Staff Attorney

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (“ACLU-PA”) seeks a Staff Attorney in our Philadelphia office to build and help lead litigation and legal advocacy to advance the civil rights of people in Pennsylvania. 

This position provides attorneys with an exciting opportunity to develop and pursue impact litigation and integrated advocacy involving cutting-edge civil liberties and civil rights issues. The Staff Attorney will be directly supervised by the Senior Supervising Attorney and will also work with other experienced attorneys in the legal department to help develop and litigate cases at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts.  In addition, the Staff Attorney will engage in non-litigation advocacy, including policy work, public speaking, and community engagement.

The ACLU-PA’s Legal Department currently comprises eight full-time attorneys as well as a paralegal and several legal fellows. Legal Department staff work on a wide range of civil rights and civil liberties cases, at both trial and appellate levels, in federal and state courts. They also support the legislative, advocacy and communications work of the ACLU-PA.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Vision Statement

The ACLU-PA affirmatively values the humanity and contributions of those we work with, inside and outside of the organization, and will take action to build and sustain an equitable, anti-racist culture that centers the voices and experiences of marginalized and directly impacted people and communities, and an organizational environment where all people feel valued, trusted, and respected. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and having a workforce that reflects the populations that we serve; we actively recruit people of color, women, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated people, and LGBTQIA+ , and gender non-conforming people.

The Approach

Our work is guided by the principles of freedom, equality, and justice enumerated in the Constitution. However, we understand that systemic racism and other forms of oppression have prevented the equitable application of these principles to all, and we strive to ensure that our approach accounts for this reality. We also acknowledge that demands of the work as well as the challenging subject matter it often involves take a toll. While we know that the path of this work is long and hard, we also value the importance of personal wellbeing. To that end, we endeavor to cultivate a culture that is supportive and sustainable and promotes taking care of oneself.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Investigate, develop and litigate impact cases in state and federal courts, including researching and drafting pleadings and briefs, engaging in discovery and motions practice, and conducting evidentiary hearings, oral arguments, trials and appeals.
• Review, critique, and edit letters and briefs of co-counsel and other ACLU-PA staff.
• Communicate with clients, potential clients and our outside partners.
• Engage in fact-gathering and other pre-litigation work.
• Advocate for civil liberties and civil rights and represent the ACLU-PA at events and in coalitions, as appropriate.
• Work with ACLU-PA staff to implement integrated advocacy campaigns and high-impact strategies utilizing ACLU-PA’s communication, legislative, advocacy and legal programs.
• Provide research and support for our legislative program.
• Assist in hiring and supervising law student interns and legal fellows.
• Support the legal work of the ACLU-PA’s Legal Department, as needed

Required Qualifications

• A Juris Doctorate from an American Bar Association-accredited law school.

• At least five years of litigation experience (a clerkship with a trial or appellate level court counts as litigation experience).

• Exceptional writing, research and analytical skills.

• Demonstrated commitment to advancing the ACLU’s values, mission, goals and programs.

• Membership in the Pennsylvania Bar. If you are currently a member of another state bar, you must either be eligible to be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar or sit for the next available Pennsylvania Bar examination and pass it within twelve months.

• Versed in Microsoft Suites Applications and legal research tools (e.g., Westlaw).

Desired Qualifications:  Ideally, the successful candidate will exhibit the following characteristics:

• Creative, flexible, well-organized and reliable; able to handle and prioritize multiple activities and responsibilities and manage a demanding schedule; a team player who is able to work independently, jointly, and under pressure; willing to learn; a self-starter and finisher.
• Experience with complex litigation, such as civil rights class actions or other forms of impact litigation.
• Legal experience in one or more of the following areas: race, gender, disability, or LGBTQIA+ discrimination; privacy, surveillance and technology; voting rights; immigrants’ rights; police misconduct; criminal law reform; or First Amendment expression and/or religious liberty;
•  Substantive knowledge of constitutional law; 
• Direct personal or professional experience with communities impacted by systemic bias or economic exclusion.
• Spanish language proficiency is a plus.

Compensation & Benefits

We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce through equity initiatives, which includes equitable pay practices. Competitive compensation is commensurate with experience. The salary for the staff attorney is $89,000-$102,000 annually, depending on experience and within the parameters of the ACLU-PA compensation scale. A successful applicant with 8+ years of experience will be hired as a senior staff attorney.  Excellent benefits include generous vacation, personal and sick leave; individual/family employer-provided health and dental insurance; life insurance and long-term disability; defined contribution plan with employer match; and 11 paid holidays. This position is full-time, salaried, and exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

Location

This position is located in our Philadelphia office. Under the ACLU-PA’s current hybrid remote work policy, the Staff Attorney will be permitted to work up to three days per week remotely.  We offer a flexible work schedule with the understanding that our work often extends beyond the traditional hours of 9 to 5.

Application Procedure 

Applications will be accepted until January 5, 2026. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.  Applications must include (1) a resume, (2) a cover letter, and (3) a writing sample to our career page https://aclupahr.applytojob.com/apply. No calls, please. All applications are treated confidentially.  

The ACLU-PA is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-PA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction. 

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. ACLU-PA reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

About the ACLU of Pennsylvania

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization that serves as an enduring guardian of justice, fairness, and freedom, working to protect civil liberties and advance equity for all.

ACLU-PA defends and promotes the fundamental principles and values protected by the constitutions of the United States and of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as by national, state and local civil rights laws. For more than 100 years, the ACLU has sought, in particular, to protect and expand the freedoms of expression, belief and association; voting rights; the separation of church and state; the right to privacy, including reproductive freedom; due process of law, including the rights of the accused and of immigrants; limitations on the power of police; and the right to equal protection for all marginalized individuals and groups. In advancing these rights, ACLU-PA strives always to acknowledge and remedy the pervasive and persistent harms of systemic racism.

Integrating litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, organizing, and communications, ACLU-PA’s staff and volunteers work both independently and in coalition with those most affected by the issues we address to ensure that threats to liberty and the civil rights of all persons in Pennsylvania are met with stark resistance as we progress toward a more genuine multiracial, multicultural democracy.

ACLU-PA’s hiring process will comply with Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards (“Ban the Box”) ordinance.