Legal Director

Posted 3 days ago

POSITION SUMMARY

The Sikh Coalition seeks a highly motivated Legal Director to lead our legal team. The candidate will manage all legal personnel, case matters, and cross-programmatic work, in addition to providing oversight in direct pro bono legal representation and advocacy efforts on behalf of individuals who have been discriminated against based on their religious and racial identities in high impact litigation matters. These matters include litigating in the areas of hate crimes, employment discrimination, school bullying and discrimination, racial/religious profiling, public accommodations matters, and other forms of civil rights violations in state and federal courts across the country.

The Sikh Coalition retains clients and creates pro se legal and advocacy resources in providing reactive and proactive support to address bias and discrimination. It has favorably resolved major religious employment discrimination cases against state and federal governments, including against J.B. Hunt, Autozone, Disney, Lexus, AECOM, and the NYPD. In addition, it has successfully litigated against and secured policy changes and/or accommodations allowing for Sikhs to serve in the U.S. Army and to attend the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp with their articles of faith intact. The legal team has provided direct support to the victims and survivors of anti-Sikh hate crimes across the country. The work of the Sikh Coalition’s legal team has been featured nationally and internationally in media outlets including: The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fox News, NPR, etc. Most recently, the Sikh Coalition’s amicus brief in seminal employment discrimination case Groff v. DeJoy was cited by SCOTUS in its decision in favor of employee rights.

The legal director will have the opportunity to work with a dynamic, professional, and experienced litigation and cross-programmatic team that is viewed by law firms and other civil rights organizations as leading experts in areas of racial and religious discrimination. In addition, the legal director will work to build and maintain a network of prospective pro bono partners with major law firms, non-profit coalition partners, government agencies, and law school clinics. They will be responsible for overseeing staff attorneys in representing and advocating on behalf of clients in court, engage in motion practice, and in general advocacy measures. They will also function as a cross-programmatic spokesperson who can translate the Sikh Coalition’s work effectively for policy changes and through local and national media. The legal director reports to the Executive Director. They will both manage and be managed remotely, so should have the ability to oversee and guide staff, as well as stay on task, without in-person oversight.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities include:

-Represent and advocate on behalf of Sikhs in a wide range of civil rights matters, including hate crimes, school bullying, employment discrimination, profiling, and other racial and religious rights issues;
-Manage all legal team personnel in an effective manner, including providing guidance on work related issues and professional development matters;
-Understand and thoughtfully manage legal team capacity constraints and how to prioritize case intakes;
-Communicate effectively with and diligently manage clients;
-Analyze clients’ claims under relevant law, advise clients, and take appropriate legal action;
-Conduct legal research, draft legal memoranda and pleadings, and have a solid understanding of civil procedure;
-Conduct all aspects of litigation (strategizing, drafting pleadings, discovery, etc.) in civil cases before state and federal courts and administrative bodies;
-Manage intakes and interview prospective clients;
-Create and maintain structure in a remote work environment to remain on task and effectively communicate with colleagues on a daily basis;
-Be willing to learn and use legal case/client management software tools;
-Provide information and referrals when necessary for clients to obtain assistance elsewhere;
-Recruit and manage pro bono outside counsel and collaborate with other attorneys and stakeholder organizations;
-Work effectively with the organization’s staff on collateral matters (whether advocacy campaigns, media initiatives, community engagement, fundraising, etc.);
-Take initiative in thinking through and leading out on next steps in case work;
-Be willing to provide critical and constructive feedback to colleagues in real time;
-Lead out on cross-programmatic coordination of work where legal cases are involved;
-Personnel management of interns, fellows, and on cross-programmatic case work;
-Represent the Sikh Coalition at a variety of meetings and speaking engagements, and to the press and media outlets.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

A. Required Work Experience and Key Skills

-Bachelors and Juris Doctor degrees required;
-Bar membership in at least one U.S. based jurisdiction;
-8+ years of experience preferred, preferably in litigation matters (candidates with less should apply and may be considered depending on specific experience);
-Have personnel management experience;
-Excellent written, oral and analytical skills;
-Demonstrated passion for social justice and civil rights issues;
-Compassion for clients and ability to connect with and gain the trust of community members of diverse backgrounds;
-Able to handle a large caseload, multi-task effectively, and work independently in a fast-paced remote environment;
-Able to work effectively with legal and non-legal staff across all program areas, external co-counsel, board members, interns & fellows;
-Must be willing to travel as needed for clients, casework, and team coordination.
-Punjabi language skills are a plus but not required.

B. Values and Perspectives

-Belief in Sikh Coalition values of truth, service, humility, and persistence.
-Respect for the faith-based roots of the organization and sensitivity to the specific cultural needs of the community.
-Passion for the civil rights issues of our time.
-Commitment to consensus-building and shared decision making as a process.
-Proactive problem solving attitude.
-Embraces feedback and is driven by opportunities for growth.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

This is a full-time, exempt salaried position and compensation will commensurate with experience in the $120,000 - $150,000 range. Benefits include:

-Medical, dental, vision starting the first day of work, fully covered for employees, including a zero deductible medical plan.
-Ability to contribute to a Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
-Retirement savings 401K plan with an immediate vested contribution match.
-Generous vacation and sick leave.
-Home office reimbursement.
-Paid parental leave.
-Employee perks including benefits and retail discounts through our PEO service.
-Commitment to professional development and growth. --Applicable professional membership dues can be eligible for reimbursement.
-Annual team-wide offsites with opportunity for team building, team bonding, and other activities.

COMMITMENT TO EQUITY:

The Sikh Coalition is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Sikh Coalition is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants, and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental handicap, political belief, marital status, age, veteran status, ancestry, caste, medical condition, genetic characteristic, pregnancy, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, reproductive health choices, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state and local laws.

How to Apply