Title: Senior Compliance Attorney, U.S. Litigation

Department: U.S. Program, U.S. Litigation

Center Background: The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global human rights organization working to ensure that reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights worldwide. With offices in New York City, and Washington, D.C.; Nairobi, Kenya; Bogota, Colombia; and Geneva, Switzerland, the Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization changing law and policy throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United States. Our 230+ diverse professionals are committed to advancing the Center’s human rights mission through game-changing litigation, legal policy, and advocacy work. This has fueled the Center’s exceptional growth to an operating budget of more than $50 million and won the respect of law firms worldwide. Our global pro bono network includes over 2,100 lawyers across 6 continents, 88 countries, and 125 law firms, contributing over $30 million USD in pro bono legal services annually. 

The Center’s Strategic Plan sets a high mark for impact: By 2030, half of the world’s population will be living under stronger protections for reproductive rights than they were in 2020. The Center has a record of success to back up this ambitious goal. Since our founding in 1992, the Center has transformed how reproductive rights are understood and applied by courts, governments, and human rights bodies worldwide on issues including maternal health, abortion, assisted reproduction, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights. We have won groundbreaking cases before national courts, U.N. Committees, and regional human rights bodies. The Center has also led development of historic, proactive legislation advancing robust protections for reproductive rights. It has built the legal capacity of women’s rights advocates in more than 65 countries and counting. To learn more about the Center, please go to www.reproductiverights.org

The Job: The Center seeks a Senior Compliance Attorney to join the Center’s U.S. Litigation team at a critical time for reproductive rights and access across the United States. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision eliminating the federal constitutional right to abortion, there have been significant changes to state and federal laws impacting the ability of health care providers to offer abortion care and individuals to access that care. These changes, coupled with new and emerging threats posed by a hostile federal administration, have made the legal and regulatory landscape increasingly complex and difficult to navigate for health care providers. 

The Senior Compliance Attorney will support the U.S. Litigation team’s growing need for compliance assistance, providing complex legal analysis of state and federal laws and regulations with a high degree of efficiency and autonomy. The Senior Compliance Attorney will advise Center clients on abortion-specific laws and regulations, general healthcare laws and regulations, and other state and federal policies that impact clients’ provision of high-quality reproductive health care—including abortion care, maternal health care, and assisted reproduction. 

The position will be based in the Center’s New York City or Washington D.C. offices. Covid-19 vaccination is required for all US-based employees of the Center.

Primary Responsibilities: The primary responsibilities of the Senior Compliance Attorney include:

• Conduct legal research and analysis on state and federal laws and regulations governing the provision of abortion care and other reproductive health care
• Provide timely, accurate compliance advice and support to help clients mitigate risks and comply with the rapidly changing U.S. legal landscape
• Establish client relationships; communicate regularly with Center clients; coordinate with partner organizations and outside counsel 
• Implement systems to manage and track compliance inquiries and ongoing compliance matters
• Work collaboratively with the litigation team to integrate compliance support into our provision of legal services, and provide support to other aspects of the U.S. Litigation team’s work, as needed

Compensation: The annual salary for this position begins at $165,000, and will be benchmarked commensurate with years of experience. This salary reflects a position based in New York City or Washington, D.C. This salary will be subject to a locality adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside the location listed in this posting. 

Benefits:

• Health:      The Center pays up to 90%* of the premium for a      comprehensive health insurance plan with no in-network deductible and      best-in-class reproductive healthcare coverage, including infertility. The      Center also offers Dental and Vision coverage. (* % may differ in various      countries).
• Flexibility:      The Center currently operates in a hybrid model,      requiring staff to work 3 days per week in the office and allowing work 2      days per week from home.
• Well-being:      The Center offers resources to help prevent and recover from burnout      through different programs that enable mental, physical, and community      well-being. The Center provides generous leave, including paid parental      leave, personal days, vacation, and sick leave. We are closed the last      week of December to allow staff to spend winter holiday time with their      loved ones.
• Growth:      You will be working with and learning from some of the top legal and      operational minds, all passionate about advancing reproductive rights      worldwide. You will also be eligible for a stipend to use towards      professional growth.
• Global:      You will get a front-row seat to the fight for reproductive rights      globally. You will have access to Employee Resource Groups to connect to      colleagues with similar interests/backgrounds/views.
• Investment:      After the first year of employment, the Center will contribute 7.5%* of      your annual salary to a 401(k) (*applicable only in US and Kenya).

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Center is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage people from all communities to apply. If you are excited about this role but unsure about whether your experience aligns with the job description, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this or other roles. To learn more about the Center’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, please visit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Center for Reproductive Rights.

Center policy on visa sponsorship for U.S.-based positions: Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by The Center for Reproductive Rights.

• Member in good standing of the bar of New York or DC based on the office where the attorney is based. If not currently admitted to that bar, the candidate must be a member in good standing to another state's bar and agree to become admitted within eighteen months of their start date to the bar of New York or DC based on the office where the attorney is based. Membership in multiple jurisdictions is a plus.
• At least seven (7) years of post-law-school legal experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in healthcare law; experience providing direct compliance advice to clients and undertaking complex legal analysis of state laws and regulations; experience on abortion-related legal matters and/or experience in the reproductive rights movement is a plus.
• Excellent research, writing, and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex legal issues to non-legal audiences in a clear and succinct manner.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, including ability to handle multiple tasks and meet multiple deadlines simultaneously, and to provide rapid responses to client inquiries in a fast-paced and rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. 
• Ability to maintain high level of expertise in relevant substantive law.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to effectively communicate, delegate, and supervise junior attorneys and paralegals on a project basis.
• Strong commitment to the Center’s mission, purpose, and values, along with experience or knowledge?of reproductive rights legal issues, reproductive justice, racial justice,?or other human rights, civil rights, criminal law, or social justice issues.?
• All individuals must demonstrate a commitment to racial equity work and incorporate racial equity principles into legal work.