virginians. For over a hundred years (56 in Virginia), the ACLU has made a profound difference in the lives of clients and community members, as well as historic contributions to our country and state. Now, more people than ever before have turned to the ACLU to fight back against unprecedented new attacks on civil rights and liberties. We are also committed to pursuing impactful policy changes at the local and statewide levels to achieve racial equity and advance civil liberties and civil rights for everyone. The ACLU-VA is committed to ending racist policing, cutting the number of people incarcerated in Virginia, increasing access to quality mental and medical care, ending sex and gender-based discrimination at work and in schools, and securing a constitutional right to vote for everyone.
What You’ll Do
You’ll help us protect and advance the ACLU’s mission by:
- Providing Litigation and Legal Advocacy Support, including but not limited to:
- Providing paralegal support for a wide range of federal, state, and administrative litigation, including impact litigation, complex class-action litigation, appeals, and amicus briefs;
- Assisting in case management, and preparing, formatting, filing, and serving legal documents; assisting with finalizing pleadings and exhibits; and preparing discovery requests and responses
- Coordinating all logistics for depositions, client meetings or phone calls, service of process, courtesy copy delivery, and other litigation support; and drafting legal letters, advocacy letters, demand letters, FOIA requests, and other correspondence
- Cite checking pleadings and/or other court submissions; and handling general administrative duties
Supporting the Legal Intake Process by:
- Administering the ACLU-VA’s legal intake process as well as the process for tracking and responding to other requests for assistance received from national ACLU, other ACLU affiliates, community organizations, and/or private attorneys;
- Providing support for the Legal Intake Assistant;
- Analyzing flagged complaints about civil liberties and civil rights violations, and recommend further action based on criteria established by the legal team;
- Ensuring all intake sources receive an appropriate response, overseeing and spot check the input of intake data, documents, and responses into the intake database, and monitor for accuracy, currency, and completeness;
Supporting the Legal Program by:
- Participating in case selection and development, preparing and maintain webpages on the ACLU-VA website for each active legal case or project, and coordinating all aspects of legal team events (e.g., securing locations, confirming speakers, handling logistics, and producing materials);
- Coordinating efforts to build relationships with new cooperating attorneys and develop pro bono resources
- In collaboration with the legal team, providing input on priorities and potential legal advocacy strategies; and assisting in the implementation of legal program policies, procedures, and systems – such as the intake and case selection process; case management process; paper and electronic filing systems; and legal docket;
- Participating in the review and consideration of intakes and other requests for assistance received by the ACLU-VA; conducting research or factual follow-up as necessary, and proposing and/or considering recommendations for additional action;
- And more….See the full job description here.
Who You Are
Our “Must-Have”
- Must reside within commuting distance of our downtown Richmond office and will be expected to be present in the Richmond office as much as the job requirements demand.
- A paralegal certificate from an accredited program, or equivalent experience in a law practice handling litigation in state and/or federal court.
- A commitment to the mission and values of the ACLU-VA, and to racial justice and civil rights issues and an understanding that these issues are central to overall protection of civil liberties.
- Experience exercising discretion and confidentiality with sensitive information.
- Experience with case management, preparing and filing legal papers in court, and preparing and managing discovery.
- Proficiency with office technology and information systems, including databases, case management software, digital legal research sources, online communications, and word processing.
- Willingness and availability to work occasional evenings, weekends, and/or overtime as necessary; and willingness and ability to travel throughout Virginia, and occasionally to other states for conferences and training.
- All ACLU-VA staff must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or be approved for an accommodation for religious or medical exemption.
What Else You Should Know
The ACLU of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, bi- or multi-lingual (including Indigenous languages) speakers, multi-cultural individuals, members of the LGBTQ community, those who have been formerly incarcerated or are currently under supervision, and other people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We seek to build a diverse team and an inclusive organizational culture. All qualified applicants who share our vision and who have a desire to contribute to our mission are encouraged to apply.
Salary is based on market factors and individual experience and abilities. The salary range for this position is $56,000 to $73,722, with a midpoint of $64,636. To preserve the opportunity for advancement, we do not typically hire above the mid-point of the range. In addition, we offer excellent benefits including paid time off, generous paid holidays, a 401k plan with employer contribution, flexible spending account, paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, 50% employer-paid dependent medical coverage, life insurance, annual sick leave, short-term and long-term disability insurance, professional development allowances, extended leave to include parental leave after one year of employment.
Due to COVID-19 and our desire to keep our employees safe, our employees are currently following our hybrid work policy. This position will require a frequent presence in the downtown Richmond office, therefore the new hire must reside withing commuting distance of downtown Richmond.
What Now?
Please review the complete job description on our Careers page and apply from our career site. A resume and cover letter are required. Our HR team will review applications on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Submit your application as soon as possible. We will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.