The Southern Poverty Law Center is seeking a Senior Supervising Attorney committed to dismantling white supremacy.

The Senior Supervising Attorney (SSA) in the Inclusion and Anti-Extremism (IAE) Advocacy and Litigation Impact Team (ALIT) develops, litigate, and supervises cases against hate groups and other actors perpetrating hateful and extremist activity. The position provides opportunities to work on cases and campaigns vindicating and advancing the rights of individuals and communities, including among others, people of color, religious minorities, LGBTQ people, and immigrants, targeted by extremists and hate groups. 

Who You Are

Experienced. Demonstrated experience leading and litigating complex and/or class action cases and campaigns involving constitutional and civil rights, ideally including any of the following: First Amendment, due process, and equal protection rights, the Ku Klux Klan Act and other anti-discrimination statutes, public and private torts, and/or digital and cyber law.

People Manager. Experienced manager with proven success in supervising and developing legal teams. Clear communicator of goals and priorities, organizational policies, and processes. 

Effective leader. Established leadership in creating work plans, project management, setting annual goals, and supporting and tracking staff performance towards achieving the goals. 

Advocate. Experience working with community organizations, grassroots campaigns, and impacted communities, particularly in the Deep South, to dismantle white supremacy.

Creative. Ability to create vision, think innovatively, and account for capacity and risks in investigating matters, developing cases, and executing strategies to move litigation and other advocacy forward.

Collaborative. Demonstrated ability to work with other ALITs and Departments, external organizations, co-counsel, and stakeholders to execute specific strategies to advance the work of the IAE ALIT and SPLC.

Communicative. Exceptional communication skills. Ability to communicate persuasively to a variety of audiences through writing and speaking.

Mission, Vision & Culture Alignment. Demonstrated understanding and commitment to SPLC’s mission, vision and values.

What You'll Do

Lead the implementation of SPLC’s inclusion and anti-extremism legal advocacy strategies, especially in the Deep South.

Develop, lead, supervise, consult, and advise on complex civil rights impact cases in federal and state courts and administrative entities.

Supervise and manage litigation teams within the ALIT and the Legal Department that include SPLC attorneys, paralegals, analysts and investigators, fellows, legal interns, and others from within SPLC, providing mentoring and coaching.

Collaborate with the Deputy Legal Director and the Policy Department to identify and support the advancement of SPLC’s state, local, and federal policy priorities; and the Communications Department to develop communication strategies around cases and campaigns.

Collaborate with team members of other ALITs in the Legal Department as well as all other members of other SPLC Departments to advance the impact goals and campaigns of SPLC.

Serve as a public thought leader on issues confronting the communities the SPLC serves, and represent SPLC in the media, at conferences, and in other public venues.

Develop and maintain relationships with community partners, coalition members, and legal allies to maintain open communication and collaboration with directly impacted people and communities.

Hire, mentor, train, and monitor staff performance and development, and conduct performance reviews.

Perform other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties in this job classification.

Uphold our JEDI principles by seeking diverse collaborators and partners that can deliver genuine, authentic and impactful work while ensuring their contributions are directed towards the shared mission, vision and values of the Center and Legal Department’s goals.

Minimum Qualifications 

We are committed to equitable hiring practices; therefore you must meet the minimum qualifications to be considered for the role.

• At least eight (8) years of federal court civil litigation or comparable legal experience;
• At least two (2) years of supervisor experience managing legal professionals;
• Membership in good standing of at least one state bar in the United States, preferably Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, or Washington, D.C.; and
• J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school.

Compensation & Benefits

This is an exempt role, and the minimum starting salary is $164,300.00 annually. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Click here to view the benefits available to SPLC staff.

Where & How You'll Work 

This role has the following work designations options:

• Local Remote: Will work remotely but is expected to attend work-related activities that occur at the SPLC offices or in the states in which the SPLC operates.
• Telework: Will work at an SPLC office at least three days per week and may work two days per week from an alternative work location.
• This position will report to the Deputy Legal Director, Inclusion & Anti-Extremism ALIT.

Other Special Considerations 

This job is performed under general office conditions and is not subject to any strenuous physical demands or dangerous conditions.