Senior Staff Attorney

Who We Are:

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, advocating for strong enforcement of regulations that protect animals and appropriate regulation of industries that impact them, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Role Description:

Senior Staff Attorneys (Non-Supervisory) in Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Litigation Program are responsible for the day-to-day management of their assigned cases and projects, including ensuring the completion of all necessary research, filings, and other aspects of litigation. Senior Staff Attorneys (Non-Supervisory) are also responsible for assisting the Litigation Program in developing new cases. Senior Staff Attorneys (Non-Supervisory) have more experience than Staff Attorneys, and more case responsibilities.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Litigation Program accomplishes the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission by filing strategic high-impact lawsuits against government agencies, individuals, and industries that exploit animals, including factory farms, puppy mills, and roadside zoos that seek to expand the protections for animals under the law.

You will report to Managing Attorney (Litigation Program).

How You Will Make a Difference:

• Act as lead counsel, and be responsible for all research, filings, and other aspects of litigation, for all assigned cases and projects.
• Research and develop novel legal theories and strategies, as well as fact patterns, for new cases.
• Manage drafting, editing, and submission of amicus curiae briefs on behalf of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Work with Communications and other departments to answer questions on civil legal issues and procedures, and to propose, draft, proof, and/or edit content on cases and legal developments.
• Coordinate, as needed, with other programs, including with Criminal Justice Program on cases that have, or could have, both civil and criminal components, Legislative Affairs Program, Animal Law Program, and Pro Bono Programs.
• Manage pro bono and local counsel on cases with external counsel.
• Prepare and deliver presentations for professional conferences, fundraising events, etc. when needed.
• Provide in-house expertise for staff on questions concerning Litigation Program cases, animal law civil cases in general and civil procedures and legal strategy.
• Perform other duties as assigned to advance the Litigation Program and the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s strategic objectives and mission.

Requirements

We Are Looking for Candidates With:

• Senior Staff Attorneys (Non-Supervisory) should have at least six years of experience successfully developing and litigating (as measured by both direct and indirect benefits) significant cases or projects, ideally as part of an organization engaged in strategic impact animal protection litigation or similar strategic impact litigation.
• Must have a Juris Doctor degree, excelled in law school, and be admitted to practice law in their state of residence.
• Must have excellent organizational and prioritization skills and be able to meet deadlines.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Must have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to communicate effectively, includin g with members, supporters, co-workers, and other counsel.
• Must have a positive attitude and be able to work cooperatively with others and function well in a team-oriented work environment.
• Understand and be fully committed to the mission of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Must travel as needed to fulfill litigation obligations, or for professional conferences, meetings, or other events as required.

We Offer Competitive Compensation with Excellent Benefits, Including:

• Starting annual salary of $104,561 for most geographic locations.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C., Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, starting pay is $110,064.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, starting pay is $115,568.

To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published starting rate. Rate is determined by role, using set geographical factors.

• Comprehensive health care, dental, life and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available.
• 192 hours of PTO.
• 19 paid holidays.
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave.
• 401k plan with a maximum 5% employer contribution match after one year of employment.
• Alternative work schedules (at manager’s discretion).

Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Additional Information about the role

• Senior Staff Attorney (Non-Supervisory) is a full-time, exempt position.
• This role is included in a collective bargaining unit that is represented by the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). Certain terms and conditions of your employment, including wages and benefits, have been negotiated with the Union and are included in a collective bargaining agreement between ALDF and the Union
• Occasional travel is required for this position (3-6 trips per year).
• Work is performed in a home office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment, software, and keyboards.

ALDF is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and an inclusive, multicultural environment. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, parenting status (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, uniformed service member status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are asking all staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as defined by the CDC and present acceptable proof of vaccination by the date of hire as a condition of employment. We will consider request for a reasonable accommodation as required under applicable law.