Managing Attorney, Litigation

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:

Public Rights Project (PRP) is a public interest legal nonprofit, headquartered in Oakland, with a remote team based throughout the United States. Our mission is to help local government officials fight for civil rights.

Since its founding in 2017, PRP has litigated in more than 100 cases (either as a party or amicus), trained 131 prosecutors and government lawyers in 24 states, built a partner network of over 670 government offices, elected officials, and community-based organizations in 43 states, secured court victories on police accountability, abortion, immigrant, worker, and voting rights. Learn more about our work.

PRP supports local government partners in the face of an onslaught of federal and state abuses of power. We provide direct representation, legal analysis, research, training, and community partnerships to help local governments develop strategies that protect their residents’ civil rights. The Litigation Team works on behalf of dozens of local governments in significant cases that affect the rights and welfare of millions of people across the country.  

JOB SUMMARY

The Managing Attorney is a key leader on the Litigation Team. This role is central to PRP’s program team, pursuing complex and important litigation on behalf of local governments across the country. In addition to advocacy work, the Managing Attorney oversees PRP’s law clerk program, supervising and mentoring PRP’s legal fellows, as well as the Litigation Team’s paralegals. In close collaboration with the Litigation Director, the Managing Attorney designs, implements, and refines systems that support the quality, efficiency, sustainability, and impact of PRP’s litigation work. This role is ideal for someone who is motivated by doing both litigation as well as people and program management.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Advocacy: 

• Independently and as a member of a team, identify opportunities for advocacy and strategize pathways to action;
• Participate in case selection and strategy; 
• Represent and lead others in representing PRP’s partners in litigation from idea generation through conclusion, including legal and factual development, case pitching, motions practice, discovery, oral argument, client management, coalition engagement, and more;
• Draft, review, edit, and provide feedback on analytic and persuasive written work product;
• Conduct and/or supervise legal research in order to provide guidance and analysis on issues of importance to the Litigation Team and PRP’s cases; 
• Meet with and advise government stakeholders, including on legal, political, and justice considerations of potential courses of action; and
• Supervise and participate in amicus brief efforts as needed. 

Program and Litigation Team Management:

• Working with the Litigation Director and the Operations Team, oversee hiring, onboarding, development, and offboarding of Litigation Team Paralegals, Legal Fellows, and Law Clerks. Lead hiring and onboarding processes for other Litigation Team members. 
• Directly supervise Litigation Team paralegals, ensuring day-to-day operational excellence and coordination. 
• Directly supervise PRP’s Legal Fellows, including assigning and supervising work product and monitoring their workload across the Program Team.
• Oversee PRP’s Law Clerk program. 
• Support the Litigation Director in strategic decisionmaking, including on the deployment of resources, planning, and collaboration. 
• Support collaboration between the Litigation Team and other Program Teams, particularly through fellow and paralegal assignments. 

• Build and refine systems to improve the Litigation Team’s infrastructure, workflows, and operational efficiency. This includes but is not limited to identifying opportunities for training, developing and maintaining systems and guidance for Litigation Team attorneys and other staff; and managing processes for monitoring, documenting, and notifying attorney staff of case law developments relevant to the Litigation Team’s work.
• Other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

• Licensed to practice law and in good standing in a jurisdiction of the United States.  
• At least 7 years relevant experience as an attorney, of which at least 5 years should consist of complex civil litigation and/or investigations and enforcement practice.
• Experience supervising junior attorneys, law fellows, or paralegals required. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Outstanding writing and editing skills, including drafting and editing complex briefs and legal analysis.
• Excellent judgment about both legal issues and strategy;
• Strong communication skills, both writing and speaking;
• Demonstrated ability to handle all aspects of litigation including client management, discovery, oral advocacy, brief writing, deadline management, electronic filing, navigating local rules, working with cooperating counsel, and expecting the unexpected;
• Strong project management skills and ability to use various software to coordinate with other team members;
• Familiarity and comfort working on issues of federal law, constitutional law, civil rights law, and other relevant legal topics;
• Team player who can work with government partners, co-counsel, community-based organizations, and other advocates, as well as internal teams;
• Demonstrated positive and respectful attitude, ability to work well with diverse people and communities, capacity to show presence, self-confidence, common sense, and good listening ability; and
• Belief in the power of local government to make positive change in the world.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP

This position reports to the Litigation Director, supervises paralegals and legal fellows, and works closely with other staff.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Requires sitting, talking, and listening for up to 8 hours per day. Certain situations may require lifting items up to 20 pounds. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Fully remote organization and team. This role may require travel a few times a year to PRP events, case hearings, or meetings. We currently have remote staff in Boston, Chicago, Kansas City (MO), Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, Seattle, and Washington, DC, as well as other cities.

COMPENSATION

The determined salary range for this role is set at $121,440 - $182,160. For internal equity purposes, PRP will not engage in salary negotiations; salaries are presently set based on years of experience.

PRP HIRING COMMITMENT

PRP is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. A diverse and inclusive workplace, both at PRP and within the government offices we serve, is a key ingredient for achieving our mission of building equitable enforcement capacity within state and local government. 

We aim to assemble a team that reflects the world we live in and the communities we serve with respect to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and immigration status. People with personal or family experience with the type of harms we seek to combat, including wage theft, predatory lending, fraud, discrimination, and environmental degradation are particularly encouraged to apply.