Senior Counsel, Reproductive Health Law Advising

Founded in 2017, the Lawyering Project is a legal advocacy organization that blends traditional impact litigation with movement lawyering to promote reproductive health, rights, and justice throughout the United States. Laws that undermine reproductive health, rights, and justice deprive people of moral agency, rob us of control over our bodies, and compound other forms of oppression like racism, sexism, and poverty.  Our mission is to eliminate these laws and the harmful impacts they have on people’s lives.  We are especially focused on laws that limit the availability or affordability of abortion care; contribute to disparities in reproductive health outcomes; embody gender-based stereotypes; or discriminate against people based on their reproductive decisions. We envision a society with laws that enable each of us to make decisions about intensely personal matters like sex, pregnancy, family, and healthcare based on our own beliefs and values, and ensure that we all have access to safe pregnancy care, safe abortion care, and safe communities for our families. 

The Lawyering Project has three legal programs: Litigation, Access & Innovation, and Pro Bono Initiatives.  Our Litigation Program leverages the courts to eliminate barriers to reproductive health services and promote equity in access to care. Our Access & Innovation Program provides legal advice and technical assistance to healthcare providers, researchers, abortion funds, and others who make access to vital healthcare possible. Our Pro Bono Initiatives Program cultivates strategic relationships with members of the private bar and legal academy and operates the Abortion Defense Network, a collaborative effort by nonprofit organizations, private law firms, and government officials aimed at ensuring everyone threatened with liability for providing or supporting abortion care in post-Roe America has access to high-quality, values-aligned lawyers. For further information, visit https://lawyeringproject.org and https://abortiondefensenetwork.org.    

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned nearly fifty years of precedent recognizing abortion access as a fundamental right, the Lawyering Project is committed to supporting all people seeking to obtain, provide, or support abortion care while navigating new obstacles and legal risks.  We have seized on this disruption of precedent as an opportunity to reshape reproductive rights jurisprudence, situating it on a stronger and more progressive foundation. And we will continue to work closely with our partners in the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement—and allied movements—to realize our vision for a more just and equitable future. 

The Lawyering Project is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. We have an all-remote staff with approximately two dozen full-time employees who may be based anywhere in the United States. Our annual operating budget is around $6 million.

About the Role

The Access & Innovation Program (“A&I”) provides free legal advice and technical assistance to individuals and organizations working to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice. A&I houses two initiatives, the General Counsel program and Reproductive Health Law Advising (“RHLA”). RHLA provides direct legal assistance to reproductive healthcare providers and supporters. We help clients navigate the post-Roe legal landscape; provide compliance advice to clients developing and implementing innovative models of providing care; and advise clients in multiple areas, including laws governing abortion, contraception, abortion-related speech, and cross-state care.  

We are seeking an attorney with significant experience working in the fields of reproductive rights, healthcare policy, and/or civil rights with excellent client-communications skills, significant experience providing compliance advice, and who is committed to advancing access to reproductive healthcare.  

The Senior Counsel is responsible for providing comprehensive advice to clients on matters concerning reproductive health law and related issues. The Senior Counsel also participates in external working groups and represents the Lawyering Project at conferences, convenings, and speaking engagements. The Senior Counsel may be asked to supervise other attorneys in the Lawyering Project’s A&I program.  

Duties and Responsibilities

Advising Clients

• Advise clients on matters concerning reproductive health law and related issues;
• Conduct legal research, analysis, and writing;
• Prepare legal research memos, client advice memos, and other legal documents;
• Maintain effective working relationships with clients and co-counsel; and
• Stay up to date on developments in relevant areas of the law. 

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct intake interviews with prospective clients;
• Supervise Legal Counsel, Legal Fellows, and interns, as needed;
• Mentor and support less experienced attorneys, support personnel, and law students;
• Represent the Lawyering Project at conferences, convenings, and speaking engagements;
• Participate in working groups with allied organizations; and
• Cultivate an organizational culture that aligns with the Lawyering Project’s values.

The Senior Counsel must have: 

• A J.D. or equivalent degree;
• An active license to practice law in a U.S. jurisdiction;
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience practicing law;
• Significant experience managing client relationships; providing compliance advice on complex and varied legal issues; assessing client needs to make referrals, where appropriate;
• Ability to analyze and synthesize complex legal authorities to deliver comprehensive compliance advice; and
• A commitment to advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice.

The following qualifications are strongly preferred:

• At least two years of experience supervising attorneys or law students

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

The Senior Counsel must have:

• Knowledge of laws and regulations affecting access to healthcare; reproductive rights jurisprudence; and the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement;
• Skill in legal research, analysis, and writing, as well as client counseling;
• Ability to perform all job duties and responsibilities identified above; identify complex legal issues, analyze and write about them succinctly; articulate risk mitigation strategies; advise clients on a broad array of legal matters; meet deadlines; work well under pressure; collaborate well with others; and act in accordance with the Lawyering Project’s values.

Organizational Relationships

The Senior Counsel, RHLA, reports to the Director, Reproductive Health Law Advising and may supervise other members of the A&I Program

Physical Demands

The Senior Counsel must be able to travel domestically on an airplane 3-5 times per year.  

Application Requirements

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. Your application must include the following materials to be considered:

• Resume
• Cover Letter: In a section of your cover letter containing no more than 200 words, please describe the perspectives and experiences that you would bring to the Lawyering Project that are important to you and/or relevant to our work.
• Professional References: Please upload a separate document listing (3) of your professional references. Include each reference's name, title, contact information, and a brief note on your professional relationship to them.
• Legal Writing Sample: Please upload a legal writing sample or excerpt of no more than 10 pages that demonstrates your legal analysis and advocacy skills.

The Lawyering Project has fixed salary scales based on job responsibilities, education, and experience. For example, the current salary for a Senior Counsel with 10-11 years of relevant work experience is $164,279.  A copy of these scales is available to view here.

The Lawyering Project offers a robust benefits package that includes:

• 100% employer sponsored health insurance plans (medical, dental and vision)
• Disability and AD&D Life Insurance
• Health Spending Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for health, dependent care and transportation
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with up to 4% employer match
• Paid vacation, holiday and sick days
• Paid parental, family and medical leave
• $2500 annual professional development stipend and reimbursement for state bar membership fees

Schedule and Remote Work Environment

Senior Counsel, RHLA, is a full-time, exempt position. Exempt employees are expected to work the time necessary to complete key assignments and related tasks on schedule. This position is fully remote and sometimes requires work during evenings and weekends. 

EEO Note

The Lawyering Project is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer.  At the Lawyering Project, we believe that a team with varied perspectives and experiences will best enable our organization to thrive and achieve its mission. We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive work environment that values individual differences. We welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences, identities, and backgrounds to apply. 

We will not discriminate against applicants based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other classification protected by any federal, state, or local law.  

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant people and individuals with disabilities, including in the hiring process.  If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please send an email with the subject line “Reasonable Accommodation Request” to jobs@lawyeringproject.org.