INVESTIGATOR (Two-Year Position)
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida (ACLU of Florida) seeks an Investigator to help the Legal Department combat pressing civil rights and liberties issues affecting communities across the state. This position is funded for two years—any continuation of the position after that time will be determined by the strategic need and financial resources of the organization at that time, as well as a determination of mutual fit.
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida is an affiliate of the national ACLU, a national public interest organization devoted to the defense of civil rights and civil liberties. For over 100 years, the ACLU has served as the nation’s primary protector of the liberties that define our democracy. The organization implements its vital civil liberties mission in all 50 states in large part through affiliate entities such as the ACLU of Florida.
The ACLU of Florida, the state’s largest civil rights and civil liberties organization, employs litigation, public-policy advocacy, communications strategies, and public education to protect and promote a broad range of constitutional values and individual rights, such as freedom of speech, equality, due process, racial justice, privacy, religious liberty, criminal-justice reform, voting rights, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, and immigrants’ rights. The ACLU of Florida litigates a broad range of constitutional cases in state and federal courts through direct representation, filing amicus briefs, and submitting administrative complaints to state and federal agencies.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Investigator is a staff position within the affiliate’s Legal Department. The position will report either to the Legal Director or a Supervising Attorney, as capacity may shift from time to time. This can be remote (within Florida) or hybrid located in one of the organization’s offices in Miami or Tallahassee and will include some travel.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Investigator will:
- Serve as a fact-finder, gathering evidence and information to build cases focused on racial justice, support legal arguments, and obtain justice for clients and other stakeholders.
- Conduct fieldwork to locate individuals, visit clients, serve subpoenas and other legal documents, and gather information from various sources like neighbors and employers.
- Identify, interview, and as appropriate conduct background checks for individuals impacted by policies or practices the ACLU-FL is interested in challenging or investigating.
- Identify, interview, and as appropriate conduct background checks for individuals with information related to unlawful acts by government officials.
- Collect and gather evidence and information, and then organize, analyze, summarize, and explain that information in a format that is accessible to and usable by the Legal Department and/or the public. This will include but is not limited to conducting factual investigations and research; drafting, submitting, and following up on public-records requests, requesting and reviewing court documents, and conducting online and database research.
- Create, implement, and manage a system of identifying, developing, and tracking relationships with attorneys across Florida as well as federal, state, and local agency contacts with the potential for cooperation or partnership.
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
In addition to the primary responsibilities above, the Investigator will also:
- Support our legal efforts by helping to tell the human story behind legal and policy issues.
- As needed and appropriate, support litigation tasks such as drafting declarations/affidavits.
- Create comprehensive and meticulous reports detailing the investigation process, findings, and evidence gathered.
- Potentially provide testimony in court as a witness to present findings from their investigation.
- Work closely with attorneys and other staff to develop legal strategies and ensure all investigations comply with legal requirements.
- As needed and appropriate, follow up on certain requests for legal assistance and correspond with potential clients and witnesses.
- Develop and strengthen relationships with community partners, coalitions, stakeholders, and affected communities.
- Communicate ACLU views and positions to a variety of audiences.
- Participate in team, department, and other meetings; help to set a collaborative, inclusive culture within the Legal Department; and engage with colleagues at other ACLU affiliates and ACLU National as well as external partners.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
The candidate must have:
- Strong self-motivation, initiative, and pro-activeness.
- Excellent verbal and written communication.
- Fastidious attention to detail and deadlines.
- Strong research and analytical skills and demonstrated intellectual curiosity and resourcefulness, including expertise utilizing technology to obtain information and present results (including search engines, social media, and online databases).
- Solid “people skills,” including experience working effectively and respectfully with individuals from diverse backgrounds, building trust with individuals, and exercising excellent judgment in handling confidential or sensitive issues.
- First-rate administrative skills.
- Ability and willingness to travel and work extended hours, including nights and weekends, as needed.
- Unquestionable ethics and integrity and an unflagging commitment to work within the law.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
While no one person will have all of the qualities listed below, the successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications and attributes:
- Demonstrated experience in project development, implementation, and management.
- Strong and demonstrated commitment to civil rights and civil liberties consistent with the mission and goals of the ACLU.
- Demonstrated experience working in a fast-paced environment with a keen ability to simultaneously work on and manage multiple projects and deadlines and set priorities.
- Enthusiasm, patience, and cultural competence to work cooperatively on a variety of projects with lawyers, organizers, and other staff members, as well as with diverse community organizations and coalitions.
- Experience working and communicating with marginalized or vulnerable communities.
- Collaborative spirit and a sense of humor.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively and professionally with lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants, and clients.
- A commitment to diversity; a personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
- Spanish-language skills.
- Provide additional support consistent with the needs of the Legal Department.
Compensation will be commensurate with experience, within a starting range of $50,000-$60,000. The ACLU of Florida provides excellent benefits, including health and dental insurance with generous vacation, holiday, and sick leave policies, as well as an employer-matched Defined Contribution/401K Retirement Plan. Base vacation leave is five weeks per year (and six weeks per year after five years).
Please send an email to [email protected] and attach a cover letter, resume, and two substantial writing samples demonstrating analytical skills. All inquiries should include “Legal Investigator position” in the subject line, and all attachments should be in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
Applicants who proceed beyond a first interview may be required to complete a skills-assessment assignment.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please indicate where you learned of this job posting. No phone calls, please.
This job description provides a general but non-comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU of Florida reserves the right to change the job description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.
This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers/United Auto Workers Local 2320.
The ACLU of Florida is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU of Florida encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, or veteran status. We encourage formerly incarcerated individuals to apply.
The ACLU of Florida undertakes affirmative action strategies in its recruitment and employment efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities have full opportunities for employment in all positions.