The Resource Counsel will collaborate with team members to identify and litigate key cases to shape Fourth Amendment privacy rights in the digital age. The Resource Counsel serves as a member of the National Affairs team and works under the leadership of the Fourth Amendment Center.
About Us
NACDL is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's more than ten thousand direct members (and 40,000 affiliate members) include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal justice system. For more information about our organization, please visit www.nacdl.org.
Overview
The Resource Counsel will play a critical role in the Center’s cutting-edge training and litigation program to redefine Fourth Amendment jurisprudence in the digital age. The Resource Counsel will work with the Litigation Director and Director of NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Center. NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Center has three core objectives: (1) educate defense lawyers on emerging issues at the intersection of advancing technology, privacy, and the constitutional rights of the accused in criminal cases; (2) assist in litigating cases that present an opportunity to challenge the use of new technologies and increased digital surveillance, and to partner with impact litigators; and (3) establish a practical and dynamic toolkit of resources to help lawyers identify opportunities to challenge government surveillance tools and techniques as they arise in criminal cases.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Advise criminal defense lawyers on cases involving surveillance programs or technologies.
- Provide legal training and technical expertise on the Fourth Amendment issues they raise through phone consultations, sharing of resources, assisting with expert referrals or direct assistance with legal pleadings.
- Conduct trainings and create online training modules on 4th Amendment issues.
- Undertake and supervise legal research projects.
- Assist the Director in determining the Fourth Amendment Center’s strategic direction and substantive priorities, and design and implement the public education programs.
Compensation
Salary is $90,000-110,000, depending on experience and qualifications. Excellent benefits package.
Experience and Qualifications
- A J.D. degree and a minimum of three years of researching, writing and training on technology and criminal law.
- Active bar membership.
- A demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and reforming the criminal legal system.
- Excellent research, writing, and public speaking skills.
- Ability to engage in complex legal analysis and fact-finding.
- Ability to work independently as well as within a team.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and rapid-response demands.
- Ability to work well with NACDL’s leaders, members, staff, and allies.
- Flexibility to travel as required.
- A working understanding of technology and surveillance concerns as they relate to the criminal legal system.
Benefits and Application Procedure
NACDL is a hybrid office where some employees continue to work remotely and others work from the office. This position may be based at NACDL’s Washington, D.C. office, conveniently located near downtown Metro stops. Remote work will also be considered. NACDL employees work a standard 37.5-hour week and enjoy a generous package of employee benefits, including subsidized health, dental and vision insurance, company-paid life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, a pre-tax commuting subsidy, a 401(k) plan with generous company contributions, paid time off and paid holidays.
To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, and two short writing samples (No more than 10 pages total) by Friday, October 4, 2024, to Jumana Musa, NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Center Director, at jmusa@nacdl.org. Please put “4AC Resource Counsel” in the subject line.
