July 31, 2008
Professional Qualifications
The following qualifications are required in the new Legal Director:
* Demonstrated commitment to human rights and social justice consistent with the mission and goals of CCR;
* Minimum 10-15 years of complex trial and appellate litigation experience at the state and federal levels, including class actions, with a strong background in constitutional, civil rights, and human rights litigation;
* Senior level litigation management experience with experience in recruiting, training, managing and motivating a diverse, high-performing litigating team, including mentoring law students and volunteer lawyers;
* Demonstrated record of moving legal cases forward and winning successful civil rights litigation at all levels of the judiciary, with experience working with clients from diverse constituencies;
* Excellent communication, media, presentation, and analytical skills;
* Significant experience representing and working with activists in grassroots organizations and non-governmental organizations;
* A New York State Bar admission preferred; if hired, must be admitted to New York Bar.
The following qualifications are preferred in the new Legal Director:
* Familiarity and/or experience with raising funds from individuals, foundations, and other organizations;
* Experience with international law and international human rights cases;
* Experience working closely with a volunteer board of directors and nonprofit organizations.
Personal Characteristics
The following characteristics are necessary in the new Legal Director:
* A deep personal commitment and passion for advancing civil rights and social justice;
* A decisive, creative thinker with excellent organizational skills and an aggressive, radical, and risk-taking approach to problem-solving;
* A team-building, collegial approach to work;
* Interpersonal and communication skills remarkable for their clarity and accuracy;
* Drive, coupled with energetic leadership qualities;
* Ability to recognize and maximize opportunity on behalf of the organization;
* Healthy, even-keeled respect for colleagues, employees, and superiors;
* Goal-oriented, project-oriented, and achievement-oriented;
* Strong sense of honor and integrity;
* A warm, personal style with a good sense of humor.
Compensation will be commensurate with skill and market. Benefits include health and pension plans, as well as life insurance and generous vacation and sick leave policies.
Posting Date: February 6, 2008
The nationally recognized Center for Constitutional Rights, one of America’s foremost progressive legal advocacy organizations, seeks a new Legal Director for its staff of 40 dedicated professionals in New York City. This Director, a visionary strategic thinker with passion, drive, and creativity, will work in a dynamic, progressive team environment to promote the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.
Background
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) is a non-profit legal and educational organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. CCR uses litigation proactively to advance the law in a positive direction, to empower poor communities and communities of color, to guarantee the rights of those with the fewest protections and least access to legal resources, to train the next generation of constitutional and human rights attorneys, and to strengthen the broader movement for constitutional and human rights.
CCR was founded in November 1966 by attorneys Morton Stavis, Arthur Kinoy, Ben Smith and William Kunstler, whose legal work representing civil rights activists in Mississippi convinced them of the need for a privately funded legal center to undertake innovative, impact litigation on behalf of grassroots movements for social justice.
Today, CCR continues to nurture innovation in all of its docket areas and to craft litigation and public education that exposes the fundamental contradictions in American society that undermine the promise of justice for all: fault lines and intersections of race, class and gender; the ascendancy of global corporate privilege over fundamental human rights; and the indifference with which governments around the world continue to violate the basic rights of their citizens. Building upon the legacy it has established, CCR remains attentive to the challenges confronted by civil and human rights activists, so that the organization may continue to provide cutting-edge legal defense of fundamental rights.
Current Situation
Over the past 40 years CCR has litigated cutting-edge cases in the areas of racial justice, government misconduct, women’s rights, and international human rights. However, for the past five years, CCR has advanced to the forefront in challenging the Bush administration’s post-September 11th abuses domestically and abroad by initiating a large number of programs and projects to counter these attacks on constitutional rights. These programs and projects have affected the traditional balance of the legal docket, and CCR plans to grow other docket areas to similar prominence within its organization.
The legal docket of CCR is divided into four primary project areas: Government Misconduct, International Human Rights, Racial, Social and Economic Justice, and Corporate Accountability. CCR combines its legal work with a robust education and outreach program which also initiates and oversees special CCR projects, including The Prison Telephone Campaign, The Community Alternatives to Jail Expansion (CAJE) Project, and The Ella Baker Student Intern Program.
In addition, CCR has a special project, the Guantánamo Global Justice Initiative, where they represent approximately 200 detainees in habeas petitions, have recruited, trained, and coordinated a national force of 500 volunteer attorneys including those from major law firms, law professors, and law school clinics to advocate for over 300 individual detainees. The Initiative also engages in aggressive advocacy by structuring education and outreach programs that focus on Guantánamo and its relationship to broader domestic and international issues. For more detailed descriptions of the legal docket, program areas, and the status of various projects and campaigns, please go online to: www.ccrjustice.org.
A Board of Directors of 22 members governs the Center for Constitutional Rights, currently headed by a President, three Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, and a Secretary. The Executive Director leads the day-to-day operations of the Center and oversees an executive management team that includes an Associate Executive Director, a Development Director, an Education and Outreach Director, and a Legal Director. The non-director staff of CCR consists of 35 positions, including a legal staff of 13 attorneys and 7 legal workers. The staff has recently joined the UAW.
Recently, CCR has experienced a significant amount of financial growth due to an increase in donations and major awards through its successful litigation. At the end of June 2007, CCR recorded net assets of $5 million. The organization currently estimates its 2008 budget at $5.4 million. The Committee’s revenue base consists of public support from individual donors, foundations, and law firms.
Specific Role
The Legal Director, a visionary, dynamic member of CCR’s senior management team, reports directly to the Executive Director, and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the legal staff. The Legal Director contributes to the overall strategy for advancing the mission of the organization, works collaboratively with the other four senior directors to aid the efforts of each department, and supports an organizational effort that meets the goals and objectives set by the organization. In order to be an effective leader, the new Legal Director must be a mission-driven and consensus-building professional, fully dedicated to advancing CCR’s mission of advancing civil rights and social justice on a global scale.
The Legal Director provides strategic leadership for all litigation and coordinates all litigation undertaken by CCR. The Legal Director has primary responsibility for selecting cases based on organizational priorities and capacity and oversees the development of cases prior to the commencement of litigation and the handling of litigation thereafter. The Legal Director is responsible for structuring and balancing the legal docket areas in order to channel the strengths of the organization into clear directions. The Legal Director will not be expected to maintain an individual caseload but rather to work closely with the legal staff in their efforts regarding litigation, and aid in case preparation where deemed necessary. The Legal Director must be a creative strategic thinker with an aggressive, radical, courageous approach to litigation.
The Legal Director supervises and leads a full-time staff of staff attorneys, legal fellows, legal workers and paralegals, as well as a large national network of cooperating attorneys. The Legal Director will support decisions for recruiting and hiring a diverse legal staff and for efficiently managing case budgets, litigation expenses, and staff time. Other areas of responsibility beyond the daily management will include mentoring CCR’s Ella Baker Summer Intern Program law students and other legal interns throughout the year. Additionally, the Legal Director will work collaboratively with the operations staff to ensure adequate management of resources.
The Legal Director assists in fundraising efforts by participating in meetings with major donors and program officers, including meetings requiring travel; speaking at donor forums and events; working with development staff as needed on the drafting of grant proposals and fundraising letters; and ensuring that the legal staff prioritizes and contributes to development efforts as appropriate.
Finally, an important aspect of this position will be working closely with all aspects of the media and community relations. The Legal Director will frequently be the key spokesperson regarding the legal aspects of key issues that CCR feels should be part of the public discourse. The Legal Director speaks regularly to broadcast journalists and works closely with the communications and education and outreach staff to raise CCR’s public profile. The Legal Director also ensures that the legal staff prioritizes and contributes to media and education and outreach efforts when appropriate, and provides communication with regional, statewide, and national social justice advocacy groups in order to maximize CCR’s effectiveness.
Major Objectives
The Center for Constitutional Rights expects the new Legal Director to accomplish the following major objectives over the next 12-18 months:
* Lead and manage the staff collegially in a manner that is consistent with the mission, vision, and values of CCR;
* Thoroughly review all existing caseloads for each project area and develop a comprehensive work plan that supports the effective and efficient efforts of the staff, including the implementation of a case management IT solution;
* Develop a more balanced legal docket that advances CCR’s strategic agenda and responds to movement needs in appropriate project areas;
* Collaborate with and support the executive management team in their efforts to build their respective areas in terms of case development, staffing, funding, mentoring, and strategic plans;
* Provide systematic planning and reporting, including items such as budgets, status reports, and annual reports;
* Continue to build an organizational culture within the legal program that uplifts and celebrates the work of the staff, both internally and externally;
* Broaden and deepen the relationships among CCR’s core constituents and volunteer attorneys and help to increase the growth and visibility of the organization.
The Center for Constitutional Rights is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively recruits women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and persons with diverse gender and sexual identities.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. To apply for this position, please forward a current resume, a cover letter, a writing sample, names, titles, and phone numbers of three references, and a list of five significant recent federal cases litigated by the applicant to:
Legal Director Search Committee
Center for Constitutional Rights
666 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10012
Fax: 212-614-6499
E-mail (preferred): legaldirsearch@ccrjustice.org
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