Job o' the Day: Innocence Project in NYC
By Lauren Forbes
The Innocence Project, Inc., seeks a Senior Counsel/Deputy Executive Director (new position), reporting directly to the Executive Director, to manage and expand its litigation and policy work. The Senior Counsel will be responsible for the overall management of the following program areas: client intake and evaluation; client legal representation; social work; research; strategic litigation; and public policy reform. The Senior Counsel will ensure the effectiveness and quality of work in these areas while leading a brilliant, creative, and hard-working team of experienced professionals who share a deep commitment to their clients and to the reform of the criminal justice system. This position is based in New York City.
The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld as a legal clinic at the Cardozo School of Law/Yeshiva University. The Project, with fifty staff, represents prisoners nationwide for whom post-conviction DNA testing can prove innocence, and seeks to redress the underlying causes of wrongful conviction through systemic criminal justice reform. The Project has been involved in freeing the majority of the 271 people nationwide who have served an average of 13 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. It has helped pass more than 70 laws in 30 states to make the criminal justice system more fair and more just. The Innocence Project is expanding and deepening its policy work to more thoroughly address the fundamental problems in the criminal justice system, while it continues to represent and free the innocent. (For more information about the Innocence Project, Inc., please go to www.innocenceproject.org.)
Essential qualities include:
- Passionate commitment to social justice and to the Innocence Project’s goals, mission, and values;
- Collegial, collaborative management style and demonstrated commitment to the value and power of teams and staff;
- Demonstrated success in managing lawyers in fast-paced litigation or policy reform effort; and
- A sense of humor
Qualifications
Candidates must have a law degree, be admitted to practice law, and have litigation experience. Candidates with at least 10 years of supervisory and management experience in a legal or advocacy organization will be at a clear advantage, especially those with demonstrated skills in managing both attorneys and other professionals. Expertise in the field of criminal justice is highly desirable.
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