Associate General Counsel, Legal Brooklyn, New York

Vera's Legal Department provides comprehensive in‑house legal services to the organization, including each of its administrative departments, initiatives, and projects, and to its Board of Trustees. With a creative and problem‑solving orientation, the team advises staff of Vera and Vera Action, an affiliated 501(c)(4) organization, on federal, state, and local requirements and works to develop structures and processes that support compliance without compromising strategy. The Associate General Counsel will report to the Chief Legal Officer (CLO) and will work with the entire Legal Department team (consisting of the CLO, the Deputy General Counsel (DGC), the Associate Director for Legal Operations, and the Clifford Chance Foundation Fellow) to keep pace with the work of an ambitious, mission‑oriented organization.

About the role:

As an experienced attorney, the Associate General Counsel will be expected to assist the CLO and DGC in larger projects, both through coordinating projects and through creation and execution of legal elements of long‑term projects. Accordingly, applicants for this role should be comfortable coordinating processes across teams, particularly from a “second chair” perspective. The Associate General Counsel’s portfolio will also include drafting and review of contracts, review of assignments by the fellow and interns, and management of certain projects with a lesser degree of supervision. This position will be based in Vera’s New York office, in Industry City, Brooklyn.

Expertise in 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) compliance, lobbying laws across jurisdictions, and labor relations will be particularly useful.

1. Legal Advice and Research

• Provide legal advice on arising matters, including researching legal and regulatory issues, advising initiatives and programs on arising matters, and ensuring compliance with legal requirements for nonprofits.
• This includes, without limitation:
  • Overseeing arising departmental projects as assigned by the CLO, and seconding CLO on other projects and standing portfolio matters (assisting with project management, action items, etc.); and
  • Having command of major laws and regulations governing legislative advocacy and 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) governance, answering questions as they arise, and developing guidance as needed
• Draft, review, and negotiate agreements of various kinds: grants, service contracts, licenses, independent contractor agreements, master service agreements, memoranda of understanding, and any others that may arise.
• This includes supporting agreement reviews by other members of the department.

3. Other duties as assigned

• Other duties as arising and assigned, including assisting in reviewing, developing, and training others on organizational and departmental policies, systems, and procedures.

What qualifications are we looking for?

Required :

• J.D. or LL.M. from an ABA‑accredited U.S. law school.
• Admission to New York State bar.
• Five or more years of relevant experience (whether at another not‑for‑profit, a law firm, or elsewhere).

Preferred :

• An interest in the substantive areas in which Vera works (including criminal justice and immigration), and in non‑profit tax issues, employment law, and policy.
• Experience in political law or employer‑side labor law plus.
• Three or more years’ experience specifically in an in‑house or other transactional environment.
• Must have a strong interest in the operations of nonprofit organizations and a broad‑based curiosity about potentially unfamiliar legal matters coupled with the ability to master new topics independently, as the Institute is known for its innovative and entrepreneurial approach.
• Vera’s Legal team works to automate as many of its processes as possible, so this person must be adept with technology and welcome the creative challenge of improving operations.
• Excellent writing skills are required. This person must have sufficient command of the written word to draft documents that are professional yet accessible, and sufficient command of legal ideas not to fall back on legalese.
• This person must have the ability to manage relationships across the organization and with outside parties diplomatically, including when enforcing a rule or managing expectations.

Technical knowledge helpful for this role:

• Microsoft Office
• General facility with online databases

Location:

Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY office. Vera employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in‑office on an alternating schedule that generally amounts to 10 days per month.

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $115,000‑$118,000 . Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Vera Institute’s total compensation package for employees. As an employer of choice in our field, supporting Vera staff—both personally and professionally—is a priority. To do this, we invest in the well‑being of our staff through other rewards including merit pay, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, student loan repayment benefits, professional development training opportunities and up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work, employer‑funded retirement plan, and flexible time. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here.

Application Process:

To receive further consideration for this career opportunity, applicants are asked preliminary questions about logistics, their interest and qualifications. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional details about their experience via a phone screen/form in advance of an invitation for a virtual or in‑person interview with the team. Some searches may explore scenarios during the interview process and/or an assessment prior to reference checks and a hiring decision.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / JOBTITLE
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232.
Fax: View phone number on click.appcast.io.
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vera is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.