Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab are seeking a Legal Director.

About Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab

Local Progress and the Local Progress Impact Lab work collectively to advance a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of government. Local Progress (LP) is a movement of more than 1,600 local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government. The Local Progress Impact Lab (the Impact Lab) brings together local leaders, partners, and experts to build the knowledge, skills, and leadership needed to advance racial and economic justice at the local level.

About the Position:

Working as part of a national Legal and Policy team, the Legal Director will provide legal, policy, research, and strategy support to local elected officials in a variety of geographies, with particular emphasis on the organization’s priority issue areas, which include immigrant justice, economic justice and worker power, reimagining public safety, home rule and local democracy,  and advancing housing justice for all. The Legal Director will be tasked with leading and supporting our work to protect local communities on the front lines of authoritarianism, empower our network of local elected officials to dissent and self-govern, and devise creative legal and policy solutions to the challenges facing local governance. 

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is eager to build the legal and policy capacity of the Local Progress network, which is comprised of elected officials serving in cities, counties, and school boards. This role will provide timely resources, strategy, and collaboration to Local Progress members on the forefront of efforts to work hand-in-hand with impacted communities to win transformational local policy on some of the most pressing issues facing communities today. Moreover, in light of growing state and federal authoritarianism, this role will also play a pivotal role in supporting and developing local, state, and national strategies to defend democracy. The Legal Director will also supervise staff, develop and anchor partnerships with national, state, and local legal partners to advance shared goals, and work closely with the Managing Director, Legal and Policy, to grow the organization’s legal and policy capacity and vision. 

The Legal Director will report to the Managing Director, Legal and Policy.

Location: This is a remote position based in the U.S. with no in-office requirement.

Travel Requirement: This position is required to travel to in-person events up to six days a month. 

Primary Responsibilities. 

• Policy and Legal Strategy (40%)
  • Provide and oversee the provision of legal and policy advice to LP members and campaign coalitions.
  • Oversee the development of policy templates and tools, scalable across the Local Progress network, including policy toolkits, template ordinances, policy briefs, and frameworks/guidance for equitable policymaking. 
  • Engage with LP staff, members, and partners to assess policy and legal questions, and perform research and policy analysis to respond to those questions, sometimes in rapid response situations.
  • Deepen LP’s expertise on core municipal authorities like procurement, permitting, and zoning.
• Litigation (20%)
  • Maintain and grow relationships with legal organizations using impact litigation as a tool to protect progressive local elected officials and local democracy.
  • Engage LP members and their jurisdictions in relevant impact litigation and support the development of new litigation theories. 
  • Produce, edit, and review legal memos, amicus briefs, and other legal documents; also oversee the production of such documents.
• Issue Area Programming (20%)
  • Envision, plan, and implement program offerings to fight state and federal authoritarianism and other relevant issues 
    • LP and the Impact Lab programs include webinars, interactive meetings, virtual working groups, in-person gatherings, site visits, and large-scale conferences involving anywhere from a few to several hundred elected officials, government staffers, and allies.
  • Convene local elected officials in working groups or other formations on relevant issues as needed.
• Support Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab's work (20%)
  • Collaborate across Local Progress teams to support organizational activities and infrastructure including caucus work, state chapter activities, Progressive Governance Academy trainings, reports, convenings, web products, etc.
  • Help develop a culture of excellent supervision and staff development within LP and the Impact Lab.
  • Play a supporting role in maintaining funder relationships and identifying new opportunities for expanding support.
  • Represent LP and the Impact Lab’s interests and perspectives externally, especially to legal audiences.

Required Qualifications:

• A juris doctor degree and admission to a state bar.
• 10+ years of relevant policy or legal experience.
• 3+ years of demonstrated success in supervising staff. 
• 3+ years of litigation experience (including, for example, providing relevant direct legal services). 
• 3+ years of experience fundraising.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, develop, and execute national legal and policy strategies. 
• Strong attention to detail and excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey and translate complex information for a variety of audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, create and execute work plans, anticipate obstacles and identify ways to navigate challenges, and identify and involve stakeholders appropriately.
• Awareness of and ability to address issues of power, race, class, gender, and other forms of privilege within the internal dynamics and culture of a workplace.
• A demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and a deep interest in local policy, politics, and government.
• Ability to take initiative, use good judgment, willingness to learn, and ask questions as needed.
• Ability to travel up to six days a month. 

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Experience working for a local elected official.
• Familiarity and experience with First Amendment claims.
• Experience with “inside/outside” strategies and governance that features deep partnership between “outside” organizing and “inside” elected officials.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary will be determined according to a salary scale which takes into account years of experience and advanced degrees, and will be between $117,000  and $130,000. 

We operate on a four day workweek with a default schedule of Monday through Thursday. We have a generous benefits package, including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, five weeks of vacation per year, 20 sick days per year, paid holidays, and contributions to individuals’ 403(b) plans. The Local Progress office is closed between December 24 and January 1 annually. 

This is a management position and will not be part of the Local Progress and the Impact Lab bargaining unit. 

Timeline:

Applicants will be screened on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible. Priority consideration will be given to applicants who apply by October 31, 2025. If you have any time constraints, please indicate as much in your application. The anticipated start date for this position is January 20, 2026. 

How to apply: 

Please submit your cover letter and resume through the JazzHR portal. 

Local Progress Values

• Respect: We value people and treat each other with dignity. We strive to understand each other as full human beings, and give each other grace and room to grow. 
• Honesty: We communicate directly with each other, are honest about our strengths and our shortcomings, and are transparent about who has what level of information and authority and why. 
• Groundedness: We are authentic, and have high humility and low ego. We ground our work in the day-to-day reality and needs of our members. 
• Mutual accountability: We do what we say we're going to do, follow through on our commitments to each other and to our members, and we hold each other to a high bar. We self-reflect and develop each other’s skills as leaders. 
• Nuance: We understand that our work is complex and hold space for multiple viewpoints, contradictions, and tensions. We can hold many things as true while making decisions that advance our mission. 
• Impact: We empower our team to make decisions to drive their work. We are focused on results, persistent in overcoming obstacles, and adapt to changing external conditions. We take pride in our work. 
• Collaboration: We come together across different levels of power to advance shared interests. We center what’s best for the organization and are team players. 
• Joy: We value playfulness, humor, and joy as ways to create community, connection, and goodwill that sustains us through the challenges inherent in our work. 

Local Progress is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and actively recruits people of color, womxn, individuals with disabilities, and members of the LGBTIQAA+ community.