Director of Litigation and Policy, Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (3 year Limited Term)

Job Description Summary

CERL seeks a full-time Litigation and Policy Director to lead its nationwide initiatives in U.S. courts, supporting and advising members of Congress, executive branch officials, and actors in state and local government.

This position will work in close collaboration with CERL's Faculty Director, post-doctoral fellows, members of CERL's Executive Board, Advisory Counsel and Faculty affiliates and Penn Carey Law students to align CERL's litigation and policy work with strategic defense for the rule of law and Penn's pedagogical mission.

This position is in person at CERL's offices at the University of Pennsylvania.

Job Responsibilities

Litigation Support, Strategy, and Infrastructure

• Lead CERL's litigation and policy initiatives in consultation with CERL's Faculty and Executive Directors.
• Coordinate with CERL staff and affiliates to ensure strategic alignment of CERL's litigation and policy initiatives with CERL's overall mission.
• Provide leadership, thought partnership and problem solving, including litigation practices, ethics advice and counsel, and other expertise.
• Draft and file briefs and policy papers in coordination with CERL's litigation fellow and student volunteers to advance CERL's litigation and policy objectives.
• Work with students to advance CERL's litigation and policy objectives while enriching student pedagogical experience.
• Assist with resource development for litigation efforts and manage litigation-related budgeting processes.
• Coordinate with Litigation and Policy Support Specialists to maintain litigation related infrastructure.
• Communicate with CERL staff and affiliates about progress towards CERL's policy goals.

Supervision, Mentorship, & Leadership

• Supervise, support and mentor litigation and policy staff.
• Participate in the weekly team meetings and reports to the Executive and Faculty Director.

Training & Development

• Display excellence in legal writing, oral argument, and other legal tools.
• Organize litigation and policy-focused training for CERL Staff and relevant materials.

External Connections

• Strengthen external partnerships with organizations with affiliated organizations nationally.
• Create and nurture relationships with the private bar to support CERL's litigation efforts and implement processes to ensure that joint advocacy efforts reflect organizational values.

Qualifications

• J.D. and 5-7 years of relevant experience required.
• Demonstrated experience with brief writing, litigation, and oral argument.
• Demonstrated experience with public policy and/or legislative affairs.
• Experience supervising multiple people at once and a demonstrated understanding of supervisory challenges and/or best practices.
• Law degree and license to practice.
• Strong understanding of and demonstrated experience with litigation, legal writing, oral argument, and other legal tools, including experience leading litigation teams.
• Excellent written and oral communication, research, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships with colleagues, and a desire to engage in shared leadership and decision-making.
• Ability to lead a team effectively, prioritize responsibilities, and meet deadlines on time-sensitive projects.

Preferred

• Experience supervising others, including providing supervisor training or coaching.
• Experience with national security law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice is a plus.

Application Requirement

• A curriculum vitae, including publications, education, and teaching history (if applicable), awards, honors, public service, and current and pending funding, if any.
• A personal statement, no longer than three pages, single-spaced with one-inch margins. Please address all the following elements in this order: Review your previous litigation accomplishments. Describe your commitment to pursuing litigation work in an academic setting.
• Two writing samples, one should be a brief submitted in any case in federal or state court and written solely by you.

Please note that this is a term position with a target end date of 03/2029