Chief Counsel - Worth Rises : Job Details

Were looking for a Chief Counsel!

Worth Rises seeks an experienced Chief Counsel, working remotely, to serve as in-house counsel and direct the organizations strategic litigation and regulatory practices and support policy advocacy as needed. The Chief Counsel should be experienced in challenging corporate abuse and exploitation generally, practiced in and committed to movement lawyering, and have experience working with incarcerated people or similarly situated marginalized clients. The Chief Counsel will report to the Executive Director and collaborate with policy and corporate campaign staff across the organization.

Worth Rises is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of those it touches. Partnering with directly impacted people, we work to expose the commercialization of the criminal legal system and advocate and organize to protect the economic resources extracted from affected communities and strip the industry of its power. Through our work, we strive to pave a road toward a safe and just world free of police and prisons.

Key Results (Year One)

• Develop and implement a litigation strategy to challenge major prison industry players.
• Develop a legal strategy to enforce the rights established by the Abolition Amendment for the #EndTheException campaign.
• Effectively manage a comment period before the Federal Communications Commission, submitting thoughtful and strategic comments and reply comments on-time and securing at least one regulatory win.

Major Responsibilities

• In-house Counsel
  • Oversee organizations compliance in corporate governance and advise and support on the drafting of corporate policies, bylaws, minutes, agendas, and resolutions.
  • Oversee organizations compliance with lobbying laws.
  • Draft, review, and negotiate all contracts for the organization (e.g., contracts with vendors, contractors, licensees, donors).
  • Advise on matters of employment law, including Employee Handbook, internal policies, and employment actions.
  • Generally advise on legal matters, securing outside counsel when necessary.
  • Manage relationships with all pro bono attorneys and outside counsel.
• Strategy & Management
  • Co-develop a legal strategy with the Executive Director that supports the organizations goals and campaigns, including strategic litigation and regulation.
  • Develop and implement an organizing framework to inform litigation strategies that collects input from directly impacted people.
  • Set, track, and analyze clear and measurable metrics to regularly inform strategy.
  • Lead the legal department, managing a growing team of attorneys and paralegals.
  • Support campaigns teams by reviewing legislative proposals and government contracts with corporations in the prison industry, as needed.
• Strategic Litigation
  • Manage all aspects of litigation in diverse areas of law (e.g., corporate, labor, civil rights), sourcing cases, identifying and screening plaintiffs, recruiting litigation partners, conducting legal research, developing legal strategy development, filing demand letters and complaints, litigating, and negotiating settlements.
  • Help manage litigation working groups for specific campaigns (e.g., #EndTheException), creating a partner network for legal research and strategy development.
  • Participate as amicus for other cases, as appropriate.
  • Review and respond to complaints from directly impacted people about exploitation and corporate abuse, directing them to support if unable to help.
• Regulation
  • Collaborate with national partners, participating or leading coalitions as appropriate, to advance regulatory goals.
  • Participate in administrative processes supporting increased regulation of players in the prison industry, primarily at the federal level, reviewing notices for proposed rulemaking, drafting comments, reviewing and replying to opposing comments.
  • Meet with regulators, including agency staff, to advance regulatory goals.

Critical Factors for Success

This role requires a motivated self-starter who takes initiative unprompted, consistently delivers high-quality work, is an excellent project manager, is a proactive and innovative problem-solver, appreciates direct feedback, and has the following:

• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to the bar in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• At least seven years of relevant legal experience as a practicing attorney with experience litigating cases involving corporate malfeasance, anti-trust violations, civil rights, and labor protections, especially in prisons and jails.
• At least three years of professional experience managing a litigation practice, including the management of full-time staff and co-counsel relationships.
• At least one year of professional experience overseeing in-house legal needs for a non-profit organization.
• Familiarity with the mechanics of complex civil litigation, preferably in federal court, including motion practice, discovery management, trial strategy, and oral advocacy, and working knowledge of corporate abuse, administrative law, contract law, and legislative advocacy.
• Demonstrated ability to secure and manage effective litigation partnerships, including pro bono counsel.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Proven ability to distill dense and complicated issues into easy-to-understand talking points for non-lawyers.
• Proven ability to build trusting relationships internally and externally, with partners and community members.
• Familiarity with issues involving the prison industry and desire to learn new skills across diverse practice areas as they apply the challenging the prison industry.
• Genuine commitment to our organizational values: act with integrity, focus on impact, deliver excellence, get it done, and operate with intellectual curiosity (visit worthrises.org/jointhefight).

Compensation and Benefits

Worth Rises offers a generous compensation package, including full medical, vision, and dental coverage, 20 days vacation time, ten days personal/sick leave, and three days bereavement leave. Employees also receive a generous 401k contribution match, $75 monthly cellphone stipend, monthly wellness reimbursement, and dedicated budget line for professional development. The annual salary for the Chief Counsel is $150,000.

Worth Rises is an equal opportunity employer, and strongly encourages formerly incarcerated individuals, directly impacted individuals, people of color, members of the disability community, gender-variant and non-binary individuals, and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community to apply.

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