Civil Litigation Director

Muslim Legal Fund of America is a 501(c)(3) organization that funds and supports legal work defending Muslims against injustice in America's courtrooms, prisons, and communities. MLFA's mission is to advance equality and justice for American Muslim organizations and individuals by combating injustices carried out in the name of national security.

Muslim Legal Fund of America is a 501(c)(3) organization that funds and supports legal work defending Muslims against injustice in America's courtrooms, prisons, and communities. MLFA's mission is to advance equality and justice for American Muslim organizations and individuals by combating injustices carried out in the name of national security.

MLFA is seeking a Civil Litigation Director to lead its federal civil litigation practice. The Director will shape practice-area strategy, supervise attorneys and legal staff, oversee a complex nationwide docket, and serve as lead counsel on select high-impact matters involving constitutional rights, civil liberties, religious freedom, national security, and government accountability.

This is a practice-leader and lead-litigator role. The Civil Litigation Director will be accountable for the quality, strategy, pace, and impact of the civil litigation portfolio while maintaining a focused caseload of especially complex or consequential matters. Reporting to the Legal Director, this person will translate division-wide priorities into clear case-selection, staffing, supervision, and litigation decisions for the civil practice.

Many MLFA matters involve novel legal questions, rapidly changing policy environments, or administrative processes that must be approached with future litigation in mind. The Director must combine excellent legal judgment with disciplined docket management, strong people leadership, and a deep commitment to community-centered representation.

• Develop and execute the civil litigation practice's strategy, annual priorities, and impact goals in partnership with the Legal Director and organizational leadership.
• Set clear standards for matter selection, case theory, litigation posture, resource allocation, partnerships, settlement, and appellate strategy.
• Maintain practice-wide visibility into the civil docket, ensuring every matter has clear ownership, active supervision, an appropriate strategy, and well-managed deadlines.
• Lead regular docket and portfolio reviews to assess legal risk, workload, staffing, case progress, and opportunities for broader impact.
• Monitor emerging legal, regulatory, and policy developments affecting Muslim individuals and organizations and identify where MLFA should lead, intervene, partner, or build capacity.

• Serve as lead counsel or senior co-counsel on a focused portfolio of complex federal civil matters from intake and investigation through trial, appeal, settlement, or other resolution.
• Develop litigation strategies involving constitutional claims, civil liberties, religious discrimination, surveillance, watchlisting, government overreach, and challenges to agency or official action.
• Oversee matters involving the Administrative Procedure Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, federal statutory claims, emergency relief, preliminary injunctions, civil discovery, dispositive motions, trials, and appeals.
• Ensure administrative matters are handled with careful attention to exhaustion, issue preservation, and development of a strong record for federal court review.
• Review and, where appropriate, draft complaints, motions, briefs, discovery, appellate filings, settlement documents, and other significant written advocacy.
• Present oral…