The Opportunity

At this critical moment when civil and constitutional rights are under unprecedented attack, the Asian Law Caucus (ALC) seeks an experienced litigator and social justice attorney to serve as Senior Counsel. The Senior Counsel will  play a significant role in advancing ALC’s mission through impact litigation protecting  immigrant communities, particularly Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities, including Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities.  The Senior Counsel will develop legal strategy in litigation matters and will supervise more junior attorneys, fellows, law students, and paralegals.  

This experienced attorney will support the Legal Director in developing legal strategies that are complementary to and integrated into our broader work to achieve advocacy goals across our programs, and other emerging areas of law, including threats to civil rights and civil liberties, constitutional violations, and attacks on immigrant and non-citizen communities. The Senior Counsel will forecast key trends in the law that may impact our work and has the ability to assess the broader legal landscape.

The Senior Counsel will help identify, develop, and lead litigation or strategic casework in partnership with the Legal Director and in collaboration with Program Directors and their teams,

informed by and brought in combination with direct legal services, community education and empowerment, communications/narrative change, and policy advocacy. Depending on their areas of expertise, the Senior Counsel may be assigned to work closely with a few teams and across program areas and also lead litigation that does not fit into a specific program area. The Senior Counsel will handle all aspects of litigation, managing a diverse caseload in state and federal courts, together with other colleagues, outside counsel, and other stakeholders.

The ideal candidate has significant experience managing and mentoring attorneys and legal staff, deep expertise in issues impacting low-income API and AMEMSA communities, established relationships within the social justice litigation community and is committed to community lawyering principles and building leadership and power with and for impacted communities. 

The Organization

Founded in 1972, the Asian Law Caucus is the nation’s first legal and civil rights organization serving low-income Asian and Pacific Islander communities. We bring together legal services, community empowerment, and policy advocacy to fight for immigrant justice, economic security, and a stronger, multiracial democracy. We are committed to serving the vast diversity of communities of Asian descent, including Arab, Middle Eastern, and Muslim communities. Our fights for justice and equity are deeply informed by and in solidarity with fights for liberation by and for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities.

Our growing staff works collaboratively across six issue areas. Our work is rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area and California and expands to states across the country, including places where immigrant, Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern, and Pacific Islander communities are rapidly growing.

Responsibilities

Day-to-day activities include the following:

Impact Litigation & Legal Strategy Development

• In collaboration with the Legal Director, identify and develop impact litigation and legal strategy that supports ALC’s mission, and programmatic goals and leads to systems change
• Collaborate with the Legal Director on case selection, issue prioritization, and docket management, ensuring all litigation is strategically staffed and effectively executed
• Lead cases, conducting all aspects of civil trial and appellate litigation in state and federal court, including case development and filing, discovery, mediation, motions practice, evidentiary proceedings, trials, appeals, and settlements, and litigation financial accounting, and help manage litigation teams, staffed with more junior attorneys, co-counsel, and/or pro bono counsel, fostering a collaborative work environment 
• Advise Program Directors on litigation and non-litigation legal advocacy and closely coordinate with our program, policy, and communications teams to advance our strategic priorities
• Articulate ALC’s legal analysis of court rulings and legal strategy to ALC staff and board of directors, the public, the media, and other stakeholders as requested, and respond to inquiries on ALC’s impact litigation and legal strategy on active matters
• Maintain external relationships, such as with community partners, advocates, pro bono firms and attorneys, elected officials, state and federal agencies
• Strategize with program staff working on ALC’s direct representation cases and community engagement efforts on the potential for such litigation

 Legal Team Management & Development

• Recruit, hire, onboard, train, mentor, and supervise other attorneys and legal staff on casework to ensure effective representation, high quality work product, and compliance with ethical obligations; model the practice of community lawyering in all legal and impact litigation work
• Work with ALC’s Legal Director to create skills assessment and training for attorneys and legal staff, including supporting the development of legal analysis, writing, oral argument, and presentation skills
• Work with broader ALC management team to coordinate and be consistent in our approach and execution of the legal work, and serve as a go-to resource for attorneys and legal staff
• Lead and advise on internal case management and legal systems, including preparing and reviewing reports
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned

 All ALC staff are expected to participate in regular check-in meetings with their supervisor/supervisees, staff meetings, team meetings, and other organization meetings, as required. This includes two (2) annual retreats, an anniversary celebration dinner, and meetings as needed in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

The above statements are not intended to encompass all functions of the position; rather, they are intended to provide a general framework of the requirements of the position. Job incumbents may be required to perform other functions not specifically addressed in this posting.

Desired Qualifications

• J.D. and membership in good standing in the California State Bar
• 10+ years of experience conducting all aspects of civil trial and appellate litigation in state and federal court, including case development and filing, discovery, mediation, motions practice, evidentiary proceedings, trials, appeals, and settlements, and litigation financial accounting
• Substantive knowledge and understanding of civil rights issues related to ALC’s mission, preferably in the areas of immigration law and procedure, constitutional law and national security
• Strong legal skills and ability to analyze system-level problems and demonstrated track record of creative and high-impact advocacy 
• Commitment to community and movement lawyering principles and building power for and with grassroots communities
• Excellent research, writing, analytical, and communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex legal and policy issues to client communities and the general public
• Ability to work independently and as part of a diverse, multi-disciplinary team,  and communicate quickly and accurately, handling multiple projects and deliverables under pressure, 
• Proven problem-solving skills with the ability to analyze situations, identify existing or potential problems and recommend solutions
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully both within the organization and in the community and to inspire legal staff to perform their best work
• Familiarity with case management systems is a plus

Preferred qualifications

• History of working with diverse communities, specifically immigrant communities
• Experience coordinating across different legal programs, managing complex relationships and multiple stakeholders
• Experience providing legal training, mentorship, and supervision