[Hiring] Lead Litigator @Children's Health Defense

Role Description

The Lead Litigation Counsel is the Division’s senior litigation attorney. Working under the Managing Director, this role leads development, strategy, and execution of the Division’s active and prospective case portfolio. This is a new seat in a new division responsible for:

• Identifying strategic litigation opportunities aligned with CHD’s mission.
• Developing case strategy.
• Drafting and reviewing pleadings, motions, and other filings.
• Conducting discovery.
• Appearing at Court conferences, hearings, trials, mediations, and arbitrations.
• Developing appellate strategy.
• Coordinating litigation teams.
• Supervising legal staff and outside counsel as assigned.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. State Bar.
• 8+ years of litigation experience, with substantial responsibility for complex federal litigation.
• Significant experience litigating constitutional, civil rights, administrative, public interest, or related matters.
• Demonstrated experience handling cases through multiple stages of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, dispositive motions, hearings, and appeals.
• Strong understanding of federal constitutional law, including First Amendment, Due Process, and related civil rights doctrines.
• Experience with federal court procedure and complex legal research and writing.
• Experience with temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, dispositive motions, discovery, and evidentiary proceedings.
• Excellent legal research, analytical, writing, and oral advocacy skills, and familiarity with online legal research tools.
• Ability to understand and litigate matters involving complex scientific, medical, regulatory, and administrative records.
• Ability to manage multiple complex cases, deadlines, and litigation teams simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of strategic litigation and the interrelation of litigation, education, advocacy, and public policy.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work with a diverse group of clients, attorneys, experts, researchers, advocates, and organizational staff.
• Flexibility and ability to thrive under limited structure and guidance.
• Attention to detail.

Requirements

• Significant federal appellate litigation experience.
• Experience with state law civil rights/human rights litigation.
• Experience litigating First Amendment religious liberty and religious accommodation cases.
• Experience with First Amendment and medical speech litigation.
• Experience with Title VII and ADA litigation.
• Experience with administrative law and Administrative Procedure Act litigation.
• Experience with FOIA litigation.
• Experience with public health agency litigation.
• Experience with vaccine mandate, vaccine exemption, informed consent, or vaccine injury litigation experience.
• Familiarity with federal vaccine injury programs.
• Experience with class action litigation.
• Experience supervising attorneys or managing litigation teams.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Supplemental benefits through Aflac.
• Retirement plan participation.
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
• Life insurance.
• Employee assistance programs.
• Professional development opportunities.