Senior Staff or Staff Attorney, Economic Justice Team
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is seeking a dedicated Senior Staff or Staff Attorney to join its Economic Justice Team. This role focuses on advancing SPLC's mission to eradicate poverty and eliminate racial economic inequality in the Deep South. The Economic Justice Team addresses critical areas such as Land Justice, Housing Justice, protecting the Social Safety Net, and ending the exploitation and criminalization of poverty.
The attorney will lead the implementation of SPLC's economic justice legal advocacy strategies, particularly in the Deep South. Responsibilities include developing new cases in collaboration with SPLC staff and community partners, training and mentoring legal staff, building and maintaining partnerships with community organizations, conducting investigations and client interviews, drafting legal memoranda and briefs, and representing SPLC in various forums, including community groups, legislative bodies, and state agencies.
Candidates must possess a J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school and be a member in good standing of at least one state bar in the United States, preferably in Mississippi. For the Staff Attorney position, a minimum of one year of federal court civil litigation or comparable experience post-law school is required. For the Senior Staff Attorney role, at least six years of such experience is necessary. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience litigating individual and class action civil rights cases in federal and state courts at both trial and appellate levels, as well as experience working with community organizations and grassroots campaigns, particularly in the Deep South.
The position offers a competitive salary based on legal experience post-law school, ranging from $78,832 for Staff Attorney I (1-3 years out of law school) to $153,500 for Senior Staff IV (12+ years out of law school). SPLC provides a comprehensive benefits package to its staff.
SPLC fosters a collaborative and mission-driven work environment, emphasizing community-oriented and movement-supportive lawyering. The organization is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, seeking candidates who align with these values and are dedicated to advancing economic justice in the Deep South.