Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney or Senior Counsel

The posting, as ACLU of New Jersey wrote it

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) legal department seeks applicants for a full-time position of Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney, or Senior Counsel . This attorney will be responsible for developing and executing civil rights litigation and legal advocacy strategies with a focus on protecting and expanding voting rights and democratic processes.

In recent years, the ACLU-NJ has driven powerful legal and policy advocacy to protect and expand voting rights, civic participation, government transparency, and free expression. With the enactment of the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey (NJVEA), this attorney will have the opportunity to be at the forefront of using new statutory tools to safeguard and strengthen voting rights and ensure that all voters have equitable access to the ballot. While this role will be focused on the ACLU-NJ’s voting and democracy work, candidates can expect to work on other civil rights and civil liberties issues as needed.

This attorney will work from our office in Newark with a hybrid work schedule where all staff work in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Organizational Overview

For more than 60 years, the ACLU of New Jersey has defended liberty and justice guided by the vision of a fair and equitable New Jersey for all. Our mission is to preserve, advance, and extend the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every New Jerseyan by the state and federal constitutions in courts, in the legislature, and in our communities. We are committed to repairing and transforming spaces where constitutional promises have not been delivered.

As part of an organization that uses an integrated, inter-departmental approach to advocacy, the staff attorney will join a 14+ person legal team that uses litigation and a wide range of advocacy tools to protect and expand civil rights and civil liberties, and that collaborates with colleagues across the organization to maximize the ACLU-NJ’s impact.

Responsibilities

Litigation & Advocacy

• Identify opportunities to expand voting rights through the statutory tools available in the NJVEA, evaluating litigation strategies to protect the rights of voters, and driving those litigation efforts.
• In collaboration with other departments, the attorney will engage in integrated advocacy campaigns on voting rights and democracy issues, including: serving as a subject matter expert and advocate, and providing technical and other support for policy work; drafting and editing public education and non-litigation advocacy materials; and conducting outreach and advocacy with, and providing technical assistance to, public officials and government bodies.
• Attorneys are responsible for identifying possible litigation and advocacy; conducting factual and legal research; evaluating legal theory and strategy; identifying, interviewing, and counseling clients and witnesses; writing demand letters; drafting pleadings, motions, and briefs; conducti

[…]
n by uploading one pdf with a resume and one pdf with a cover letter and a legal writing sample (no more than 15 pages). We invite applicants to include in their cover letter information about how their background and/or experiences could contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and advocacy work. Because we are evaluating writing skills for this position, we request that you do not use AI to prepare any part of your application materials.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and those received by September 30, 2026, will be prioritized.

The ACLU-NJ is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture of belonging. It is our policy to employ qualified people without regard to race; color; gender, gender identity or expression; religion; sex; national origin or ancestry; age; disability; sexual orientation; veteran’s status; marital status; civil union status; arrest or court record; citizenship; credit history; genetic information; status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking; or any other characteristic protected under federal or state law. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people, women, people with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU-NJ makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions. The ACLU-NJ is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email careers@aclu-nj.org . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request accommodations for the interview process.