Senior Counsel, U.S. Litigation Strategy - Lansdowne, VA

Make a difference with us At Alliance Defending Freedom, we believe God has brought you here for His purpose—to stand for truth and defend the God-given right to live and speak it. Together, we protect religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and ...

Job description

Make a difference with us At Alliance Defending Freedom, we believe God has brought you here for His purpose—to stand for truth and defend the God-given right to live and speak it. Together, we protect religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights. Review our Statement of Faith to ensure we're a fit for you.

Locations: Lansdowne, VA

Team Overview

As the Senior Counsel, U.S. Litigation Strategy, you are a vital part of the Global Censorship Team. This position advances ADF's strategic objectives to combat corporate and state-sponsored censorship, domestically and globally. This role is designed for a senior litigator with deep judgment and creativity who is motivated not by running cases day-to-day, but by identifying, developing, and pressure-testing promising legal theories and designing litigation strategies that can be executed by ADF's litigation teams, government officials, or private attorneys. The position combines high-level legal analysis, litigation ideation, and strategic collaboration with close partnership with senior leadership, ensuring that the most promising censorship-related legal opportunities are identified, refined, and deployed effectively.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Litigation Development & Ideation

Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to the SVP on litigation opportunities, risks, and priorities related to corporate and state-sponsored censorship.

Identify, develop, and refine novel and high-impact legal theories addressing censorship across constitutional, statutory, administrative, and international legal frameworks.

Prospect for promising cases and fact patterns that could meaningfully advance free speech and anti-censorship objectives.

Assess the litigation viability of potential cases, including jurisdiction, standing, remedies, timing, and strategic value.

Work collaboratively with internal teams to determine when litigation is the appropriate tool versus legislative, regulatory, or coalition-based approaches.

Litigation Strategy

Conduct complex legal research and analysis that informs strategic litigation pathways, without serving as primary trial or appellate counsel.

Develop litigation frameworks, case theories, and legal arguments for potential use by ADF's litigation teams, government officials, and trusted private litigators.

Assist in preparing litigation concept memos and strategic briefs that can be handed off for execution.

Consult with litigators during early-stage case development and key inflection points, as needed, while avoiding ownership of day-to-day litigation management.

Coordinate with internal and external litigators to ensure litigation strategies remain aligned with broader censorship objectives.

Advise senior leadership on how litigation strategy interacts with policy advocacy, coalition engagement, and public narrative.

Strategic Collaboration & Integration

Work closely with senior leadership, integrators, and team leaders to ensure litigation concepts are strategically timed, legally sound, and institutionally executable.

Participate in cross-functional strategy discussions to help surface legal leverage points and anticipate downstream effects.

Contribute to the refinement of multi-year litigation and legal strategy plans related to global censorship.

Public Engagement & Thought Leadership

Contribute to thought leadership through white papers, legal analyses, and strategic publications related to censorship and free speech.

Support public-facing strategy and education efforts, including background briefings, expert commentary, and internal preparation for media or testimony.

Minimum Qualifications

J.D., active license in at least one US state bar, and capable of meeting admission requirements in relevant jurisdiction within one year

10+ years of litigation experience, including constitutional, regulatory, or complex civil litigation

Pay & Benefits

At Alliance Defending Freedom, we offer a competitive compensation and benefits package to support your well-being and growth. While we do not disclose specific salary ranges, our compensation is competitive with top non-profit law firms. Our benefits include 100% covered medical and dental insurance, medical and dependent care reimbursement, paid disability, long-term care, life insurance, and a 401(k) plan with a 4% company match. We prioritize work-life balance with paid time off and 12 paid holidays each year.

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