Careers

Senior Counsel

The Shared Ascent Fund (SAF) works closely with philanthropists on the long-term vision of building a new American consensus that prioritizes shared prosperity, equality for all races and genders, and social and environmental justice. SAF brings together ambitious donors, community leaders, strategists, policy makers, and communicators to develop sustainable solutions that build a better world. 

Protect Borrowers (formerly Student Borrower Protection Center) is a team of experts, lawyers, and advocates fighting to build an economy where debt doesn’t limit opportunity. We investigate financial abuses, take predatory companies to court, and push for policies to protect working people from debt traps. We aim to deliver immediate relief to families while building power and driving systemic change. Protect Borrowers is a fiscally sponsored project of SAF.

The Senior Counsel will help direct and set strategy for the organization’s litigation and policy legal work related to all manner of credit and debt affecting consumers and workers. Examples include student loan debt, utility debt, credit card debt, fintech products, and worker debt. The Senior Counsel reports to the Legal Director. This full-time position is exempt and is represented by the Office of Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). Duties include:

• Maintaining an active docket of cases independently and as part of a team, including identifying and interviewing affected consumers or workers, gathering evidence through aggressive use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and open records laws, drafting legal briefs, evaluating applicable causes of action, tracking and meeting court deadlines, appearing in court, working with junior Protect Borrowers legal and non-legal staff, working with co-counsel, and communicating with opposing counsel.
• Conducting legal research and drafting internal and external memoranda on a variety of legal topics, including but not limited to federal preemption, applicability and scope of consumer and worker protection statutes, and federal administrative procedure.
• Drafting written comments in response to federal and state proposed regulations and providing written and oral testimony in federal and state legislative and regulatory hearings.
• Working with state and local advocacy partners, lobbyists, and industry to draft and negotiate state legislative proposals.
• Generating original legal analysis of challenges facing consumers and workers and collaborating with organization staff and partners to generate new proposals for policy change. 
• Advancing Protect Borrowers’ commitment to the pursuit of racial and economic justice across all organizational initiatives, including by applying this lens to the development of new and ongoing litigation and through day-to-day engagement with litigants and other partners. 
• Managing Protect Borrowers’ organizational relationships with state attorneys general, state financial regulators, and private attorneys, including developing and placing investigations and enforcement actions and advising on legal and factual matters. 
• Assisting in the planning and execution of conferences and roundtables focused on consumer and worker protection, as well as other organization-sponsored events in state capitals and in Washington, D.C.
• Other duties as assigned.

To succeed in this role, a candidate must be a self-starter, eager to work in a fast-paced environment, and be comfortable with shifting deadlines and responsibilities. Candidates should demonstrate experience (whether through internships, volunteer experiences, or paid work) with the following skills and abilities; however, we are looking for a well-rounded candidate who is eager to grow in the role, and limited experience in one or two of these areas should not preclude a candidate from applying:

• A law degree (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school.
• A license to practice law in any state or in the District of Columbia.
• Admission to, or the ability to be admitted to, the federal District Court for the District of Columbia.
• Experience with consumer law, worker protections, administrative law, student loan law, or financial regulation.
• 5+ years of relevant post-law school experience, which may include a clerkship or a public service fellowship (e.g. Equal Justice Works, Skadden).
• Exceptional writing skills. Ability to synthesize extensive information from multiple sources into a lucid, cohesive written product. With an understanding of tone and style, compose written information that effectively communicates the desired message to the intended audience(s).
• Outstanding editing skills. Critical eye for grammar, punctuation, and syntax. Commitment to the highest quality written product.
• Flexibility in working style, marked by an ability to work closely with a wide range of personality and organization types and teams.
• Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage extensive documentation and written information.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to resolve conflicts professionally and maintain patience, grace, and humor under pressure.
• Ability to adhere to numerous deadlines, conflicting priorities, and handle multiple tasks efficiently. Ability to receive, balance, and handle direction and input from multiple colleagues.
• Technological abilities to ensure compliance with confidentiality policies and procedures necessary for the protection of sensitive data, and to efficiently complete tasks.
• Ability to perform tasks with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, as well as anticipate informational needs as situations and projects develop.

Commitment to Nondiscrimination:

We are committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination, where all team members feel valued, respected, and included. We know that our work is enriched by the varied voices and perspectives of every staff and board member, so we are committed to making an earnest effort to recruit, welcome, train, develop, and retain talented individuals from all backgrounds. We believe that a welcoming culture expands our creative capacity to do our work and achieve greater outcomes for people and the natural world.

Compensation and Benefits:

The starting salary range for this position is $120,000-$135,000 per year. 

We have an alternate Fridays off work schedule (employees work 40 hours one week, 32 hours the next week) and offer a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan with a 5% match, and generous paid time off. SAF also offers a technology allowance, student loan repayment assistance, the Calm app, mental health benefits, and approximately 16 paid holidays per year.

Applications:

Please submit your resume, a brief statement of interest explaining why you want to work at Protect Borrowers and what you would bring to this role, and a legal writing sample for which you were the primary or exclusive author. Review of applications will begin on April 6.

Protect Borrowers is headquartered in Washington, DC, but has a remote team that operates in the U.S. Eastern Time Zone. We welcome applicants from any location in the continental United States.

SAF participates in E-Verify, potential candidates can review the information here and here.   

As a member of the SAF and Protect Borrowers teams, the Senior Counsel:

• works well independently and as a part of a team;
• conceives of individual actions as part of a greater whole;
• accepts and integrates methods of environmental conservation in work production;
• possesses high standard of integrity and a professional, courteous manner of communication;
• adheres to SAF standards of quality, presentation, protocol, and confidentiality;
• possesses self-awareness: accepts responsibility and recognizes accountability when necessary;
• takes initiative and sees a project through to completion; seeks new challenges and professional opportunities within a diverse group;
• demonstrates flexibility in working style and range of work performed;
• demonstrates strong work ethic, attention to detail, and a consistent commitment to thoroughness and quality; and
• thrives professionally in an innovative, constantly expanding work environment.