Litigation Director

Term of Employment: Regular, Exempt, Full-time

Reports to: Chief Programs Officer

Location: Remote (U.S.-based)

Who We Are

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, gathering data about and advocating for effective regulation of animal exploitative industries, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Role Description

The Litigation Program Director is responsible for overseeing all aspects of ALDF’s Litigation Program in a manner consistent with the organization’s mission, strategic plan, and budget. The Litigation Program Director oversees the development of programmatic goals, program-specific strategies, and best practices for litigation. The Litigation Program Director manages the day-to-day operations of the Litigation Program by guiding case development and evaluating the merits of all proposed claims to ensure they advance the organization’s strategic priorities and maximize the impact of its resources; overseeing all major strategy decisions in pending litigation; and providing high-level guidance to direct reports while working to ensure that all Litigation Program team members receive adequate training and supervision in every aspect of their work.

The Litigation Program Director is responsible for working closely with the Executive Director, the Chief Programs Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Advancement Officer, and other ALDF Department Directors as a member of the ALDF Leadership Team to achieve ALDF’s organizational objectives and strategic campaigns, which requires significant cross-programmatic communication, collaboration, and cooperation. In coordination with ALDF’s Development Director, the Litigation Program Director also is responsible for facilitating and developing donor relationships with key grantors who support or are interested in supporting ALDF’s work.

How You Will Make a Difference

• Working with ALDF leadership to develop effective litigation goals and strategies, including identification of key areas of the law to be developed, theories of strategic impact litigation, and novel causes of action that support ALDF’s mission and strategic goals.
• Leading the Litigation Program team by overseeing job performance, coaching and developing team members, and conducting performance reviews.
• Evaluating the work product of Litigation Program staff to ensure competent, professional, and high-quality work at every level of the Litigation Program.
• Ensuring that all Litigation Program staff members comply with ALDF policies and all applicable ethical rules.
• Directly managing and supervising other Litigation Program staff as appropriate.
• Developing an annual program budget and monitoring program operations to assure program and budget goals are met.
• Coordinating and collaborating with staff from ALDF’s Criminal Justice Program, Legislative Affairs Program, Transparency & Regulatory Affairs Program, Animal Law Education & Scholarship Program, and Pro Bono Program on cases that have, or could have cross-programmatic impact.
• Providing reports on program activities and finances on a quarterly basis and as required by Chief Programs Officer and other members of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Providing general management, leadership, and administrative oversight of the Litigation Program, including maintaining accurate records of activities and expenditures, with special emphasis on working with the ALDF Director of Finance on tracking restricted funding and on collaborating with the ALDF Development Director on donor reporting.
• Preparing and delivering presentations for professional conferences, fundraising events, donor receptions, and other events as needed.
• Working with Communications, Development, and other departments to ensure Litigation Program staff answers questions on civil legal issues and procedures, and that they timely propose, draft, proofread and/or edit content on cases and legal developments for ALDF publications.
• As a member of ALDF’s Leadership Team, working with Program Directors and Senior Leadership Team to develop short- and long-term strategies for ALDF’s legal work, and actively contribute to maintaining a culture of teamwork and mutual respect throughout the organization.
• Providing in-house expertise for staff on questions concerning Litigation Program cases, general animal law civil cases, civil procedure, and civil legal strategy.
• Serving as the media contact or spokesperson for the Litigation Program.

Please note, this job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position, which are subject to change in order to best advance ALDF’s strategic objectives and mission.

Requirements

We Are Looking for Candidates with

• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in animal protection litigation and litigation management in comparable nonprofit settings or equivalent. Preference for significant experience litigating claims arising under consumer protection statutes, the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act, the Endangered Species Act and/or other environmental protection statutes, and the Freedom of Information Act and state public records statutes.
• 5+ years in a formal people leadership role, with a track record of modeling inclusive leadership for high-performance teams.
• A Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an American Bar Association-accredited law school.
• An understanding of and demonstrated commitment to the mission and core values of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• A track record of developing and successfully litigating novel strategic impact litigation (as measured by both direct and indirect benefits) in both state and federal courts.
• Substantial experience litigating complex cases, including developing and drafting complaints; overseeing large-scale, electronic discovery; taking and defending depositions; conducting site inspections; working with testifying and consulting experts; drafting and arguing case dispositive motions; successfully negotiating settlements; and serving as lead counsel at trial.
• Substantial experience hiring, training, managing and mentoring a team of litigators and outside counsel at all levels of experience, as well as supporting professional and leadership development.
• A track record of collaborating across teams, including by working cooperatively with lawyers in non-litigation practice areas such as criminal justice, legislative advocacy, or regulatory affairs.
• Experience developing and managing litigation budgets at both a programmatic and individual case level.
• High ethical standards and professional integrity, and substantial experience supervising ethical compliance for lawyers in an organization representing external clients.
• A clear vision of the ultimate goals of the Animal Legal Defense Fund in using civil litigation to alleviate animals’ suffering in the short-term and to transform animals’ status in the long-term.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to implement vision, think strategically, solve problems creatively, and exercise excellent judgment and self-control.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to effectively convey legal issues to a variety of internal and external stakeholders, such as Board members, staff, donors, colleagues, and the media.
• Strong listening and relationship building skills.
• Excellent problem solving, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities.
• Empathetic interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with others in a team-oriented environment and with external partners.
• Experience with basic software applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and internet browsers.
• The ability to travel periodically for staff meetings and retreats (estimated 1-3 trips annually). Additionally, the Litigation Director must be available for periodic travel to conferences, training, and donor meetings as required.

We Offer Competitive Compensation With Excellent Benefits, Including

• Starting annual salary of $168,453 for most geographic locations.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C., Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, starting pay is $177,319.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, starting pay is $186,184.
• To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published starting rate. Rate is determined by role, using set geographical factors;
• Comprehensive health care, dental, life, and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available;
• 192 hours of PTO;
• 19 paid holidays;
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment;
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave.
• 401k plan with a 5% employer contribution after one year of employment;
• Alternative work schedules (at manager’s discretion);
• One-time remote work allowance of $750.
• Annual professional development reimbursement of up to $1,000.
• Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Additional Information

This is a U.S. based position. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. ALDF conducts all internal and external operations, programs, and employment-related decision making (including hiring decisions) without regard to actual or perceived race, ancestry, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, political affiliation, disability or medical condition (including physical, intellectual, or psychiatric), sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, age, or other protected category, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws. Consistent with the organization’s mission, our offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.

The application deadline for this position is August 10, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply early as we may make a decision before the deadline closes.