Paralegal Associate

Protect Democracy is hiring at least one Paralegal Associate to help protect the right to speak out, protest, and engage in other First Amendment-protected political activity.

This is a moment of existential consequence for American democracy. At this juncture, Protect Democracy stands as one of the nation’s leading and most respected nonpartisan organizations dedicated to preventing our democracy from further declining into authoritarianism. In this role, you will join a newly formed team dedicated to ensuring that communities can continue to speak out and engage politically despite the increasing use of the military, federal law enforcement, and other levers of federal power to quash protests, quell dissent, and intimidate political opponents. This team builds on Protect Democracy’s litigation to defend peaceful protest against abusive DHS tactics in Chicago and Portland and expertise on the domestic use of military force.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to learn the ins and outs of impact litigation and case management while making a difference for our democracy. Prior paralegal experience supporting civil litigation in federal court is required.

At Protect Democracy, we believe that diversity isn’t just a strength—it’s a necessity for tackling the complex challenges facing our country today. We strongly encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds and from across the political and ideological spectrum to apply. We will consider applicants from almost anywhere in the United States.* If you meet most but not all of the criteria listed below but believe nonetheless you’d be a stellar match for the role and could grow into it, we want to hear from you. The priority deadline to apply for this role is December 7, 2025. We are looking to fill this role by early February 2026.

As a Paralegal Associate, you will:

• Support litigation by:

  • Managing and organizing case files and documents;

  • Contributing to the preparation and finalization of legal memos and pleadings;

  • Coordinating court filings;

  • And assisting with the discovery process.

• Conduct research, synthesize findings, and draft related memoranda, reports, and other communications;

• Cite-check and Bluebook, fact-check, proofread, and assist with drafting court filings, letters, and other public-facing documents;

• Engage professionally with clients, opposing counsel, partner organizations, and other external stakeholders;

• Perform project management on discrete projects, including setting up logistics for calls, creating agendas, and supporting internal-facing communications (i.e. emails, presentations);

• Assist in managing litigation projects and workstreams overall, including developing work plans, tracking and communicating progress toward goals, and offering your feedback and input along the way;

• Support the creation and maintenance of information management systems, processes, and tools within and amongst impact teams;

• Contribute ideas during impact and litigation strategic brainstorming sessions;

• Contribute to culture-building initiatives across the organization.