Deputy Legal Director/ Director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Deputy Legal Director/ Director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality in the National Legal Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; or Washington, DC. Priority will be given to candidates who can be based in New York, NY, or Washington, DC. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month.  

The ACLU’s Trone Center for Justice and Equality, one of three component centers in the ACLU’s National Legal Department, focuses on issues of crime, punishment, and racial justice, including efforts to eradicate racial injustice, the treatment of prisoners, the death penalty and the policies of over-incarceration that have led the United States to imprison more people than any other country in the world.  The Center contains six Projects/Programs working toward these goals:  the ACLU’s Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative (centered in Washington, DC), Capital Punishment Project (centered in Durham, North Carolina), the Criminal Law Reform Project (centered in New York City), the National Prison Project (centered in Washington, DC), the Racial Justice Program (centered in New York City), and the John Adams Project (centered in Washington, DC).  

Special consideration will be given to applications submitted by June 19, 2026.

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the National Legal Director, the Deputy Legal Director/ Director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality (Center Director) oversees the work of the Center for Justice and Equality and directly supervises the program directors within the Center. 

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Supervise the directors of the ACLU’s Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative, Capital Punishment Project, Criminal Law Reform Project, the National Prison Project, Racial Justice Program, and John Adams Project.  
• Provide high-level advice and guidance on litigation strategy and legal practice issues 
• Oversee and provide input into the development and implementation of the projects’ strategic plans and budgets 
• Supervise the staff attorney and other staff assigned to the Center  
• Serve as a member of the National Legal Department’s leadership and administrative team, consisting of the National Legal Director, three Center Directors, and the Associate Director of Legal Operations. Ensure that the operations and administration of the National Legal Department run smoothly to facilitate its programmatic work 
• Serve as a nationally recognized spokesperson and subject-matter expert on issues within the Trone Center for Justice and Equality (racial justice, criminal law reform, capital punishment, and conditions of detention and incarceration), along with other experts within the Center and its component projects 
• Work with the Project Directors to ensure that the programmatic work of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality is well-coordinated with colleagues in the Strategy Office, National Political Advocacy Department, Communications Department, Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiative Departments, and the ACLU’s state affiliates 
• Work with the Development Department on fundraising and maintaining relationships with the ACLU’s funders and members 
• Work with business operations units of the ACLU including Human Resources, Finance, and IT to facilitate the work of the Center for Democracy 
• Work in partnership with the Legal Department leadership team and ACLU in-house counsel on legal practice and ethics issues 
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned 

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• J.D. degree and significant impact litigation experience in civil rights and civil liberties 
• Demonstrated experience in and commitment to the Trone Center for Justice and Equality priorities and issues. In light of the Center’s current priorities, subject-matter expertise in racial justice, criminal law reform, capital punishment, and conditions of detention and incarceration is strongly preferred 
• Strong management skills in a public interest law setting. Management experience in a federated nonprofit organization is strongly preferred 
• Demonstrated ability to manage and motivate teams to set and meet long-term and short-term goals 
• Superior analytical and problem-solving skills 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with a wide range of audiences 
• Demonstrated ability to engage in complex legal analysis and fact-finding 
• Demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of people and foster strong workplace morale and focus on mission. Ability to serve as a mentor and provide guidance and support to staff 
• Experience in an organization that develops and implements multi-faceted strategies for change that include litigation, lobbying and advocacy, communications, public education, and community organizing 

COMPENSATION

WHY THE ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being. 

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid time-off policy
• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change.  We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.    

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.