Legal Worker

•     Movement Legal Worker (Full-Time Position, non-exempt, benefits)

•     In-person position in our Eugene, Oregon, office

•     Applications accepted until position is filled; early submissions preferred

Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) is a nonprofit organization that supports movements that seek to dismantle the political and economic structures at the root of social inequality and environmental destruction. We provide litigation, education, and legal and strategic resources to strengthen and embolden the success of those movements. Our motto is “We’ve got your back until all are free.”

We are looking for a well-rounded movement aligned legal worker who brings hard work, initiative, commitment, and passion for our work, our clients, and the progressive movements we support and defend. The ideal candidate will have experience working as a legal assistant or related position, ideally with civil and criminal cases, and has an environmental/climate and/or social justice movement background.  The goal of this position is to support our movement lawyer work.

The Movement Legal Worker will be an integral part of our legal team and is key to the efficient operation of our very busy legal organization. We are looking for a candidate with at least 2 years of legal office, paralegal, or related job experience. Examples of the job’s responsibilities include:

(1)  Draft and format motions and other court documents; maintain file systems, assist with local rule compliance for paper and electronic court filings, digital filing and similar tasks;

(2)  Support our trial work – organize discovery, create digital and physical exhibits, prepare trial notebooks, and help manage witnesses, travel, and other hearing and trial needs;

(3)  Communicate with co-workers, our clients, witnesses, courts, and the general public; excellent telephone, written and in-person communication skills required; assist with attorney scheduling;

(4)  Support our Dissent & Democracy program by assisting with slide deck preparation, in person and online training facilitation, as well as supporting program scheduling, movement resource prep & distribution;

(5)  Willingness to learn and engage in activist security culture and digital security practices.

A successful candidate will have strong organization, writing, and verbal communications skills, conscientious follow-through in a deadline-driven environment, and a high level of cultural and anti-oppression competence. Must have proficiency with Mac computers, Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Zoom, and basic familiarity and skills related to legal research databases.

Candidates must be willing to adhere to strict confidentiality, and will be required to use organization-wide encrypted communications tools and document storage/destruction protocols.

·      This position is full-time, 40 hours per week (regular business hours with occasional weekend and evening work) (non-exempt)

·      Some travel may be required

·      $25-$30/hour for 2-5 years of experience, $31-$36/hour for 6-10 years of experience, plus excellent benefits

·      Benefits include generous paid time off and holidays, summer half-day Fridays, excellent comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, one month sabbatical after 5 years, tech/security budget

·      401k plan with matching contributions

·      As a nonprofit, CLDC employment qualifies staff for federal loan forgiveness

·      We are invested in your growth – we provide a range of opportunities for all team members to grow and evolve, including a political education series, individual professional development budget, and leadership training and coaching

·      We are invested in your wellbeing – while we are results-driven and high-performing, we are also committed to having a humanistic workplace that is people-centered, respects difference, and is positive and affirming

Our core values lead us to seek a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds to achieve our mission and to maintain an inclusive environment where all staff are valued and respected. As an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, we are committed to practices that ensure that employees and applicants for employment are provided with equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other factor not related to the position. We seek to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity in employment. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.

Interested candidates must submit:

·  Resumé

·  Cover letter stating your interest and experience

·      Two writing samples, one demonstrating your ability to communicate clearly with legal professionals and one to environmental and social justice partners and allies

·  Three professional references, including email and phone numbers, at least one of which is an environmental/ social justice movement reference

·  Please send materials in a single PDF to rmckenzie[at]cldc.org – Subject: “[Your last name]—Legal Worker.” Please, no phone calls, hard copies, or drop-ins. For difficulties or questions, please email info[at]cldc.org