Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Policy Counsel/Advisor - Public Policy & Digital Justice Initiatives

Washington, DC
Full Time
Public Policy Initiative
Mid Level
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is one of the nation’s leading national racial justice legal organizations. Formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real.

Job Title: Policy Counsel/Advisor – Public Policy & Digital Justice Initiatives
Location: Washington, DC
Job Type: Full-Time

About the Role:
The Lawyers’ Committee seeks a policy advocate with a demonstrated commitment to racial justice to serve as a Policy Counsel/Advisor. The incumbent will primarily collaborate with the Lawyers’ Committee’s Digital Justice Initiative and will have experience in digital justice/policy as well as have the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

The incumbent will manage a portfolio focused on digital justice—including technology, internet, and privacy issues intersecting with racial justice—and will engage in public policy advocacy, including legislative advocacy, advocacy with administrative agencies, close collaboration with coalition allies, community partners, and some corporate engagement. This may include supporting legislation to protect civil rights online, engaging with administrative rulemaking proceedings, drafting complaints for agency enforcement, advocating for executive actions, pushing large tech companies to improve their content moderation or privacy practices, and coordinating joint advocacy efforts with other civil rights groups. Depending on the needs of the organization and the Public Policy Project, this portfolio of work will include other issues. 

Applicants must have experience advocating or working on tech policy, preferably in coalition settings. Experience working in Congress, the White House, or a federal agency is desirable but not required. Ideal candidates will have familiarity with subjects affecting online civil rights and privacy, which may include issues like artificial intelligence; surveillance technologies; online hate, threats, and harassment; algorithmic bias and fairness; content moderation; discriminatory advertising; disinformation campaigns; biometric technologies; CDA Section 230; anti-discrimination laws; or unfair and deceptive practices laws.

What You’ll be Doing:
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
  • Monitor key developments in assigned issue areas and identify opportunities for engagement and advancing the organization’s policy agenda.
  • Analyze federal policy proposals and develop and produce advocacy tools for various audiences concerning important technology and privacy-related federal policies.
  • Build and maintain relationships with congressional and executive branch staff to ensure that the principles of the Lawyers’ Committee mission are reflected in the policymaking process, including responding to questions from external sources regarding pending federal legislation and initiatives.
  • Cultivate close relationships and regularly collaborate with coalition partners, including other civil rights organizations, grassroots racial justice organizations, and other civil society organizations. 
  • Attend Congressional hearings, briefings, and meetings, and represent the Lawyers’ Committee in external meetings and briefings with congressional and executive branch staff.
  • Work closely with colleagues across relevant Lawyers’ Committee units, primarily the Digital Justice Initiative, Criminal Justice Project, James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate, Voting Rights Project, and other internal Projects as needed, to help identify and pursue shared advocacy objectives.
  • Draft congressional testimony, talking points, reports, letters, comments on proposed administrative rules and regulations, and other materials for meetings, briefings, and other public speaking engagements on civil rights, technology, and privacy-related legislative, policy, and regulatory matters.
  • Plan and execute advocacy events, such as congressional briefings, panel discussions, advocacy days on Capitol Hill, and webinars to further advocacy goals.
  • Work with communications staff to coordinate a focused communications strategy and to elevate relevant legislative, administrative, and executive activity in the media.
  • Track and summarize legislation, regulations, and other policy developments using databases, as well as monitoring media, social media, and government websites.
  • Lead and participate in national coalition meetings focused on technology and privacy-related issues.
  • Provide policy briefings and support for the President & Executive Director and other senior staff, including drafting testimony and helping with preparation for other appearances before executive branch and legislative officials.


Minimum Requirements and Competencies:
  • Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of at least four years of work experience relevant to this role, preferably working on federal policy.
  • Deep commitment to the advancement of racial justice and civil rights with experience working for a civil rights or racial justice organization preferred.
  • Experience with technology and civil rights issues, such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, online harassment, content moderation, anti-discrimination laws, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, surveillance and biometric technologies, online voter suppression and disinformation, unfair and deceptive practice laws, and other similar issues.
  • Demonstrated experience working with and for communities of color.
  • Must be willing to register as a federal lobbyist.
  • Working knowledge of the federal legislative, regulatory, and policy process (experience as a Congressional staffer, in the White House, at a civil rights nonprofit, or at a federal or state agency is a plus).
  • Exceptional research, writing, and communication skills—such as being able to draft legislative proposals, comments to agencies, and talking points.
  • Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills—such as being able to analyze how a proposal will affect both the strategy and the policy of the organization’s civil rights priorities.
  • Strong organizational skills with superb attention to detail—such as being able to track several congressional and agency developments and quickly turn around precisely written talking points.
  • Strong, creative, and curious intellect, and the ability to analyze issues and develop novel advocacy strategies.
  • Well-developed interpersonal skills, ability to build trust and credibility with partners, as well as Congressional and executive branch staff and officials.
  • Ability to synthesize information and to manage multiple priorities, take direction and guidance, and follow through and complete assignments, meeting often strict deadlines.
  • Ability to work independently as well as part of a team; receptive to instruction and guidance.
  • Ability to be flexible, responsive, and a team player to meet the needs of the organization.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office software and Internet research tools.
  • Willingness and ability to travel on a regular basis for meetings.

Ready to Make an Impact? If you are passionate about civil rights, racial justice, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, we want to hear from you. Join our mission to drive positive change and contribute to our dynamic team!

Apply Today: Be part of the force for civil rights and make a lasting impact. Submit your application to help us create a more equitable and inclusive world.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: The Lawyers’ Committee embraces diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We strongly encourage candidates of color and candidates from underrepresented communities to apply. The Lawyers’ Committee does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, personal appearance, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other status protected under law.
 
Share

Apply for this position

Required*
We've received your resume. Click here to update it.
Attach resume or Paste resume
Attach resume as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, or .rtf (limit 5MB) or Paste resume

Paste your resume here or Attach resume file

To comply with government Equal Employment Opportunity and/or Affirmative Action reporting regulations, we are requesting (but NOT requiring) that you enter this personal data. This information will not be used in connection with any employment decisions, and will be used solely as permitted by state and federal law. Your voluntary cooperation would be appreciated. Learn more.
Invitation for Job Applicants to Self-Identify as a U.S. Veteran
  • A “disabled veteran” is one of the following:
    • a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or
    • a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
  • A “recently separated veteran” means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.
  • An “active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran” means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
  • An “Armed forces service medal veteran” means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.
Veteran status


Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability
Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Please check one of the boxes below:

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

You must enter your name and date
Human Check*