Civil Litigation Staff Attorney

The Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America (“CLCMA”) seeks a full-time Staff Attorney to support the Civil Litigation department’s team members, handling federal court civil rights impact litigation and administrative matters.

The ideal candidate is a licensed attorney with a minimum of 4-8 years of federal court litigation experience, which may include judicial clerkship, law firm, or public interest experience. Additionally, the candidate must work well in a diverse workplace with a diverse client base, and must be willing to take on novel legal issues. And, it’s litigation, so things change. If you are a good fit for this job, you’re ok with change and have at least 4-8 years experience at being flexible.

Under the Civil Litigation Department Head, the Civil Litigation Staff Attorney will:

•Assist with handling a diverse caseload of nationwide federal civil litigation and administrative matters. The ideal candidate will be ready to hit the ground running as an integral part of the existing civil litigation team, and roll up their sleeves on cases involving a variety of constitutional civil rights issues.
•Assist with litigation strategies. Because CLCMA’s mission is oriented towards impact litigation, many of our cases involve subject matter that does not have substantial precedent. So, we are looking for a candidate who is passionate about social justice and ready to embrace the intellectual challenge of working on the front lines of a changing legal landscape. If you prefer cookie cutter cases where everything is predictable, we aren’t for you. If you’re good with good faith arguments to expand the law, apply away!
•Draft complaints, motions, briefs and discovery for civil litigants in federal courts at all levels.
•Conduct on and off-site legal screenings and consultations (lately, most are done remotely).•Work to ensure proper administrative exhaustion of relevant matters prior to litigation, with great attention to detail and the varying administrative procedures applicable. This is a big one, and can make or break our cases two or three years down the road.
•Collaborate with community partners to develop presentations and other educational events. Also not so much lately, but we have done this before and expect to do it again.

Desired Qualifications:

•JD degree; top 20%, law review and/or clerkship preferred. Admission to any state bar, including at least one federal court jurisdiction. If you have federal court experience, this won’t be a problem.
•A minimum of 4-8 years post-J.D. experience as an attorney in federal court civil litigation, ideally with some experience involving administrative procedures as well.
•Former Judicial Law Clerks preferred, or something else equally stellar to demonstrate.
•Excellent writing skills required for this position, and writing sample is required before we meet in person. Because it’s what courts will see before they meet you in person, too.
•Clear communication skills, and collaborative skills with demonstrable leadership ability.
•Some travel required. Presently, the majority of our hearings and trials are remote, but as theCovid-19 situation evolves, we anticipate a return to the courtroom.
•Applicants must meet qualifications stated above, or be really persuasive about why we should overlook any of the above. Persuasiveness is judged in our sole non-appealable discretion.

Experience:

•Minimum 4-8 years of relevant experience in federal civil litigation.
•Federal appellate court experience preferred.
•Administrative procedures experience strongly preferred.

Skills:

•Attention to detail, strong work ethic and ability to multitask in a setting which is never dull.
•Passion for social justice and individual liberties. After all, that’s why we’re here.
•Demonstrated interest in public interest law or willingness to learn.
•Possess cultural sensitivity and ability to work well with diverse groups. We have at least five different religions and more different nationalities reflected in our staff. Gotta be good withthat.
•Proficiency in other languages preferred, but not required.

Details:

•The position is located in our Richardson (Dallas), Texas office. Our office will likely relocate within the next year, but we will remain in the same general area.
•We provide 15 days/year PTO, plus holidays.
•We provide health, vision, and dental, as well as 401(K).
•Applications will be received and considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Physical Demands and Working Environment:

•Work is performed in a standard office environment and therefore involves everyday risks or discomforts associated with that setting, including possible paper cuts, cold coffee (unless you make it yourself), the need to stretch and move around periodically, and a bunch of screen time.
•Work requires walking, standing, bending, and carrying items up to 25 pounds. Usually, it’s just a couple files at a time, but sometimes those get big. Will certainly accommodate limitations within reason and without requiring anyone else do the the essential functions of this job.

Currently, our staff is working remotely due to Covid-19; however, generally, we require our attorneys to be physically present in the office during normal work hours.
Please forward a cover letter, resume and relevant writing sample to Christina Jump with CLCMA at cjump@clcma.org and include “Civil Litigation Staff Attorney” in the subject line. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility required pre-hire.

CLCMA is an equal opportunity employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, or protected veteran status. Sense of humor and flexibility, however, are required and non-negotiable.

About CLCMA
CLCMA is a non-profit law center dedicated to defending the civil liberties and legal rights of Muslims, in American courtrooms and before administrative agencies, to address issues that are important to the Muslim community. We represent individuals in the United States who we have reason to believe they are being treated unfairly in violation of the U.S. Constitution. These cases often involve complex factual and legal questions, and we strategically select cases that demonstrate a broad impact on the Muslim community and Americans at large.

CONTACT

Christina A. Jump
Civil Litigation Department Head
Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America
cjump@clcma.org
https://www.clcma.org