Senior Staff Attorney (Non-Profit)

Senior Staff Attorney, Lawyers for Reporters

The Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice/City Bar Fund

Position Reports to: Managing Attorney, Lawyers for Reporters/Vance Center
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: New York City

Established in 2004, the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice advances global justice by engaging lawyers across borders to support civil society and an ethically active legal profession. The Vance Center is a unique collaboration of in-house and private practice lawyers catalyzing public interest innovation to advance human rights and access to justice, protect the natural environment, promote the rule of law and institutional integrity, and support public interest reporting. A non-profit program of the New York City Bar Association, we bring together leading law firms and other partners worldwide to pioneer domestic and international justice initiatives and provide pro bono legal representation to social justice NGOs. In 2024, the Vance Center represented 174 clients in 235 matters, collaborating as co-counsel with 844 lawyers from 164 law firms across 69 countries.

Program Description

The Vance Center launched Lawyers for Reporters in March 2020 to provide pro bono legal representation to independent local and subject-specific news outlets, public interest reporting organizations, and journalism support organizations in the United States. Since its launch, it has represented more than 300 clients in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

Lawyers for Reporters’ clients include independent publishers that distribute public interest and local news in such formats as print, websites, radio, documentary film, video and social media, as well as investigative, advocacy, and academic publishers of public interest content. Lawyers for Reporters was established to ensure that no public interest reporting organization needing legal support will fail to obtain it because of financial constraints.

Our in-house team has the privilege of working with exceptional practitioners from across the country dedicating pro bono service to support a cornerstone of our democracy – the independent press.  One of these partners is the Press Freedom Defense Fund, which provides assistance to reporters facing serious legal threats and offers a program to help news organizations implement risk reduction strategies.

Using the Vance Center’s unique model, our in-house lawyers work with our network of pro bono private practitioners to provide advice and representation news publishers need at every stage of their life cycles. The scope of our representation is broad, covering corporate, transactional, employment, and taxation, as well as newsroom services such as pre-publication review of articles, newsgathering advice, help responding to retraction demands and litigation threats, subpoena defense, support for freedom of information and access rights, copyright licensing and defense, trademark, and more. We help clients apply for tax-exempt charitable status and establish subscriber/membership programs. In the current hostile environment in which the press operates, we offer compliance checkups, safety and know-your-rights resources, and training and capacity building.

Together with the Press Freedom Defense Fund, Lawyers for Reporters is expanding its provision of advice and services to clients related to risk management and operational compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations, including in the areas of employment, insurance, governance, taxation, privacy, and intellectual property, among others.

The Position 

The Senior Staff Attorney, reporting to the Managing Attorney, will collaborate with a team of five legal professionals to counsel independent publishers of news and journalism support organizations in the U.S. Duties include helping intake new clients; assessing their legal needs; directly providing them with legal advice and representation; communicating as needed with law firms regarding pro bono services and co-counseling clients with private practitioners; creating and conducting training sessions, templates and toolboxes, and workshops for newsrooms and operations departments of clients; and interfacing, in coordination with our development and communications teams, with private foundations, law firms, the press, and other journalism support organizations.

We seek an attorney with demonstrable experience in employment and/or general corporate and transactional law who seeks to develop broad expertise in the legal areas affecting news and public interest publishers and to assume primary responsibility for client matters in these areas. This position will assume significant responsibility for risk management and compliance advising services with which we will collaborate with the Press Freedom Defense Fund.

Requirements/Qualifications

• J.D. degree from an accredited U.S. law school, with additional education or specialization in media law and/or journalism a plus.
• Admission to practice law in any state.
• Minimum 6 years of experience in employment and/or corporate law as a practicing attorney in a U.S. law firm or other organization representing clients.
• The ability to work independently, present well in writing and orally, manage multiple short and long-term tasks simultaneously.
• A commitment to promoting a free and robust independent press.
• Authorization to work in the United States.
• Ability to develop and/or work with professional networks and/or other forms of collaboration.

• Experience and/or general knowledge of professional journalism and/or start-up businesses.
• Experience in media law or tax-exempt organizations law a plus.
• Working knowledge of Spanish.
• Experience with pro bono practice and general knowledge of the U.S. legal market. 

Compensation
Starting salary will be $105,000 - $120,000 based on experience.

We provide a competitive benefits package, including generous paid time off (vacation, personal, sick time, holidays including closing between Christmas and New Year’s day, day off for volunteer work, extra time off in summer), choice of medical plans, dental, vision, 401K, life insurance, commuter benefits program, Employee Assistance Program, short-term/long-term disability insurance, free New York City Bar Association membership and CLE programs, and employee discounts, among others.

Application instructions: 
Applications will be considered when received until a qualified candidate is hired. To apply, please submit a resume, a cover letter, and a list of three references. References will only be contacted with your express permission. No phone calls please. 

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We are not able to sponsor visas for this position.

The Vance Center is a proud equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from candidates belonging to communities historically underrepresented in the legal profession. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. It is our policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, creed, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, disability, arrest or conviction record, pregnancy, credit history, salary history, caregiver status, marital status, partnership status, or status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, religion, sex, genetic information, military status, unemployment status or any other characteristic as protected by law. With regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related laws, we will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations for persons due to their religious beliefs; disability; pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition; or because the individual was a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking.

Salary : $105,000 - $120,000