Legal Director

The Opportunity

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) seeks a dynamic and visionary legal director to lead ACLU-TN’s legal department in advancing and shaping the civil rights and civil liberties landscape in Tennessee. The legal director is responsible for leading the organization’s legal program, which includes building a robust docket, ensuring that it advances the ACLU’s strategic priorities, and collaborating with local, state and national partners in our shared pursuit of fairness, freedom, justice and equity.

ACLU-TN, the state affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union, is a private, non-profit, non-partisan public interest organization dedicated to defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights through advocacy, coalition-building, litigation, legislative lobbying, community mobilization, and public education.

In the wake of daily assaults on civil liberties and civil rights, ACLU-TN is embarking on its most ambitious advocacy yet. ACLU-TN’s integrated advocacy work includes, but is not limited to, democracy and voting rights, immigrants’ rights, advancing racial justice and LGBTQ+ equality, free speech and censorship, and more.

The legal director is a member of ACLU-TN’s programmatic leadership team, reports to the deputy director of integrated advocacy, and oversees the legal team.

Responsibilities 

• Build and maintain ACLU-TN’s impact litigation docket, which advances our strategic priorities and responds to threats to civil liberties while also taking a movement-style approach to our broader integrated advocacy work.
• Manage all aspects of ACLU-TN’s legal program, including coordinating case selection with the deputy director of integrated advocacy and the executive director, overseeing the investigation and development of cases prior to filing litigation, and building litigation teams with ACLU attorneys, cooperating attorneys, and other partners.
• Supervise the legal team, including staff attorney(s), law clerks, and support staff to the extent they are working on assigned matters related to litigation and legal activities. Supervision of the legal team includes ensuring that staff attorneys, volunteer attorneys and legal interns are well trained in substantive areas of the law, sound legal practice, and organizational operations; performance management; and supporting legal team members’ professional development.
• Maintain an individual caseload and oversee litigation in federal, state, and chancery court while ensuring effective client counseling.
• Research civil liberties and civil rights issues and draft legal memoranda and demand letters.
• Expand and deepen relationships among ACLU attorneys, cooperating and pro bono counsel, and other lawyers to elevate the visibility of the ACLU in the legal community. Recruit and collaborate with cooperating attorneys to build ACLU-TN’s docket, engaging lawyers in pre-litigation investigations, amicus briefs, active litigation, and other ACLU activities, and overseeing all aspects of discovery, motion practice, briefs, trials, appellate work, and amicus briefing.
• Ensure that the legal program adheres to the highest standards of legal and professional ethics.
• Consult with the deputy director of integrated advocacy on priority and complex issues and integrated advocacy decisions, as well as resource requirements, as part of major decision-making processes.
• Collaborate with the deputy director of integrated advocacy and the communications, policy, community engagement, and development teams to advance ACLU-TN’s priority campaigns, creating comprehensive advocacy strategies and plans that leverage all of the ACLU’s tools, ensuring maximum media exposure, coordinating cross-departmental advocacy tactics, and developing financial resources to grow. The expectation is that the legal director will recognize that litigation is one tool in ACLU-TN’s advocacy toolbox, and that coordination with other departments is required to creatively advance our overall organizational goals.
• Serve as a spokesperson for ACLU-TN, working closely with our deputy director of integrated advocacy and our communications, community engagement, and policy teams to engage in strategic public forums, advocacy discussions, and media opportunities.
• Partner with the deputy director of integrated advocacy and other staff to build strong team spirit, create professional development opportunities, and foster an organizational culture that encourages independent thinking and transparency, and upholds our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging values.
• Monitor annual litigation budget and expenses throughout the year, seek adjustments as needed, and ensure bottom-line budget–to-actual performance.
• Assist with operational and administrative matters including but not limited to developing budgets, providing regular reports on legal department activities, assisting with file retention policy implementation, supporting strategic planning, budget development and monitoring, identifying intake and correspondence categories of interest to the legal department, participating in program evaluation, and coordinating and supporting other activities as needed. 

Qualifications 

• JD and licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee (or licensed in another state and qualified to apply for admission in Tennessee within 6 months).
• 10+ years practice as a litigator, including substantial trial and appellate experience in federal courts, especially complex litigation of constitutional issues.
• Substantive knowledge of constitutional law and civil liberties issues as well as the ability to think creatively and to use non-litigation strategies to promote objectives.
• Exceptional analytical, writing, and speaking skills.
• Demonstrated skills in legal analysis, research, and strategic thinking.
• Demonstrated commitment to the preservation and vigorous enforcement of civil liberties and civil rights.
• Track record of proven leadership and management skills including experiences in budgeting, staff supervision, relationship building with both internal and external partners, and mentoring of volunteer attorneys and interns.
• A personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, national origin, citizenship, record of arrest or conviction, and socio-economic circumstance.
• A sense of humor in order to maintain perspective and balance.
• An absolute commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards.
• Willingness to work beyond the 9 to 5 workday, with occasional travel required for national and statewide meetings.
• Awareness of, and willingness to engage in, the difficult and transformative work of challenging systems of oppression, institutional and structural racism, and implicit 

Location 

ACLU-TN’s office is in Nashville, Tennessee, a rapidly growing city with a rich history in social justice and a fantastic music, arts, culture, and food scene.

ACLU-TN currently operates under a hybrid structure, where staff are expected to work in the office 8 days/month, including all-staff in-office days on the Monday and Tuesday of the first and third full weeks of each month.

Candidates outside of the Nashville, Tennessee metropolitan area will be considered for this position with the understanding that relocation to the Nashville, Tennessee area will be preferred.

Compensation

This is a full-time, exempt position with a starting salary range of $105,000 – $110,000. This position reports directly to the deputy director of integrated advocacy, is a member of the programmatic leadership team, and will supervise legal team members, any contract legal support, and/or law clerks.

Staff members receive a generous benefits package, including a minimum of 15 vacation days, 12 sick days, and 2 personal days, along with at least 13 recognized holidays; 100% employer-covered health insurance (medical, dental, and vision); a flexible-spending account; a 401(k)-matched retirement contribution; 12 weeks of parental leave; long- and short-term disability; life insurance; an annual professional development stipend; and snacks in the office.

Apply

If you’re excited about devoting your talents and skills to the ACLU of Tennessee, please submit your resume, letter of interest, professional writing sample, and three professional references, including at least one prior supervisor. References will not be checked until candidates are finalists. All applications are processed through the ACLU of Tennessee Career Page (JazzHR); see their privacy policy.

Tentative Hiring Timeline

• Feb. 27, 2026: Priority Application Deadline
• March 12–13, 2026: Phone Screens 
• Mar. 26 – Apr. 28, 2026: Assessments/Interviews — expect 2-3 rounds 
• April 2026: Offer Extended 

Phone calls will not be accepted. Priority will be given to completed applications received by the Friday, February 28, priority deadline. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, at which time the posting will be removed from the ACLU-TN/ACLU websites.

The ACLU of Tennessee is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU of Tennessee encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Black people; Indigenous people; people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary, gender-nonconforming and intersex people; women; people with disabilities; protected veterans; and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU of Tennessee makes every effort to ensure that its recruitment and employment practices provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions. The ACLU of Tennessee is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities. Please do not hesitate to inquire at operations@aclu-tn.org if you believe you may need accommodations during the application or interview process.