Paralegal, Criminal Law Reform Project

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Paralegal in the Criminal Law Reform Project of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. 

The mission of the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project (CLRP) is to use litigation and integrated advocacy in the broader efforts to eradicate mass incarceration, over-criminalization, and structural racism. To these ends, CLRP focuses primarily on the front end of criminal enforcement systems, such as policing, pretrial practices, and public defense. We fulfill our mission through strategic litigation and advocacy that promotes meaningful change for impacted communities. CLRP partners closely with our affiliates across the country and with other ACLU departments to build a movement for social change, promote racial justice, and win reforms needed to significantly reduce our nation’s incarcerated population.

This position is part of a collective bargaining unit. It is represented by Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers Union. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Project Director or Deputy Director, the Paralegal will be responsible for a wide range of administrative and clerical tasks to support and advance our litigation, advocacy, and public education efforts.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Provide administrative support, including processing invoices; tracking and reporting expenses, case costs and lobbying hours; preparing expense reports; ordering supplies; and updating case codes and contact sheets
• Provide administrative support to Project Director and Deputy Directors, including managing travel arrangements and calendar
• Schedule, arrange, prepare, and distribute materials for meetings and conference calls, and take minutes at those meetings as needed
• Maintain and organize electronic and hard copy filing systems, including case files, attorney correspondence files, and litigation dockets
• Draft correspondence and other materials as requested; respond to written and verbal inquiries, as directed by Director and/or other staff
• Type, prepare, proofread legal and other documents
• Administer listservs
• Update CLRP onboarding materials for new staff
• Collect information for and update CLRP’s docket, sharing regular updates with staff across the ACLU
• Develop, update, and maintain CLRP’s website and other public information outlets
• Assist with attorney pro hac and bar admission applications
• Sort and distribute mail
• Assist with general CLRP intake
• Provide administrative support for the managers’ review of applications for new hires
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned by CLRP staff

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Must take initiative, be highly organized and detail-oriented, and possess strong interpersonal and time-management skills
• Excellent research, writing, and verbal communication skills
• Ability manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team while maintaining a high level of efficiency and professionalism
• Commitment to racial and social justice issues
• Bachelor’s degree or a year of related administrative experience, preferred
• Prior experience working on criminal justice reform, preferred

COMPENSATION

WHY THE ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being. 

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid time-off policy
• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change.  We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.    

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.