Senior Director, Litigation
Lower 48 United States
Policy & Litigation – Litigation /
Full-Time /
Remote
We are seeking a strategic and experienced Senior Director, Litigation to lead our national litigation efforts to strengthen democracy and hold power accountable. This new role will shift the direction of Common Cause’s work to be a strategic leader with a proactive litigation agenda rooted in our policy pillars and reform priorities, using an innovative model that leverages external law firm partnerships rather than an in-house litigation team.
Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Policy & Litigation, the Senior Director, Litigation will lead the development, coordination, and execution of impact litigation in both state and federal courts. This role will manage relationships with outside counsel, including large firms doing pro bono work, boutique litigation firms, and public interest legal organizations. The Senior Director, Litigation will work closely with colleagues in the Policy & Litigation department and across the organization, especially with the Senior Policy Directors in each of Common Cause’s four pillars: Voting & Fair Representation, Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Media & Technology, and Anti-Corruption & Accountability.
This is a full-time role reporting to the Senior Vice President, Policy & Litigation; this role is remote anywhere in the lower 48 United States, though we have a strong preference for someone who is based in Washington, DC and can come into our office at least two days per week. We hope our new Senior Director, Litigation will start in September.
Responsibilities
- Develop and lead a strategic litigation agenda aligned with Common Cause’s mission and policy pillars
- Identify, evaluate, recommend, and lead litigation opportunities in coordination with national policy leads and state teams
- Work closely with senior policy staff and state teams to align our litigation and policy strategy, supporting teams to identify opportunities for strategic litigation
- Identify and cultivate relationships with outside counsel, and serve as lead organizational liaison and supervisor of outside counsel, including co-counseling public interest groups and managing pro bono law firm partnerships
- Proactively build strategic external relationships and represent Common Cause in litigation-related coalitions, legal strategy sessions, and external convenings
- Present litigation recommendations to the Senior Vice President, Policy & Litigation, including preparing legal analyses and engagement proposals
- Oversee the drafting, review, and execution of engagement agreements with outside counsel
- Serve as a key legal advisor to the Senior Vice President, Policy & Litigation and provide regular updates on ongoing and potential litigation
- Collaborate with the External Affairs, Campaigns and Organizing, and States departments as needed to amplify litigation impact
- Manage externs and fellows as needed
You will thrive in this role if you have:
- A strong commitment to Common Cause’s nonpartisan mission and to advancing equitable opportunities for communities through our pro-democracy agenda
- Exceptional legal judgment, and a demonstrated understanding of public interest, constitutional, or democracy-related litigation issues
- A commitment to equity in the goals of your work and in how you work with others
- A track record of working collaboratively with others, with the ability to build rapport, trust, and credibility with multiple stakeholders with diverse interests
- Ability to navigate organizational and power dynamics, respectfully navigate conflict while maintaining your values, and influence others to adopt changes to meet common goals
- Innovative and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to navigate through ambiguity to achieve goals, and a resourceful approach to solve problems
- Ability to manage and meet deadlines for multiple short- and long-term priorities at once, with high attention to detail, strong organization skills, and the ability to manage your time independently
- Ability to compel action through both written and verbal communication, including distilling complex concepts for a broad audience, and to differentiate communications as needed for various audiences
- Openness to feedback and awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth
- Familiarity with office productivity tools including Microsoft Office, Slack, and Zoom
The following is required:
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
- Have managed complex litigation in at least one of our pillars (Voting & Fair Representation, Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Media & Technology, and Anti-Corruption & Accountability) in federal and state courts
- A track record of developing and implementing litigation strategy
- Demonstrated knowledge of the unique aspects of our national political dynamics
- Experience managing coalitions with diverse interests to achieve a goal, and engaging community or advocacy organizations in litigation strategy
- Have managed outside counsel
- Have managed and developed a team; set strategic direction for a team, and built a unified approach to achieve goals
- A track record of leading organization-wide change initiatives
- Ability to travel up to three days per month for team and/or all staff retreats
- Per our nonpartisan policy, Common Cause staff members may not currently be in elected office (or running for office); on the Steering Committee or Finance Committee for any political candidate; or affiliated with the leadership of a political party
Additional information about this role
- This position is included in a union-represented collective bargaining unit and specific employment terms and conditions are subject to collective bargaining negotiations
- Common Cause is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time; please note that if hired, you will be asked to produce documentation for authorization to work in the US
$128,750 - $144,200 a year
Note that we do have geography-specific percentage increases, depending on where you are located; details here.
In order to ensure greater equity and transparency as an organization, Common Cause sets salary ranges consistently based on job responsibilities, and we determine salary for each staff member based on relevant years of experience (you can read more about our approach to compensation here, including where we offer geographical adjustments). For these reasons, we do not negotiate on our salary ranges or our specific salary offers.
In addition to salary, we also offer a generous benefits package, including:
- A robust healthcare plan that covers 97% of employee’s medical care, 100% of employee’s vision and dental benefits, and 75% of family medical care and 100% of family vision and dental benefits
- Long-term disability and life insurance
- Generous Paid Time Off including 20 Days of Vacation and 10 observed Holidays per year, and additional days off for Thanksgiving and Winter break
- 16 weeks of paid parental leave
- Flexible spending accounts
- A 401k retirement savings plan, with immediate Employer Match
- Dependent Care and Pet Care Support when you travel for work
- Funds for professional development
Common Cause is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of any race, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, income class, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status, as well as applicants who have been previously incarcerated.
Common Cause (501(c)(4)) and Common Cause Education Fund (501(c)(3)) are nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots affiliate organizations dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create an open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Washington, DC, Common Cause has more than 1.5 million members and supporters living in every congressional district in the United States, and offices in 23 states around the country.
