Job Description

Job purpose
Alliance for Justice (AFJ) is a national association of over 140 organizations representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society. AFJ’s programs comprise three core pillars:

• Our Bolder Advocacy program builds progressive power by providing nonprofit advocates with the training, technical assistance, and resources they need to comply with the federal and state laws associated with nonprofit advocacy. Bolder Advocacy is the nation’s leading resource for foundations and nonprofits who want to engage more actively and knowledgeably in the policymaking process.
• Our Justice Program works to ensurethatour state and federal courts protect our democracy and our core rights and values, preserve human rights, and provide access to justice for all. We research federal judicial nominees, educate the public and elected leaders about them, and advocate for demographically and professionally diverse nominees, who will protect our rights.
• Our Outreach & Membership team deepens and expands the engagement of AFJ’s core constituencies, including supporting our member organizations with Bolder Advocacy, judicial nominations, and capacity building resources to advance their missions. We also educate and mobilize members, partners, and advocates with the tools and AFJ resources they need to advocate for courts that protect the rights of all us and defend nonprofits’ role in protecting our democracy.

AFJ is proud to launch AFJ Law, a new program to deepen our support of nonprofits’ advocacy, strengthen the progressive movement’s ability to advocate within the bounds of IRS restrictions on tax-exempt organizations, and ensure compliance to keep their organizations safe. Building on the success of Bolder Advocacy, AFJ Law will go beyond providing technical assistance to providing legal advice on clients’ activities. While AFJ Law’s scope will be solidified by the Program Director in consultation with the VP of Strategy and organizational leadership, legal services are likely to include providing legal opinions on lobbying and elections questions; compliance checks for organizations’ internal and external documents, plans and communications; review and support developing staff and board policies; and/or review and support of 501(c)(3)/501(c)(4) grant, cost-sharing, and firewall policies. By offering critical guidance on the most challenging advocacy rules and regulations, AFJ Law will empower nonprofits to be both bold and secure in their advocacy as they fight to advance their missions, protect their communities, and transform our democracy.

The AFJ Law Program Director is responsible for the overall strategy, management, and direction of the program. They are an experienced leader with a vision for how AFJ Law can establish itself as a trusted provider of and meet the progressive nonprofit sector’s needs for compliance legal services. They have deep, firsthand knowledge of the rules of advocacy with an eagerness to continually learn; experience providing nonprofit legal services; demonstrated staff and operational management skills; and the ability to represent the organization with nonprofits of a range of sizes and scopes, coalitions, events, media, and funder audiences. This is an exciting opportunity to build a program from the ground up to meet the needs of the movement as protecting and bolstering nonprofit advocacy has never been more important.

• Plan, develop, and direct AFJ Law to build progressive nonprofits’ power by providing legal services pertaining to 501(c)(3) compliance and risk management strategies related to federal and state advocacy laws;
• Represent clients in limited scope representations; review, research, interpret, and prepare written opinions on relevant legal issues;
• Work with the Vice President of Strategy, VP of Operations/Chief of Staff, and finance and administration staff to design AFJ Law’s structure, operational systems, and new organizational infrastructure to support AFJ’s expansion as a legal service provider;
• Work with VP of Strategy and other organization leadership to identify priorities for AFJ Law’s client base, such as geographic, issue area, and size/scope of nonprofits to prioritize;
• Identify staffing and consulting needs; manage (including hiring, supervision, discipline, and firing) staff and vendors;
• Work with Bolder Advocacy staff to ensure advice/guidance provided by both programs is in line, and identify frequently asked Technical Assistance questions to inform the scope of potential AFJ Law services;
• Stay up to date with and advise nonprofits on laws applicable to 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations, including tax code, election, campaign finance, and lobbying disclosure;
• Provide timely research and advice when novel or complex questions related to tax code, election, lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and other nonprofit laws arise;
• Work with the Communications team to develop messaging and promotion resources to increase visibility of AFJ Law;
• Oversee the development of AFJ Law program goals, future scope of legal services for program growth, and KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) in coordination with the VP of Strategy and organization leadership and report progress to stakeholders such as the Board of Directors as necessary;
• Partner with the Development team to raise funds for AFJ Law, meeting with donors and funders and ensuring existing grant deliverables are met;
• Work with organization leadership and finance team to develop and monitor AFJ Law’s budget, ensure maximum resource utilization, and long-term growth of the program;
• Establish and maintain relationships with a diverse group of partners, nonprofit legal service organizations, and networks of nonprofit tax and elections law attorneys, representing AFJ Law as an established player in the sector’s response to attacks on nonprofits;
• Work with AFJ’s General Counsel to develop internal policies to ensure adherence to legal requirements and best practices for legal service providers;
• Develop policies related to managing conflicts of interest and other ethical concerns related to client representation;
• Develop standard operating procedures for client intake, scope of service, retention, and termination;
• Maintain legal expertise in state lobby and campaign finance law for any jurisdictions where Program Director maintains an active law license; and
• Other duties as assigned.

• J.D., an active law license in one or more U.S. jurisdictions, and a minimum of 15 years of experience in legal policy or advocacy work, at least 8 of which must have been spent specializing in nonprofit advocacy, lobbying, and/or campaign finance law;
• Experience providing legal services and legal representation to nonprofit clients; drafting legal memos, motions, or similar documents; managing client relationships; and utilizing organizational systems required to do so;
• 5+ years' experience in management, with demonstrated commitment to inspiring a team and the professional development of staff;
• Mastery of federal nonprofit advocacy laws (i.e. tax code lobbying limits for public charities, 501(c)(3) nonpartisan advocacy, 501(c)(4) primary vs. secondary purpose activities, etc.), plus knowledge of state laws in jurisdiction(s) where you maintain an active law license;
• Experience in program development, including ability to develop multi-year strategic program plans and implement new priorities;

Job title	AFJ Law Program Director
Reports to	Vice President of Strategy
FLSA Status	Exempt Position

Job Tags

Full time,

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