Legal Director

Position DescriptionABOUT THE ACLU OF KANSASThe American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas is a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil rights and legal freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the Kansas Constitution. The ACLU of Kansas works in the state legislature, the courts, and local communities to protect the rights of all people living in Kansas. The organization’s work includes efforts to strengthen and defend First Amendment rights, voting rights, reproductive rights, racial justice, LGBT rights, immigrants’ rights, stopping government surveillance, and reforming the criminal legal system.The organization currently uses a campaign model where 80% of our efforts and resources are dedicated to two campaigns: voting rights and immigrants’ rights. The remaining 20% of our efforts are devoted to other civil liberties matters as they arise. The ACLU of Kansas often works in broad-based coalitions made up of individuals and organizations from across the political, partisan, and ideological spectrum. The ACLU of Kansas is an affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union, has an annual budget of approximately $4.7 million, and has nearly 40,000 supporters across the state.The ACLU of Kansas comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the ACLU Foundation of Kansas. Both entities have the same overall mission and share some resources but are separate entities that engage in different types of work to protect civil liberties. The ACLU Foundation of Kansas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that primarily engages in litigation and public education. The ACLU of Kansas is a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation that primarily engages in lobbying and advocacy. On a contracted basis, the ACLU of Kansas also provides operational support to Kansans United for Civil Liberties, an IRS Section 527 organization that provides non-partisan, non-endorsing voter education about civil liberties issues in elections for public office.Position OverviewThe ACLU of Kansas seeks a visionary, dynamic, creative, self-motivated team player to serve as its Legal Director. This senior-level, at-will position will lead the organization’s statewide program of impact-oriented litigation and legal advocacy. Reporting to the Deputy Executive Director/Chief Program Officer, the position may be based at either of the ACLU of Kansas’s offices, located in Overland Park and Wichita.This position involves some travel to communities around the state, including to state and federal courthouses. This is a management position, with current supervisory responsibility for three full-time employees in addition to legal fellows, legal interns, and legal volunteers.The ACLU of Kansas has adopted a “campaign” approach for its work. Work is focused on pursuing specific integrated advocacy campaigns to achieve measurable goals that will expand civil liberties, while building the long-term power of the ACLU and the civil liberties movement. The organization’s current campaigns are voting rights and immigrants’ rights. Both campaigns have legal advocacy or litigation objectives they seek to attain at the state level and at the local level.Primary Responsibilities In coordination with the Deputy Executive Director/Chief Program Officer, develop vision and set overall strategy for the ACLU of Kansas legal program. Ensure the ACLU of Kansas maintains an active and diverse litigation docket consistent with organizational and campaign priorities. Serve as lead counsel for cases pursued by the ACLU of Kansas, where appropriate. Investigate and litigate select civil liberties cases in state and federal courts. Manage and litigate active cases, including: drafting and developing arguments for briefs and motions; managing all aspects of discovery; managing in-court proceedings; negotiating settlements; and maintaining client relationships throughout the case. Supervise legal staff (including volunteers and legal interns/fellows). Prepare legal memoranda and demand letters. Review, comment on, or write amicus briefs. Provide legal analysis to other ACLU staff, when appropriate. Coordinate collaboration with and legal support for other ACLU of Kansas programs in the promotion of integrated advocacy, including Know Your Rights materials. Collaborate with national ACLU partners and participate in national ACLU conferences. Establish, maintain, and manage a robust set of co-counsel relationships with law firms and cooperating attorneys, within and outside of Kansas. Maintain communication and contact with the broader legal community in Kansas. Serve as a spokesperson for the ACLU of Kansas in the press, as a public speaker, and before other audiences, as appropriate. Coordinate media strategies for legal cases with communications staff. Collaborate with communications staff in drafting press releases, op-eds, and articles for newsletter, website, social media, and other outlets. Report on legal program activities to funders and the ACLU of Kansas board of directors, as applicable. Perform other duties as assigned.