American Civil Liberties Union

Paralegal, Speech, Privacy, and Technology

Legal & Accounting
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience with litigation or administrative support
  • Strong organizational and detail-oriented skills
  • Excellent research and writing abilities
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment
  • Understanding of free speech or digital privacy issues is a plus

Responsibilities

  • Provide litigation and administrative support to SPT attorneys and staff
  • Process invoices, track expenses, and prepare expense reports
  • Manage travel arrangements and calendars for staff
  • Maintain a database of project expenses and filings
  • Prepare and serve legal discovery documents and research court rules
  • Support the management of case files and litigation tracking systems
  • Assist with recruitment processes for open positions

Benefits

  • Generous paid time-off policy
  • Comprehensive healthcare benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • 401k plan with employer match
  • Annual professional development funds and internal workshops
Full Job Description
ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Paralegal in the Speech, Privacy, and Technology (SPT) 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 Speech, Privacy and Technology Project is dedicated to protecting and expanding the First Amendment freedoms of expression, association, and inquiry; expanding the right to privacy and increasing the control that individuals have over their personal information; and ensuring that civil liberties are enhanced rather than compromised by new advances in science and technology. The project is currently litigating cases and conducting other advocacy efforts on a variety of issues, including political protest, freedom of expression online, privacy of electronic information, journalists' rights, scientific and academic freedom, openness in the courts, privacy rights at the border, and the impact of big data and algorithmic decision-making.
WHAT YOU'LL DO

Reporting to the Deputy Project Director, the Paralegal will be responsible for providing litigation and administrative support to the legal project. This includes, but is not limited to, responding to legal assistance inquires, cite checking and formatting litigation documents, and maintaining files and other litigation items.
YOUR DAY TO DAY
  • Provide litigation, administrative, and research support to the work of SPT attorneys and other SPT staff
  • Handle general administrative duties including processing invoices, tracking expenses and case costs, preparing expense reports, ordering supplies, etc.
  • Handle travel arrangements and calendar for Director and other staff
  • Maintain database of all Project expenses, including travel and case costs
  • Arrange for service of legal documents; prepare and serve discovery documents; research court rules and procedures
  • Maintain case files, attorneys' correspondence files, and internal litigation tracking systems including case summaries and calendar of litigation deadlines and court dates
  • Provide administrative support for the managers' review of applications for open positions
  • Work jointly with interns and communicate routine and/or procedural guidance on projects assigned by managers

In addition to:
  • Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
  • Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
  • Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
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
  • Experience with litigation or administrative support
  • Must take initiative, be highly organized and detail-oriented, and possess strong interpersonal and time-management skills
  • Excellent research and writing skills
  • Ability to work independently as well as within a team while maintaining a high level of efficiency and professionalism
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • Bachelor's degree or two years of related administrative experience
  • Experience with free speech or digital privacy issues is preferred
COMPENSATION

The ACLU is committed to equity, transparency, and clarity in pay. Consistent with our compensation philosophy, there is a set salary for each role based on geographic work location. The annual salary for this position is $82,138 (Level CBU), reflecting the salary of a position based in New York, NY. Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.

For details on our pay structure, please visit: https://www.aclu.org/careers/ACLU_Geographic_Pay_Structure-July_2024.pdf

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

About American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a non-profit organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. The organization was founded in 1920 and has since grown to become the nation's largest public interest law firm, with a staff of over 300 attorneys and thousands of volunteer lawyers and activists. The ACLU works on a wide range of issues, including free speech, racial justice, reproductive rights, LGBT rights, and criminal justice reform. The organization is headquartered in New York City.
Learn more about American Civil Liberties Union
Size
2,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1920

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