Career Center

Staff Attorney, Transgender Law Center

• Term: This is a permanent position.
• Reports to: Legal Director
• Status:  Full time, Exempt
• Salary range:   $50,000 - $65,00
• Location: Remote. As the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the staff attorney would be welcome, but not required, to work from one of our offices in Oakland, CA or Brooklyn, NY.

Organization:

Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation. TLC’s legal team is comprised of the legal services project and the litigation team. The legal services project provides legal information, referrals, and occasionally limited-scope legal services to transgender and gender nonconforming people, including incarcerated people, around the United States. The litigation team brings impact cases in federal, state, and immigration courts, primarily focused on fighting the criminalization and incarceration of transgender and gender nonconforming people. The staff attorney will support both the litigation team and the legal services project.

Specific responsibilities of the Staff Attorney include:

• Investigate and develop potential new cases, including corresponding with and meeting with potential clients, conducting research, finding and reviewing records, and drafting demand letters.
• Develop litigation strategy, manage relationships with co-counsel, perform legal research, and draft or edit briefs.
• Support TLC’s legal services project, including reviewing inquiries, researching local and state laws, policies, and procedures, and crafting responses with personalized legal information.
• Engage in direct advocacy on behalf of criminalized people by, for instance, calling or sending advocacy letters to public defenders or prison officials, and identifying other creative solutions.
• Develop and draft written resources including know-your-rights material and sample legal documents.
• Engage in education efforts for community members and attorneys, including speaking at conferences, trainings, and webinars.
• Support the work of the legal team and the organization generally.
• Other duties as assigned.

The position is full-time and may include travel and occasional work at nights and on weekends.

Required Qualifications:

• Membership in the bar of one or more states.
• At least one year of experience practicing law in the areas of civil rights litigation, criminal defense, immigration, or legal aid.
• Experience with legal or policy advocacy relating to incarceration or law enforcement.
• Familiarity with transgender and gender nonconforming communities.
• Experience working with communities of color and transgender communities.
• Deep understanding of intersecting oppressions including anti-Blackness, white supremacy, transphobia, ableism, misogyny, colonialism, and capitalism.
• Strong writing, editing, and legal research skills and experience with public speaking.
• Skill at working collaboratively both within the organization and with other groups.
• Strong personal organization and time management skills.
• Creativity and good judgment.
• Enthusiasm for the work of the organization and its potential.
• Willingness to travel and to work long hours when necessary.

Preferred qualifications:

• Significant litigation experience.
• Experience working with pro-bono attorneys.
• Spanish language skills.

Benefits

Employer-paid benefits include medical and dental insurance (we pay 100% of the premiums for employees and 60% of the premiums for their dependents); employer-funded health reimbursement account; matched retirement savings; three weeks’ vacation; sick leave, short- and long-term disability insurance, and a sabbatical program. 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Transgender Law Center is proud to be an affirmative action employer. All interested individuals, including Black, indigenous, and other people of color; women and femmes; people with disabilities; and people who are transgender, intersex, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer are particularly urged to apply. For more information about Transgender Law Center please visit our website: www.transgenderlawcenter.org.