Careers

The North Carolina Justice Center is a progressive research and advocacy organization dedicated to expanding opportunity and protecting the rights of low-income individuals in North Carolina. For almost 30 years, the NC Justice Center has been on the front lines in the courts, at the legislature, in the media, and in communities advocating for positive changes for low-income and working North Carolinians. We hold government agencies, institutions, and other actors accountable to address the root causes of racism. We have produced major research reports that have influenced important public policy change in North Carolina. The NC Justice Center has played a primary role in most of the state’s major policy debates and successfully litigated hundreds of individual cases and class actions.

Director of Litigation

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Reasonable accommodation is available.

  • Application Deadline: March 18, 2025. Screening will begin immediately
  • Start Date: April 21, 2025
  • Location: Hybrid (Raleigh, NC)
  • Department: Litigation
  • Hiring Salary Range: $126,183 – $140,203
  • Reports to: Executive Director
  • Union Status: Non-Union

Job Overview:

The Director of Litigation serves as the primary legal advisor for the North Carolina Justice Center. The NC Justice Center is a leading nonprofit dedicated to eliminating poverty in North Carolina by ensuring that every household has access to the resources, services, and fair treatment needed to achieve economic security. The Director ensures legal compliance, mitigates risk, and supports the NC Justice Center mission by providing strategic legal counsel on governance, employment laws, contracts, policy advocacy, and regulatory matters. The Director plays a key role in safeguarding the legal integrity of the organization while supporting its advocacy, litigation, and operational goals. Effective performance of this job requires a person who is an effective communicator and passionate about fostering a positive workplace culture.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Legal Strategy and Compliance
    • Provide legal guidance on nonprofit governance, corporate compliance and risk management
    • Develop internal policies to ensure legal and ethical operations
    • Ensure adherence to federal, state, and local laws governing nonprofits, including tax-exempt status, lobbying limitations, and reporting obligations
    • Ensure compliance with employment laws
  • Oversee the whole legal practice at the NC Justice Center
    • Lead selected litigation cases
    • Supervision responsibilities are dominant in this role. In addition to direct supervision of several staff, this role has cross functional oversight for all practicing attorneys at the NC Justice Center
    • Manage relationship with private Bar and pro bono coordination
  • Serves as Liaison to the NC Bar Association for any complaints against NC Justice Center attorneys
  • Funds Development
    • Manage the Interest on Lawyers Trust Account grant
    • Source new grants to support litigation activities
  • Contract Management and Negotiation
    • Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, including vendor agreements, Memorandums of Understanding, grants, and partnership agreements
    • Ensure that contracts align with NC Justice Center mission, financial interests and legal obligations
  • Advocacy and Litigation Support
    • Provide legal support for advocacy campaigns, policy initiatives, and legislative efforts
    • Collaborate with external counsel on litigation strategies and case management, when necessary
    • Ensure compliance with laws related to lobbying, grassroots advocacy and political activity
  • Board and Executive Leadership Support
    • Serve as legal advisor to the Board of Directors, preparing governance documents, bylaws, and policies
    • Assist in structuring board meetings and ensuring compliance with fiduciary duties and governance best practices
  • Risk Management and Crisis Response
    • Identify and mitigate legal risks affecting the organization’s programs and operations
    • Lead crisis response efforts related to legal matters
  • Collaboration and External Engagement
    • Liaise with government agencies, funders, community organizations, advocacy groups, and mission-driven nonprofits
  • Represent NC Justice Center in legal matters and public engagements, as needed

Qualifications:

  • Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
  • Active membership of the North Carolina Bar.
  • Ten years of progressive legal practice experience, with a strong background in social justice or public interest law.
  • Five years of experience in management role, with full supervisory responsibilities within a private, government, or nonprofit law practice.
  • Knowledge of non-profit governance, tax-exempt compliance, and employment law.
  • A passionate commitment to DEI principles.

Licenses and Certifications:

  • NC Bar

Competencies and Skills:

  • Strong commitment to social justice, equity, and human rights
  • Excellent legal research, writing and analytical skills
  • Ability to communicate complex legal concepts to non-lawyers clearly and effectively
  • Strategic thinking with a proactive and solutions-orientated approach
  • Advanced leadership practice skills
  • High ethical standards, discretion, and commitment to confidentiality
  • Ability to successfully work in a fast-paced highly collaborative work environment
  • Advanced level Microsoft 365 Office Suite skills

Physical Requirements:

The employee should have the ability to maintain focus and productivity while performing sedentary tasks at a workstation for prolonged periods, including working on a computer, managing documents, or engaging in virtual meetings.

Work Environment:

Home, corporate offices and other offsite meeting spaces, as required. Weekend and evening work may be required. Travel is required.

Benefits:

The NC Justice Center offers an extraordinary benefits package including affordable health insurance, a retirement plan, professional development opportunities, and six weeks of personal time off.

Director of Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project

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Reasonable accommodation is available.

  • Application Deadline: March 28, 2025. Screening begins immediately
  • Location: Hybrid (Raleigh, NC)
  • Department: Litigation
  • Hiring Salary Range: $80,000- $91,800
  • Reports to: Director, Litigation
  • Union Status: Non-Union

Job Overview:

The Director of the Immigration and Refugee Rights Project (IRRP) will lead efforts to support and advocate for low-income immigrants and refugees in North Carolina. This role involves overseeing legal services, policy advocacy, community engagement, and public education initiatives to protect and advance the rights of immigrant and refugee populations.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership and Management

  • Develop and implement strategic plans to advance the mission of IRRP.
  • Supervise and support a team of attorneys, advocates, and support staff.

Legal Services

  • Oversee the provision of quality legal representation.

Policy Advocacy

  • Lead efforts to advance public policies that improve the wellbeing of immigrants and provide opportunities for economic security.
  • Lead community engagement and education initiatives.
  • Provide support to immigrant organizations throughout NC.
  • Lead workgroups and coalition of advocates and community leaders to coordinate advocacy and education initiatives.

Public Relations

  • Serve as primary spokesperson for IRRP. Represent the Project in media, public forums, and community events.
  • Develop and retain relationships with key stakeholders, including community leaders, policymakers, and partners.
  • Work with communications staff, support the implementation of the Justice Center’s communications plan to advance the project’s agenda.

Qualifications:

  • A juris doctorate degree from an accredited law school.
  • Member of NC State Bar.
  • Five years of overall experience in immigration law, policy, and /or advocacy practices.
  • A working knowledge of significant policies, laws, practices, and trends in immigration law, particularly as it impacts low-income immigrants.
  • Two years of experience in management roles (with full supervisory responsibilities).
  • A comprehensive understanding and passion for the rights of immigrants.
  • Demonstrated commitment to the mission of eliminating poverty through social, economic, and racial justice.

Competencies and Skills:

  • Advanced legal research, writing and analytical skills.
  • Cultural competence and fluency in Spanish required.
  • Ability to communicate complex legal concepts to non-lawyers clearly and effectively.
  • Strategic thinking with an initiative-taking and solutions-orientated approach.
  • Advanced leadership practice skills.
  • High ethical standards, discretion, and commitment to confidentiality.
  • Ability to successfully work in a fast-paced highly collaborative work environment.
  • Advanced level Microsoft 365 Office Suite skills.
  • Demonstrated public speaking and presentation skills, including the ability to engage effectively and respectfully with diverse groups of people such as policy makers, the immigrant population, the public and community allies.
  • Excellent organizational skills, ability to balance multiple tasks, respond calmly under pressure, and be a dependable collaborator who can both set and meet deadlines.
  • Strong commitment to DEIB and the understanding of racial justice issues.

Physical Requirements:

The employee should have the ability to maintain focus and productivity while performing sedentary tasks at a workstation for prolonged periods, including working on a computer, managing documents, or engaging in virtual meetings.

Work Environment:

Home, corporate offices and other offsite meeting spaces, as required. Weekend and evening work may be required. Travel is required.

Benefits:

The NC Justice Center offers an extraordinary benefits package including affordable health insurance, a retirement plan, professional development opportunities, and six weeks of personal time off.

ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship 2025

The Role:

This position is only available through the Leading Edge Fellowship program. You may not contact the host North Carolina Justice Center to inquire about this position.

  • Position Title: Housing Equity Specialist
  • Stipend: $72,000 in the first year, $74,000
  • Benefits: Access to employer health insurance. Professional development funds and relocation funds provided by ACLS
  • Start Date: September 2025

The NC Justice Center is seeking a Housing Equity Specialist to enhance our capacity to conduct research and shed light on barriers to safe, affordable housing for people living with low incomes in North Carolina, and play a leading role in advancing a campaign for policy reform around these issues. The fellow will focus on tenant screening practices in North Carolina, which too often screen out tenants based on eviction and criminal records that are inaccurate, outdated, perpetuate racial disparities and undermine the state’s affordable housing goals. A fellow will have the opportunity to explore creative ways to gather and synthesize information about how tenant screening is conducted in this state, engage in ethical story gathering and storytelling, inform the public and decision makers about the scope of the problem, and use their research to support coalitions of tenant organizers, justice-impacted people and state partners advocating for fair chance and progressive housing policies.

Under the guidance and supervision of NC Justice Center staff, the fellow will participate in in-person and virtual meetings with key stakeholders including people who are directly impacted, advocates, state law makers, and local decision-makers. The fellow will be expected to engage people in a non-academic, community-centered manner in relaying information and ideas. The fellow will work with our communications specialist to leverage legal clinics, NC Justice Center events, and current events to collect and amplify stories of people affected by housing issues in North Carolina. The fellow will help collect stories using different tactics including surveys, in-person or video- recorded interviews, and by e-mail or letter writing. The stories will be amplified as part of coordinated campaigns through social media, earned media, micro-sites or our website.

Over the course of the fellowship, the fellow will:

  • Implement quantitative and/or qualitative research, including data collection and analysis.
  • Publish a comprehensive report on tenant screening practices in North Carolina that identifies barriers for tenants. The report will include stories of impacted individuals.
  • Develop model policy language for state decision makers, and local decision makers in two to three target localities.
  • Disseminate research findings and policy recommendations to the general public, members, and partners through written reports and blogs, visualizations, and other means.

The fellowship tenure is 24 consecutive months, with an expected time commitment of approximately 37.5 hours per week.

Responsibilities and tasks:

  • Conduct research and produce a comprehensive report on the landscape of affordable housing in NC, with a focus on tenant screening practices, including barriers, challenges, and economic impacts.
  • Develop policy recommendations and models for best practices.
  • Facilitate high-quality dialogue among, and between, directly impacted people, decision-makers, and other stakeholders about the impact of identified barriers.
  • Develop model policy language for state decision makers, and local decision makers in two to three target localities. The policy recommendations will be informed by impacted tenants.
  • Work with statewide housing coalitions, advocates, and other key stakeholders to inform the research and advocacy and share information learned.
  • Work with NCJC staff to develop a campaign plan, identifying strategies, tactics, targets and stakeholders, to advance policy change.
  • Participate in NCJC’s staff meetings, staff training, working groups, race equity initiatives, and other events and activities.
  • Other projects around housing policies may be assigned, depending on available time, and interest of the fellow.

Qualifications:

  • PhD in any field of the humanities or interpretive social sciences. Read more about eligible fields here.
  • Experience with gathering and analyzing qualitative data.
  • Commitment to social justice.
  • Strong analytical, writing and oral and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Project management skills, including managing project timelines and documenting project progress.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite.

Preferred:

  • Experience engaging in racial justice and gender equity efforts.
  • Knowledge of or interest in affordable housing policies and issues.
  • Experience or familiarity with participatory democracy, participatory action research, and/or popular education.
  • Experience writing educational materials for a nonacademic audience.

To Apply:

Legal Internship

The North Carolina Justice Center is seeking three law student interns to help us carry out our mission. This opportunity is for the summer of 2025.  This is a hybrid opportunity where interns will be required to work in the office at least two days per week. We will be reviewing applications in early December 2024, we will be conducting interviews on a rolling basis, positions will be open until filled.

The Role:

Legal interns work with NC Justice Center staff on a variety of issues: 

  • Legal research and writing
  • Litigation support
  • Drafting model legislation
  • Legislative research
  • Assistance with lobbying efforts
  • Research for policy reports or briefs
  • Communication with clients and constituents
  • Other related legal duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Legal interns must have a college undergraduate degree and complete at least one year of an accredited law school. Strong writing and analytical skills and ability to work with others are critical. Spanish proficiency is desirable.

Compensation:

The North Carolina Justice Center is a non-profit organization entirely dependent on grants and donations, consequently we encourage candidates to apply for funding through their schools and explore alternate funding opportunities. Nevertheless, the North Carolina Justice Center provides limited funding to interns based on needs.

To apply:

This position is open immediately. To apply please submit your click the following link:

https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Apply/2859544/North-Carolina-Justice-Center/2025-Legal-Internship

The North Carolina Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer:

The NC Justice Center is is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, creed, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, personal appearance, marital or family status, citizenship, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, genetic information, natural hair styles, or other status as protected by State and Federal laws. It is our intention to promote the full realization of equality in opportunity and employment.