Title: Attorney for State and Local Policy or Senior Attorney for State and Local Policy

Reports to: Policy Director

Hours: Full-time, exempt

Location: Washington, DC/Remote in the U.S.

Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, GIFFORDS is a nonprofit organization whose team is on a mission to save lives from gun violence. GIFFORDS is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion. People of color, trans individuals, gender non-conforming individuals, women, people with differing abilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

GIFFORDS is seeking a State and Local Policy Attorney to join our team. The Policy Attorney is a licensed attorney who will provide policy and legal guidance and expertise for our state-level legislative, regulatory, and advocacy work. The Policy Attorney will report to the Policy Director and join a team of four other full-time attorneys on the policy team. 

About GIFFORDS Law Center

For over 25 years, the experts at GIFFORDS Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence have been fighting for a safer America by researching, drafting, and defending the laws, policies, and programs proven to save lives from gun violence. Founded in the wake of a 1993 mass shooting in San Francisco, GIFFORDS Law Center joined forces in 2016 with former Congresswoman and gun violence survivor Gabrielle Giffords to form a courageous new force for gun safety that stretches coast to coast, with offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, and New York.

We seek a motivated attorney to join our policy team, primarily focusing on legislative work, policy analysis, research, and writing projects to advance our mission. This is a wonderful opportunity to grow your skills while doing meaningful work to address America’s epidemic of gun violence and join a growing and high-profile national political movement.

This is a full-time position that requires the ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time, as well as interest and ability in staffing occasional weekend and evening events. Giffords employees are required to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus with limited exemptions as required by federal and state law. Depending on location, this position may be expected to work in a hybrid model (1 day a week in the office, 4 days a week remotely).

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of applicants, no phone calls or emails, please.

Learn more about our work at giffordslawcenter.org.

Responsibilities

• Work alongside other Giffords’ staff to support our legislative and regulatory work through activities such as 
  • Identifying and tracking state bills affecting gun laws and policy using our bill tracking systems;
  • Bill analysis, including researching, reviewing, and commenting on proposed legislative text and evaluating Giffords’ stance on particular bills;
  • Identifying, researching, and describing opportunities for executive and regulatory actions to enhance gun safety
  • Developing new state and local legislative proposals through legal and policy research and engagement with key stakeholders,
  • Legislative drafting;
  • Developing policy research, solutions, and advocacy, including discussing policy options with legislators, allies, and other stakeholders; 
  • Preparing and delivering written and oral testimony and public comments regarding specific legislative and regulatory proposals;
• Support public education and scholarship regarding gun policies by: 
  • Preparing written products, including internal and external memos, letters of support, and research reports on various gun safety topics; 
  • Answering print, digital, radio, and t.v. media inquiries about firearm-related laws, legislation, and policies; 
• Supporting the implementation of new gun laws through outreach, trainings, collaboration with allies and partners, and publications; 
• Support Giffords’ internal inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism (IDEA) work; and
• Other duties as assigned.
• When time allows and with approval from the Policy Director, the Attorney may also conduct independent research and writing projects on issues of gun policy of their own choosing. The position’s specific job responsibilities will vary according to project deadlines and the fast-moving pace of Giffords Law Center’s work.

Required knowledge, skills + experience

• To join as a State and Local Attorney for this role, we require a J.D. degree and at least two years of legal practice
• To join as a Senior State and Local Attorney, we require a J.D degree, at least five years of legal practice, and at least one year of direct experience in gun violence prevention
• Admission to at least one state bar 
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Exceptional writing and editing skills
• Strong capacity to analyze, interpret, and concisely describe legislative text and policy proposals for both legal and non-legal audiences
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders and allied organizations 
• Possession of an inclusive work style, value of diverse perspectives, and desire to learn and grow by acknowledging any limitations and areas of growth
• Ability to juggle several concurrent projects across multiple stakeholders, establishing clear lines of communication and keeping work on track and on time
• A flexible attitude and a growth mindset
• Deep conviction to serve Giffords’ mission of tackling America’s gun violence crisis 
• A strong commitment to and fluency with inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism.

Valued non-essential knowledge, skills, + experience

• Previous experience working with legislation, legislators, or policy proposals.
• Previous involvement in the gun violence prevention movement.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English.

Salary + benefits

For a Staff Attorney, the salary for this position ranges from  $97,000 to $107,000, and varies within that range commensurate with experience. For a Senior Staff Attorney, the salary for this position ranges from $113,000 to $123,000 and varies within that range commensurate with experience. For all full-time employees, competitive benefits include employer-funded health, dental, and vision insurance; health, transit, and parking flexible spending accounts; 401k plan with 4% employer match; 25 days of paid time off (PTO) annually plus paid week closure at the end of the year; and ten paid holidays.

Applying + the interview process

Submit an optional cover letter (no more than 400 words), your resume, and a writing sample of no more than 5 pages. Our interview process for this position consists of a phone interview, a bill review and writing exercise, a Zoom panel interview, a final interview, and reference checks.

GIFFORDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion. People of color, trans individuals, gender non-conforming individuals, women, people with differing abilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.