Staff Attorney - CCR South

Location: The Staff Attorney, CCR South, must live and work in Jackson, Mississippi, with periodic onsite visits to the organization’s headquarters in New York City.

This position is based in Jackson, Mississippi, where the Center for Constitutional Rights is expanding staff and its organizational presence and impact. Subject to workplace and travel restrictions, this role will also require regular travel to the Delta and other regions of Mississippi and to other states in the South.

Reports to: Legal Director, with day-to-day support and mentorship provided by the Associate Director – CCR South and other CCR South senior legal staff.

The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, we have taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach.

Too often, the law supports systems of power that violate our most fundamental rights and prevent people from living with dignity. We use creative and aggressive legal strategies against the most virulent forms of oppression to push the law to meet the demands of justice. Our advocacy work complements litigation to build power where it’s most needed, among communities who have been pushed to the margins. Through strategic communications, we shift the dominant narratives that normalize rights violations and increase public support for our efforts.

The Center for Constitutional Rights’ Southern initiative, known as CCR South, is the next critical step in our decades long support of frontline, grassroots social justice movements taking on the most challenging issues of our time. This initiative reflects our urgent need to strengthen, support, and help build the power of southern-based movements to fight white supremacy and other forms of oppressive power. With historical roots in Mississippi, CCR South draws on the organization’s long history in the Deep South and represents our deepened, renewed institutional commitment to liberatory movements in the South. This bond was forged decades ago when radical lawyers founded the Center for Constitutional Rights to support the civil rights struggle in Mississippi and other parts of the South.

Our approach is holistic, fearless, and relentless. By partnering with communities fighting for social justice and centering their struggles for liberation, we are able to transform systems, policies, and public narratives. You have a role to play in this fight. Join forces with activists, lawyers, and storytellers to fight oppression and build power at the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Staff attorneys conduct litigation and other forms of legal advocacy around existing Center for Constitutional Rights cases – and develop new, creative litigation and advocacy -– in our issue areas, which include: racial justice; discriminatory policing; mass incarceration; government surveillance; criminalization of dissent; gender equity and queer and trans liberation; and environmental justice. The Staff Attorney, CCR South, is expected to use our various legal and other advocacy tools, including complex litigation in domestic and international fora, media, and public education to promote progressive social change in support of social justice movements in Jackson, Mississippi; in the Mississippi Delta and other areas of Mississippi; and throughout the U.S. South.

In collaboration with the Associate Director of CCR South, and other staff of CCR South and across the organization, the Staff Attorney will play a pivotal role in shaping our social justice litigation and advocacy presence in Mississippi in alignment with our overall strategic priorities. The Staff Attorney will assist in developing radical legal interventions that exemplify the Center for Constitutional Rights’ model of supporting social justice movements and communities under threat through strategic impact litigation, cutting-edge advocacy, and narrative shifting. Along with the Associate Director and other staff of CCR South, this position will serve as a key institutional representative for CCR South and proactively develop relationships with legal, policy, advocacy, and community groups; law firms and local counsel; and other key allies in Jackson, Mississippi; in the Mississippi Delta and other areas of Mississippi; and throughout the South, to help CCR South achieve the organization’s mission and goals.

Responsibilities:

• Conceive, develop, and manage visionary, politically-aligned complex litigation that advances our organizational mission, including developing case theory, conducting factual and legal research, building and maintaining client relationships, pursuing appropriate and strategic litigation opportunities, and filing claims in domestic and international fora
• Initiate and engage in all aspects of litigation, including drafting pleadings, briefs, affidavits, and correspondence; taking and defending depositions; managing complex discovery; conducting negotiations with opposing counsel; appearing in court and presenting argument and examining witnesses; and negotiating, implementing, and monitoring settlement agreements
• In collaboration with Advocacy staff, develop and implement advocacy strategies in support of our clients, cases, and projects in support of movement partners in Jackson, Mississippi; the Mississippi Delta and other areas of Mississippi; and throughout the U.S. South
• Engage in public outreach and education efforts, including drafting or reviewing of advocacy materials (such as reports, FAQs, Action Alerts), participation in legislative efforts, and public speaking
• Engage with community groups, cooperating attorneys, co-counsel, progressive lawyers, law students, legal groups, and other allies to build and deepen relationships with community partners on behalf of the organization, particularly in Mississippi and other states in the U.S. South
• Support all aspects of the organization’s communications department activity, including reviewing press materials, responding to press inquiries, appearing in various media interviews, and timely opinion piece drafting, review, and editing
• Work with legal workers, Justice Fellows, and other staff attorneys; supervise student interns and volunteers; and, where appropriate, collaborate with pro bono or cooperating counsel assisting on our cases and projects
• Assist Development department in managing individual and foundation relationships, including development and review of grant proposals, participation in donor meetings, fundraising and donor appreciation activities, and periodic out-of-state travel for development trips and activities
• Maintain good standing in Mississippi and possibly other Southern state bars as appropriate, including fulfilling requirements for continuing legal education
• Participate in departmental and organizational planning and projects, and organization-wide committees, as designated
• Other related work as assigned by the Legal Director, Associate Director of CCR South, or other Center for Constitutional Rights’ staff.

Qualifications:

• 3-6 years of legal experience preferred, with at least some of that experience in complex federal litigation (including substantive and procedural aspects of civil rights law) and with commitment to using multi-dimensional non-litigation approaches to social change
• J.D. and admission to the Mississippi Bar or a willingness to sit for it is required
• Political alignment and belief in the mission of the Center for Constitutional Rights and approach in working with progressive social movements
• Knowledge and skills in several areas of law, including but not limited to: substantive civil rights law, U.S. constitutional law, and economic and social rights
• Background and experience in a range of substantive social justice issue areas, including racial justice, economic justice, gender justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, immigrant justice, or capacity to grow and become well-versed in these areas in creative and accountable ways
• Practical experience working with impacted communities and working with policy, advocacy, and grassroots campaigns and grassroots organizations
• Ability to build trust and relationships with diverse communities and partners
• Excellent legal research, writing, analytical, and oral advocacy skills
• Experience representing clients through motion practice, at hearings, trials, and on appeal, and settlement negotiations and enforcement
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively and effectively on a team–whether in a leadership, collaborator, or supporter role–and to contribute positively to organizational culture that embraces joy and love as a central ethic of its teamwork
• Commitment to vigorous promotion of equity, inclusion, and demonstrated cultural competence with respect to issues including but not limited to race, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, and economic status
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills, including proven ability to efficiently manage multiple tasks and priorities under tight deadlines and in a fast- paced environment
• Interest and commitment to supporting and mentoring junior attorneys, fellows, legal workers, and interns
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team
• Ability and willingness to travel throughout Mississippi and the U.S. South
• Experience working with impacted communities in the U.S. South preferred
• Familiarity with international human rights norms and mechanisms welcomed

Benefits include employer contribution to 401K plan and flexible spending account, vacation, sick leave, and holidays, and 100-percent organization-paid health benefits including medical, dental, life, and short- and long-term disability insurance.