Seeking Senior Attorney for Criminal Injustice Reform
Based in Houston or Dallas, TX
About the Texas Civil Rights Project
The Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) partners with communities across Texas to serve the rising movement for social justice in three key areas: Voting Rights, Criminal Injustice Reform, and Racial and Economic Justice. Whether through litigation, policy or other advocacy, the attorneys and staff at TCRP work to dismantle the drivers of mass entanglement in the criminal legal system, discrimination in voting and civic participation, systemic racism, and wealth-based, profit-driven “justice” practices. As community lawyers, we work with coalitions of community-based organizations to identify injustices facing Texas communities and then to develop impactful, system-changing solutions using litigation and other tools of legal advocacy.
About the Criminal Injustice Reform Program:
Texas outpaces the United States, United Kingdom, and other western nations in incarceration. On any given day in Texas 726,000 people are locked behind bars or are on some form of criminal supervision. Black and Latinx people are overrepresented in Texas’s criminal legal system at alarming rates. Through our Criminal Injustice Reform Program, TCRP is a key participant in the growing movement to reform the State’s criminal legal system, focusing on strategic litigation and investigation, policy change and other advocacy designed to abolish unfair policies and practices at the front, middle and back ends. For example, the program has recently challenged dangerous heat conditions and neglectful mental health care in state prisons, and to end debtors’ prison practices in El Paso. Currently, TCRP is engaged in a class-action lawsuit against Harris County that is part of a larger movement for bail reform. TCRP is committed to continuing to address a broad range of flaws and inequities in Texas’ criminal legal system. Learn more at https://texascivilrightsproject.org/
About the position:
TCRP’s senior attorneys are leaders within our legal department. Our new Senior Attorney in the Criminal Injustice Reform Program will report directly to the Program Director, and work closely with her to shape and execute program priorities. Our Senior Attorneys must bring an equity lens to all aspects of their work, including managing litigation, coaching more junior colleagues and volunteers, and positively contributing to our culture. We are proud of our work, welcome innovative thinkers, and offer flexibility to different people’s styles and strengths.
We deeply value an anti-racist, diverse, intersectional workplace. Applicants with lived experiences that inform an authentic understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable communities and a sophisticated understanding of the historical nature of structural power differences are enthusiastically encouraged to apply.
Overview of Key Responsibilities
- Effectively lead, when assigned, litigation and advocacy campaigns, and actively seek those leadership assignments. As the owner of litigation and/or campaigns, the Senior Attorney will be held accountable for the matter’s ultimate success, including any specific goals that are developed. In the context of managing litigation or a campaign, a Senior Attorney may be responsible for overseeing the work of more junior TCRP attorneys.
- Assist with at least one development duty on a quarterly basis (including presentations, meetings with donors, drafting sections of grant reports, etc.), as requested.
- Act as an informal coach to support and mentor junior attorneys and law clerks, as well as other interns or volunteers, as needed.
- Pay particular attention to team dynamics and TCRP’s culture, and promptly raise any concerns to the Legal Program Director.
- Willingness to undergo training for further skills development and leadership development, as recommended by the Legal Program Director and/or the President.
- Work as many hours as the job necessitates, which may require busy periods of more than 40 hours a week and occasional evening and weekend work.
- Travel, as needed, especially across Texas.
- Work with Legal Program Director to set goals annually related to programmatic work and individual performance, with the understanding that performance will be measured against said goals.
- Personify on a daily basis the leadership traits described in TCRP’s “How We Want to Be” culture manifesto and in CIR’s values statement.
Ideal Candidates Should Have the Following Qualifications:
- Completed at least seven years of post-graduation, full-time practice of law, measured by their graduation date from law school. For this position in particular, we are interested in applicants who graduated in May 2014 or before.
- Sharp legal writing, research, oral advocacy, client counseling and negotiations skills.
- Demonstrated success managing colleagues, especially in litigation.
- Demonstrated subject matter expertise in the criminal legal system and related reform. Familiarity with intersectionality, critical race theory, community and/or movement lawyering.
- Demonstrated ability to work successfully with a diverse range of allies.
- A deep personal commitment to anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Excellence in all forms of communication skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including maturity, keen judgment, the ability to facilitate challenging conversations and quickly read interpersonal dynamics, and the ability to work collaboratively with people from a wide array of backgrounds and perspectives and across projects.
- Ability to create a positive atmosphere in a high-energy, fast-paced work environment and to model professionalism and resilience when disappointments arise.
- Excellent and consistent attention to detail and the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
- A personal drive for self-reflection, improvement, and learning.
- Patience, gravitas and a high tolerance for ambiguity.
**This list of criteria is neither exhaustive nor exclusive. It is meant to encourage rather than discourage applications. Applicants should highlight unique experiences and qualifications not captured by the description above.**
Location & Compensation
This position will be based in our Houston or Dallas office.
Salary will be based on years of experience, with the range between $76,000 - $83,500. TCRP also offers excellent benefits, professional development opportunities and a deep commitment to a meaningful work-life balance. Benefits include employer-paid health insurance, four weeks paid vacation, eight weeks paid family leave (with avenues to extend leave to 14 weeks in total), a $500 professional development budget annually, and extensive holidays, including a winter break between December 25th and New Year’s Day.
How to Apply
To apply, please go to the following website:
https://texascivilrightsproject.submittable.com/submit/167185/senior-att...
For consideration, the deadline to apply is 11:59 pm CST on June 24th, 2020, though we will be reviewing applications as soon as we receive them, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Inclusion & Non-Discrimination
TCRP values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture — women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people from other underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, age, creed, religion, physical ability, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, previous incarceration, languages spoken, socioeconomic status, veteran status, union membership or activism, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law. TCRP offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, professional development opportunities and a deep commitment to a meaningful work-life balance.