Paralegal, Women's Rights Project & Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Paralegal to support two litigation groups: the Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative (ACDI) and the Women’s Rights Project (WRP) at the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month.

The ACDI is a first-of-its-kind program of the ACLU to confront the criminalization of abortion care in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, including the criminalization of health care providers, patients, abortion funds and others who assist people obtaining abortion care.

In addition to direct advocacy, the ACDI is developing and supporting a network of experienced criminal defense attorneys to defend those facing criminal prosecutions or investigation related to abortion care in states across the country.

Since its founding by Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1972, the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project has been a trailblazer in fighting for gender equity under law. We engage in systemic legal reform to ensure that everyone has the freedom to live, work, and learn free from stereotypes, harassment, and violence based on sex.

Doing gender justice work as part of the broad civil liberties and civil rights agenda of the ACLU reflects the reality that women are part of other social change movements and that we must work together if we are to achieve a just society for all.

We will review applications on a rolling basis, but priority consideration will be given to those who submit applications by June 15, 2026.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Reporting to the ACDI Director and the Deputy Director of the Women’s Rights Project, the Paralegal will be responsible for providing litigation support, preparing briefs for filing, and conducting administrative and research projects as needed to support the work of the ACDI and WRP.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

As a paralegal, you’ll be an integral of the ACDI and WRP teams, with the opportunity to meaningfully support defensive and affirmative advocacy to fight for women’s rights and reproductive freedom from criminalization.

• Produce and file briefs, motions, and other pleadings in state courts around the country, including by providing cite-checking, copy-editing, tables-building and other support
• Assist in tracking of key litigation and legal developments to identify trends and advocacy opportunities for each initiative
• Support attorneys in each project in management of relationships with stakeholders, partners and cooperating attorneys, and clients
• Assist in design, planning and execution of ACDI network attorney trainings and other educational resources
• Work with ACLU attorneys and communications department partners on development of communications assets
• Manage administrative tasks including attorney calendar management, expensing and invoicing, binder compilation, time tracking, and coordination of travel, as needed
• Conduct legal and factual research using Westlaw, academic databases, and the Internet
• Maintain case files and internal litigation tracking systems including case summaries and calendar of litigation deadlines and court dates.
• Provide administrative support for the managers’ review of applications for intern, fellow, and other staff positions, such as scheduling meetings, preparing materials, and taking minutes as well as arranging travel, preparing expense reports, tracking expenses and case costs, and processing invoices
• Assist in the development and maintenance of ACDI’s and WRP’s website and other public information outlets
• Work jointly with interns and other staff and communicate routine and/or procedural guidance on projects assigned by managers
• 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

• Must take initiative, be highly organized and detail-oriented, and possess strong interpersonal and time management skills
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team while maintaining a high level of efficiency and professionalism
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and see projects through to completion

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or one to two years of paralegal experience
• Basic knowledge of the Blue Book
• Basic knowledge of Westlaw Next
• Strong computer skills with advanced knowledge in Microsoft Office Suite e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, etc.
• Experience creating tables of contents, tables of authorities, mail merges, and creating/inserting macros

COMPENSATION

The ACLU is committed to equity, transparency, and clarity in pay. Consistent with our compensation philosophy, there is a set salary for each role based on geographic work location.

The annual salary for this position is $82,138 (Level CBU), reflecting the salary of a position based in New York, NY. Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.

For details on our pay structure, please visit: https://www.aclu.org/careers/ACLU_Geographic_Pay_Structure-July_2024.pdf

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.