Deputy Legal Director

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and collaborative Deputy Legal Director to lead high-impact litigation and legal advocacy across the state. In this senior role, the Deputy Legal Director will work alongside the Legal Director to co-direct the Legal Department, shape statewide legal strategies, and defend fundamental freedoms and civil rights.

This position is currently vacant, allowing for a negotiable start date. The role offers flexible remote work anywhere in Florida, or the option to work from our Miami or Tallahassee offices, along with occasional travel.

About the ACLU of Florida

The ACLU of Florida is one of 54 affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union, the preeminent defender of civil liberties and civil rights in this country since 1920. Chartered in 1965, the ACLU of Florida operates with two offices in the state and 49 full-time staff members as well as fellows, interns, and externs, and consultants. In addition to the Miami headquarters, there is a regional office located in Tallahassee.

With more than 60,000 members and supporters across Florida, the ACLU of Florida is funded entirely with private donations, foundation grants, court-awarded legal fees, and membership dues. It does not receive any government funding.

The affiliate consists of two separate, nonprofit corporate entities: the ACLU of Florida, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, and the ACLU Foundation of Florida, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charity. Both entities are tax-exempt, share the same overall mission, and use common office space and employees.

The ACLU of Florida employs a powerful, integrated advocacy model—uniting litigation, legislative lobbying, strategic communications, and community mobilization—to protect and expand fundamental freedoms. The organization’s expansive mandate and advocacy efforts span a broad array of constitutional values and individual rights, including:

• • First Amendment Freedoms: Freedom of speech, right to assemble, freedom of the press, and religious liberty.
  • Equality, Justice, and Dignity: Racial and economic justice, LGBTQ+ equality, immigrants’ rights, and reproductive and privacy freedoms.
  • Democracy and Accountability: Voting rights, community empowerment, transparency, and the rule of law.

The ACLU of Florida is part of the ACLU’s first regional initiative for Southern states, the Southern Collective, a transformational initiative to build the power and impact of the ACLU’s thirteen Southern state affiliates—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia—and strengthen the fight for civil rights and liberties in the South. The Southern Collective was created to address the challenges in the South that are rooted in its unique history of racial oppression and violence, and equally remarkable history of civil rights struggles and victories.

For more information on the ACLU of Florida, please visit their website.

Role of the Deputy Legal Director

Reporting directly to the Legal Director, the Deputy Legal Director is a key staff leader who partners with senior management and the broader legal team to drive high-impact litigation and advocacy initiatives. This leader shapes legal strategy, safeguards foundational liberties, and champions the rights of all Floridians across core civil liberties issues spanning Immigrants’ Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights, First Amendment Freedoms, and Racial Justice litigation.

In this role, the Deputy Legal Director directly supervises and mentors attorneys across the following practice areas: Immigrants’ Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights, First Amendment Freedoms, and Racial Justice litigation. The team currently includes five direct reports, with the potential for growth. Strong candidates will bring not only extensive substantive expertise across these issue areas, but a genuine commitment to the mentorship and professional development of the attorneys they lead.

Key Responsibilities:

Litigation and Advocacy

• • Develop, prepare, and litigate cases at all stages in federal district and appellate courts.
  • Engage in pre-litigation, post-litigation, and non-litigation advocacy, including preparing demand letters, conducting settlement negotiations and enforcement, preparing advocacy materials and public-education resources, and delivering public testimony.
  • Work closely with and provide policy analysis and legal expertise to non-legal program staff at the ACLU of Florida and ACLU National.
  • Engage regularly with print, radio, TV, and digital media on either immigrants’ rights or First Amendment issues, in coordination with communications staff.

Team Management and Leadership

• • Fulfill the duties of the Legal Director in their absence.
  • Oversee the process for recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and managing new legal staff, fellows, and interns.
  • Actively collaborate with the Legal Director and senior staff on strategic decisions and share responsibility for implementing them.
  • Supervise multiple legal staff members.
  • Supervise fellows, interns, and volunteers.
  • Manage development and mentoring of staff, identifying staff strengths and ensuring attorneys have opportunities for writing, discovery, witness examinations, and oral arguments.
  • Monitor team performance against established metrics and identify areas for improvement.
  • Ensure compliance with ACLU of Florida policies, safety regulations, and quality standards.
  • Facilitate regular team meetings to discuss progress, goals, and feedback, including yearly performance reviews.
  • Collaborate with the Legal Director and senior staff in creating an organizational culture of planning, accountability, and belonging.

Community Engagement and Outreach

• • Develop and strengthen relationships with community partners, coalitions, stakeholders, law firms, law schools, and affected communities.
  • Prepare and deliver “know your rights” information to affected communities.
  • Respond to the legal needs of affected communities, potentially on an emergency and immediate basis.
  • Participate in legal and advocacy conferences and develop and provide Continuing Legal Education (CLE) presentations on pertinent topics.
  • Communicate ACLU views and positions to a variety of audiences, including judges, community residents, and policymakers, through public speaking, traditional and social media, and other means.

Qualifications and Characteristics

Candidates must possess significant litigation experience alongside exceptional analytical, research, writing, and legal advocacy skills. This role requires a Juris Doctor (JD) degree and either a license to practice law in Florida or admission to the Florida Bar within the first year of employment.

While no single candidate will possess every qualification, skill, and personal attribute listed below, the ideal candidate will be passionate about the mission and values of the ACLU of Florida and will bring a strong combination of the following:

• • Litigation Background: At least seven years of federal district court or appellate litigation experience, with significant expertise across multiple civil-rights and constitutional law areas.
  • Advocacy and Writing: Exceptional oral advocacy skills and a proven track record of complex, persuasive legal writing.
  • Management and Prioritization: Substantial project management experience, coupled with a demonstrated ability to balance multiple deadlines and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Personal Attributes and Cultural Competence

• • Mission Alignment: A strong, demonstrated commitment to civil rights and civil liberties that aligns with the mission and goals of the ACLU.
  • Community Engagement: Experience working and communicating directly with marginalized or vulnerable communities, paired with the cultural competence to collaborate cooperatively with diverse community organizations.
  • Diversity and Inclusion: A strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, paired with a personal approach that values individuals and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability, and socio-economic status.
  • Teamwork: A highly collaborative spirit and a good sense of humor.
  • Work Ethic and Adaptability: Professional effectiveness when working with fellow attorneys, paralegals, and clients, alongside the willingness to travel and work extended hours (including nights and weekends) as needed.
  • Language Skills: Fluency in Spanish is considered a plus.

The ACLU of Florida offers excellent benefits, including comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and long-term disability insurance; and an employer-matched 401(k) retirement plan. The organization also provides generous leave policies, starting at five weeks of paid vacation per year (increasing to six weeks after five years), plus paid holidays and sick time.

Fluency in Spanish is considered a plus.