About

LEGAL DIRECTOR

DESCRIPTION

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national New York-based nonprofit organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, advocacy, organizing, and community education.

The Legal Director is a seasoned litigator and organizational leader who will creatively and collaboratively establish and implement program objectives. Responsible for supervising all legal staff, the Legal Director manages the strategic direction for AALDEF’s legal services, impact litigation, and legal advocacy. Additionally, the Legal Director plays a pivotal role in spearheading our community lawyering model. This position reports to the Executive Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervise all legal staff, providing guidance, support, and oversight to ensure high-quality legal services and effective team collaboration.
• Set priorities and identify cases/projects focused on those most marginalized in the Asian American community and in collaboration with grassroots groups.
• Lead and develop innovative legal docket that addresses core civil rights matters and nimbly responds to emerging issues in the community.
• Serve as counsel in key cases across program areas to advance AALDEF’s legal
  and advocacy goals.
• Balance services across practice areas and develop plan for potential growth.
• Lead strategic visioning for the legal department and help lead organization-wide visioning.
• Build, manage, and inspire a cohesive legal team that strives for excellence.
• Manage and supervise legal staff across different practice areas: anti-Asian violence, economic justice, immigrant rights, educational equity, housing and environmental justice, and voting rights and democracy.
• Oversee administrative systems for the legal department.
• Foster a healthy, sustainable, creative, innovative, collaborative, and results-oriented work environment.
• Collaborate with the senior leadership team to ensure communication and
  cooperation across departments.
• Promote AALDEF and engage in public relations, training and education and
  fundraising activities; build and maintain key relationships and partnerships; and help develop and carry out pro bono strategies.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Proven legal strategist with expertise leading and developing litigation, legal
  services, and legal advocacy strategies.
• Minimum 7 years of civil litigation experience with an excellent track record.
• Minimum 3 to 5 years of experience supervising attorneys and legal staff, with 1 to 3 years of organizational development and management experience.
• Experience with public speaking, developing training curricula, and providing training to diverse audiences.
• Excellent writing, communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Highly organized, solution-oriented, and can work independently and in collaboration with others, whether in our office or remotely.
• Licensed to practice law in the State of New York.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Commitment to social justice and advancing anti-racism in a work setting.
• Track record of providing legal services to Asian American communities.
• Familiarity with Asian American communities and issues.
• Ability to speak an Asian language helpful, but not required.
• Commitment to community lawyering.

COMPENSATION

Salary range is $195,000 - $225,000.

TO APPLY

Please send cover letter; resume; names of five references, including two people you have supervised; and two writing samples to:
Jennifer Weng, AALDEF, 99 Hudson Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10013-2815
info@aaldef.org (for email, insert “Legal Director” in subject line)

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FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Seeking Fellowship Candidates for 2025

DESCRIPTION

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a New York-based national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

AALDEF is seeking fellowship candidates for 2025 for project-based and school-funded fellowships.

AALDEF uses a movement lawyering model to support Asian Americans organizing for social change. Through innovative legal strategies, AALDEF facilitates organizing and prioritizes issues impacting those most marginalized by collaborating with community-based groups across the country.

Opportunities for fellowship proposals are available in the following areas: Anti-Asian Violence, Economic Justice, Immigrant Rights, and Voting Rights and Democracy. AALDEF is particularly interested in fellowship proposals that focus on communities with heightened vulnerabilities for deportation (e.g. Southeast Asian refugee and migrant populations), Asian immigrant workers facing emerging or increasing barriers to safe working environments (e.g. Filipino nurses, massage and sex workers), and cross-racial strategies to counter incursions on civil rights gains. AALDEF will work with the candidate to craft a proposal.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with internal and external partners.
• Commitment to movement or community lawyering.
• Familiarity with Asian American communities and issues.
• Outstanding writing, communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Highly organized, solution-oriented, and can work independently and in collaboration with others.
• Admitted to or willing to sit for the N.Y. Bar.
• Ability to speak an Asian language helpful, but not required.

COMPENSATION: Salary is $75,000. Excellent health and vacation benefits.

DEADLINE: Wednesday, July 31, 2024

TO APPLY: Email a cover letter with your project proposal, resume, two writing samples, and three references to info@aaldef.org, and put “Fellowship Application” in the subject line.

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DATA ANALYST POSITION

THE ORGANIZATION

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a New York based national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, legal advocacy, and community education. Located in New York City, AALDEF has a 24-person staff and is supported by foundation and corporate grants, individual contributions, and special events. For more information about AALDEF and its current activities, please visit our website at www.aaldef.org.

DESCRIPTION

The Data Analyst will be responsible for the design and analysis of the November 2024 edition of AALDEF’s Asian American Voter Survey, a yearly exit poll aimed at shining a light on Asian American voters’ demographics, political positions, and language needs. Responsibilities include:

1. Leading a collaborative process to redesign the Asian American Voter Survey (exit poll) to more accurately describe the Asian American electorate;
2. Analyzing the results of the Asian American Voter Survey to provide key insights internally and to external stakeholders, including elections administrators and elected officials;
3. Co-authoring a report on detailing the results of the Asian American Voter Survey, including Asian American voter participation, demographics, political positions, and voting patterns in the November 2024 Election.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3-5 years experience in data collection/analysis and survey design (or similar roles)
• Experience in public opinion polling and research.
• Proficiency in descriptive statistical analysis and modeling (SPSS, SAS, R, or other statistical software)
• Familiarity with survey design and data collection methods
• Strong writing and data visualization skills

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Highly organized, detail oriented, and able to work independently, but also in collaboration with a team.
• Experience training others on data collection methods and best practices.
• Familiarity with working on issues affecting underserved communities and communities of color, especially Asian Americans.
• Experience working with U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS) data, and U.S. Census geographies.

SALARY RANGE

$50,000 - $65,000. This position is a 6 month contract position through December 2024.

TO APPLY

Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis until filled. Send a cover letter, resume, a report or other example of your writing ability, and three references to:

AALDEF Data Analyst Search

AALDEF, 99 Hudson Street, 12th floor, New York, NY 10013-2815

Email: info@aaldef.org (put "AALDEF Data Analyst" in the subject line).

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VOTING RIGHTS ORGANIZER

DESCRIPTION

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, Is a New York-based national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all. AALDEF's Asian American Democracy Program promotes fairness in the electoral process and invigorates the civic participation of Asian Americans, especially new citizens and persons not yet fluent in English. By expanding access to the electoral process for Asian Americans, AALDEF improves the quality of democracy for all Americans.

The Voting Rights Organizer will be responsible for mobilizing Asian American community groups for a non-partisan exit poll of Asian American voters and overseeing volunteers for Election Day poll monitoring in several states for the 2024 Presidential Election. The job includes recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers; working with community leaders; supervising the development, translation, and printing of materials; and giving educational presentations. The Organizer will also oversee post-election follow-up and assist in writing a report about Asian American voter participation in the 2024 Presidential election.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Highly organized, detail oriented, and able to supervise volunteers and work with a wide variety of community leaders and organizations.
• Experience with community organizing and database systems.
• Bilingual ability in an Asian language is desirable.
• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to travel and work on occasional weekends.
• Ability to work within strict deadlines, and extended hours as Election Day approaches.
• Experience with pivot tables, data analysis and digital design.
• Ability to work well within a dedicated team.
• Passion to mobilize, organize and advocate for the Asian American community.

SALARY RANGE

$60,000 - $70,000

TO APPLY

Send a cover letter, resume, and three references to:

Voting Rights Organizer Search

AALDEF, 99 Hudson Street, 12th floor New York, NY 10013-2815

Fax: 212-966-4303

Email: info@aaldef.org (put "voting rights organizer search" in the subject line).

DEADLINE

Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis until filled.

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AALDEF is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.