National Immigration Law Center · 7 hours ago
Director, Litigation
United States
Full-time
Remote
Director/Executive
$140K/yr - $175K/yr
10+ years expThe National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is a leading advocacy organization dedicated to defending the rights of low-income immigrants. The Director, Litigation will lead and execute the Legal Department’s litigation efforts, focusing on impact litigation and legal advocacy to protect immigrant communities' rights.
Association
Responsibilities
Collaborates with the Vice President, Litigation and Legal Strategy in the development and execution of strategic litigation strategies, providing guidance and support to team members driving the work in a way that integrates litigation, narrative change, movement power building, and campaign strategies together with litigation strategies
In collaboration with the VP, Litigation and Legal Strategy, the Director, Legal Strategy, and the Deputy Legal Director(s), oversee the implementation of a robust impact litigation and legal advocacy strategy in support of broader immigrants’ rights movement strategies; develop legal theories and cases; leads teams litigating cases
Leads litigation teams in preparing pleadings, motions, and briefs; conducts discovery; present oral arguments; conduct trial and handle appeals. As needed, assume greater case responsibilities depending on the evolving needs of the case team
Collaborate with counterparts in the Policy, Strategy and Partnerships, Strategic Communications, and Development teams to effectively leverage the resources and talents across the organization
May serve as a spokesperson with the media, testify before Congress or other policymaking bodies based on area of expertise, and present at national conferences or other public speaking engagements that further NILC’s mission and litigation strategies
Engage with key stakeholders, including movement allies, donors, and board members, including providing periodic reports to the board of directors
Strategically, creatively, and boldly oversee and advance client-driven, community-grounded impact litigation in combination with NILC’s other core strategies of policy advocacy, communications, and movement building to advance NILC’s vision and mission
Lead litigation on behalf of NILC, including serving as lead counsel on litigation as needed
Serve as a subject matter expert in one or more of the areas NILC litigates in, including access to healthcare, access to education, democracy defense, workers’ rights, or enforcement
Provide litigation analysis regarding policies, executive orders, legislation, and other legal actions to support campaigns and programs that advance NILC’s mission
Identify potential new litigation and play a role in developing those cases or working with others in the department to do so
Represent NILC and its clients in complex cases that are strategic to the collective goals of NILC and its movement partners
Supervise, support, and mentor Staff Attorneys, Senior Staff Attorneys, and NILC Legal Fellows in the identification, development, and litigation of complex civil cases in federal and state courts
Partner with Advocacy directors and campaign leads to ensure that the Legal Department’s work is integrated and well-coordinated across the departments and key partners
Develop and maintain strong and collaborative relationships with law firms, law school clinics, co-counsel, and other coalition partners
In collaboration with members of the Legal Management Team (LMT), develop and operationalize clear and transparent protocols for the litigation work and operation of the Legal team
Coordinate with the Vice President, Litigation & Legal Strategy and LMT to ensure professional growth of the Legal department staff to identify skill gaps, support training, and reinforce and enhance litigation skills of the Legal department
Provide guidance and support in litigation and in the integration of NILC’s core strategies, development, and growth of external relationships
Oversee legal intake process, case approval process, and case staffing. Supervise, support, and mentor Staff Attorneys, Senior Staff Attorneys, and NILC Legal Fellows in the performance of their job duties, including the development of both litigation skills and professional skills
Work closely with Advocacy supervisors, other Advocacy Directors, and workgroup/project campaign, and litigation leaders to create and maintain employee work schedules to ensure representation from the Legal department on areas of current or potential litigation
Provide litigation mentorship and ensure ongoing professional development of Legal department staff
Share feedback regularly on workgroup members’ performance, goals, strengths & weaknesses, and more to their respective supervisors to support the growth and development of team members at all levels
Proactively report to leadership about programmatic developments, administrative needs and broader institutional concerns, opportunities, and needs, while identifying and collaborating on constructive solutions
Support the activities of the Development Department, as needed
May be a part of or lead cross functional/departmental projects using the MOCHA framework/methodology
Supports the recruitment, interviewing, and hiring of staff and oversees staff onboarding & training
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 and constructive 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
Handles discipline and performance issues in accordance with organizational policy
Directly manages employees with possibility for additional staff
Manages outside consultants, third party administrators, and vendors
Champions NILC & 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 each individual 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 & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions
Qualification
Required
Juris Doctor from an accredited school and an active member in good standing with a State Bar
At least 10 years of combined experience in litigation at a nonprofit, social justice organization or law firm that includes substantial experience in federal courts, appellate practice, with 4+ years of leadership/management experience including legal supervision, case development, and project management
Demonstrated experience in initiating and leading litigation in federal courts
Demonstrated ability to independently access staffing needs to undertake litigation based on the potential needs of litigation
Demonstrated experience in immigration, education, healthcare, labor/employment, and/or civil rights law showing excellent skills and innovative strategies
Proficiency with in-office and virtual environments and software such as MS Office, Westlaw, PACER, and virtual collaboration tools
Preferred
Experience using multiple tools – including impact litigation, policy advocacy, and narrative change, to further a cause, ideally in a social justice context
Proficiency in a second language. Fluency in more than one language is desirable
Familiarity with Clio or similar case management platforms
Benefits
Employer-paid healthcare coverage (100% for employees and 75% for dependents)
Employer-supported dental and vision coverage
A 403(b)-retirement plan including an automatic contribution from NILC
Paid parental leave
Monthly cell phone and wellness stipends
Pre-tax accounts for transit, health, and childcare benefits (FSA)
Employer-paid short- and long-term disability and life insurance
A generous paid-time-off policy
15 holidays and 22 days of paid time off annually (increased to 32 after 2 years of employment)
Qualifying public service employer, which means all full-time NILC employees qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program
Company
National Immigration Law Center
National Immigration Law Center is an advocacy organization in the U.S.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Raha Wala
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Advocacy
Recent News
2025-10-07
2025-10-04
2025-08-31
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