Staff Attorney, Democracy 2025

Democracy Forward

Staff Attorney supporting legal advocacy for pro-democracy initiatives in collaboration with partners. Conducting legal research and providing analysis on legal developments related to authoritarianism.

Posted 6/10/2026full-timeWashington • District of Columbia, Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $100,000 - $125,000 per yearWebsite

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

legal researchlitigation analysislegal writingdata analysisreport writingissue area guidesmemoranda preparationlitigation trackingsummary reportingproject management

Soft Skills

attention to detailclear communicationorganizational skillsrelationship buildingcollaborationflexibilityself-awarenesscommitment to diversityinterpersonal skillsability to prioritize

Tools & Technologies

WestlawPACERlitigation tracking databases

Certifications & Qualifications

J.D.active bar membership

Industry Keywords

civil rightsgovernment powerdemocratic governancelegal threat landscapecoalition engagementlegal advocacyemerging legal issuesauthoritarianismlegal developmentspartner organizations

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Track and analyze developments in litigation and other legal actions across a wide range of subject areas related to responding to increasing authoritarianism, abuses of government power, attacks on civil rights, weaponization of government.
Conduct legal research and analysis of emerging legal issues in response to the changing legal threat landscape.
Develop written work product, including memoranda, issue area guides, litigation summaries, and similar resources to support the legal advocacy work of the Democracy 2025 community.
Review and summarize litigation updates to ensure clarity and accuracy.
Compose written work that analyzes and explains legal issues to generalist audiences.
Support and participate in Democracy 2025’s work to support partner organizations, including attending regular working group meetings as a representative of the Democracy 2025 team as needed.
Brief coalition partners and Democracy Forward staff on legal and litigation developments.
Maintain relationships with partner organizations across the Democracy 2025 network, engaging with sound judgment and professionalism in both one-on-one and coalition settings.
Collaborate across Democracy Forward teams to ensure coordinated and effective approaches to emerging threats and opportunities.
Maintain and update litigation tracking databases, ensuring legal issues are tagged and organized accurately and consistently.
Convert litigation data into regular summary reports in digestible, clear, and coherent manners.
Support the team’s public-facing litigation tracking and analysis.
Proactively monitor litigation trends, current events, and the activities of relevant organizations and agencies.

Requirements

What you’ll need

J.D. from an accredited law school.
Active membership in good standing in the bar of the District of Columbia, or membership in good standing in another state bar with the ability to become admitted in D.C.
2–6 years of legal experience.
Interest in and knowledge of issues related to abuses of government power, civil rights, democratic governance, or related areas.
Strong attention to detail.
Clear legal writing.
Ability to communicate legal topics clearly to generalist audiences.
Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects and workstreams under tight deadlines
Enthusiasm for coalition engagement; strong relationship-building and collaboration skills and clear verbal and written communication skills..
Proven ability to work effectively across teams in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Willingness to be flexible and support priorities as they emerge.
Experience with basic legal research tools, such as Westlaw and PACER.
Well-developed collaborative and interpersonal skills including demonstrated self-awareness, commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Benefits

Comp & perks

excellent benefits