Special Counsel

About the Organization 

Founded in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is a leading non-profit organization (501(c)3) in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones. NILC’s mission is grounded in the belief that everyone living in the U.S. regardless of race, gender/gender identity, immigration status, or economic status — should have equal access to justice, resources, and educational and economic opportunities that enable them to achieve their full human potential. Together, NILC and the affiliated NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF), a 501(c)4 organization, work to advocate more directly for federal immigration reform policies. NILC is committed to advancing its mission — which intersects race, immigration status, and class — through racial, economic, and gender justice and equity orientation.  

NILC is at an exciting moment in its organizational trajectory, supporting our five-year strategic framework and scaling the organization and its work through influencing systems, policy advocacy at the federal and state levels, engaging in movement and power building, and narrative and culture strategies in addition to continuous improvements to our operational model. We are looking for entrepreneurial, results-driven, relationship builders who are committed to NILC’s mission and values of racial justice and equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships and collaboration, encouraging respect and personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty. 

About the Role 

This position is assigned to NILC’s Threat Assessment Team.?This position is a 2-year term limited role, renewable based on funding. 

The Special Counsel position at NILC is responsible for handling complex legal issues and projects that require specialized knowledge or focus. The Special Counsel will be an experienced litigator and advocate in the Federal Courts, with the focus on legal issues impacting the immigrant community. The Special Counsel works closely with members of the Executive and Senior Leadership Teams to advance NILC’s mission, vision, strategy, and goals. They handle complex situations and multiple responsibilities simultaneously, balancing long-term priorities with the urgency of immediate demands. 

This role is not in the bargaining unit. 

Specific Position Responsibilities 

• Collaborate across teams within NILC to analyze federal actions related to the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act and the Insurrection Act of 1807 and other wartime legal precedents.   
• Engage in and supervise affirmative and defensive litigation in federal and state courts related to the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, the Insurrection Act of 1807, and other related laws. 
• Serve as a liaison between NILC and partner organizations. 
• Collaborate with partner organizations and NILC’s Legal Department on litigation related to the protection of immigrant rights at the local, state, and Federal level. 
• Present at conferences and outreach events.   
• Draft policy papers and other publications as needed. 
• Serve as primary advisor to Leadership on NILC’s strategy and response to the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, the Insurrection Act of 1807, and other related laws. 
• Draft pleadings, briefs (including amicus briefs), lead discovery, and serve as lead counsel for all specialized litigation. 
• Supervise attorneys assigned in support of any specialized litigation. 
• Prepare a variety of highly sensitive and/or confidential documents such as memos, reports, legal documents, and donor correspondence, to inform, secure approval, or respond to inquiries from NILC’s President. 
• When investigating highly complex case(s), incumbent drafts clear and concise legal memorandum discussing analysis of records, including transcription of testimony and pleadings, evaluates facts, determines questions of law, and drafts own decisions and recommendations for consideration by the President and Executive Vice President, Advocacy.  The drafting or reviewing of analyses is done independently and directly submitted (with no further technical review) to the President and Executive Vice President, Advocacy.  
• Responsible for formulating and managing overall litigation strategy on specialized litigation, to include Advocacy departments and external partners. 
• Manages and responds to urgent requests and provides legal advisory and guidance regarding specialized litigation strategies. 
• Provides specific expertise, technical guidance, and assistance, as needed, to Advocacy departments. 

Supervisory Responsibilities  

• Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains staff. 
• Oversees the daily workflow of direct reports. 
• Acts as a coach and mentor including providing constructive and timely feedback to foster a collaborative environment that develops strengths, improves weaknesses, and encourages creative problem-solving. 
• Actively manages direct and indirect reports using applicable performance management software including documenting regular check-ins, goal progress, and any other relevant information in the system for performance and coaching purposes.  
• Manages outside consultants, third party administrators, and vendors. 

Shared Organization Responsibilities  

• Champions NILC and IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice.  
• Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual level. 
• Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that everyone brings a unique background and perspective to the work and assuming good intent from each other.  
• Follows through on commitments acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work.  
• Learns quickly when facing new situations by experimenting to find fresh solutions, taking on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, and extracting lessons learned from failures and mistakes.  
• Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidences, and showing consistency between words and actions.  
• Commits to centering NILC’s values of racial justice and equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships and collaboration, encouraging respect and personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions.  

In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational need. 

What We Are Looking for in This Role 

• Excels at and enjoys both strategic and tactical involvement in developing legal strategies to support the NILC mission, balancing nimbleness and mitigation of risk. 
• Skilled in seeing opportunities in complex legal environments. 
• Excellent skills in using influence with colleagues when there is not a direct reporting relationship to the Special Counsel. 
• Possess personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to the mission. 
• Natural leadership, strong relationship building skills, and the ability to engage teams and build a culture of excellence. 
• Strong communicator with ability to drive clarity and solutions; experience in working virtually and in person with colleagues who are remote, hybrid or in an office. 
• Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities and guiding investment in people and systems. 

Qualifications Required  

Education: Juris Doctorate and member in good standing of a State Bar. 

Experience: 

• Service as Senior Counsel or Managing Attorney of non-profit organization or large governmental agency. 
• Minimum of 10 years of practical legal experience working in a cross-cultural setting and environment, preferably in the not-for-profit sector. 
• Minimum of 7 years experience in leading complex litigation in Federal courts. 
• 5+ years of supervisory experience in the legal field, and experience managing and coaching staff across an organization. 
• Skills in managing a complex and diverse workload in an organization that often works under the pressure of responding to urgent human need or institutional requirements. 
• Visionary leadership to unite people for a common purpose.  
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate, facilitate discussion and build a consensus in a complex, sometimes siloed, environment. ? 
• Computer literacy, including word processing, database, spreadsheet, collaboration and internet applications (Microsoft Office Suite). 

Work Environment

Location and Travel:?  

For this role, up to 30 percent of overnight interstate travel may be required; generally, travel is quarterly to the NILC Washington, D.C. office or another location within the US for 3-5 nights. 

Compensation and Benefits:  

NILC’s compensation and benefits philosophy is to provide a competitive offering in the nonprofit sector and ensure equity across the organization.??Salary Range: 128,800 – 165,000.

Physical Demands:  

Prolonged periods of sitting (or standing) at a desk and working on a computer.