Maine Equal Justice is a nonprofit legal aid and economic justice organization located in Augusta, Maine that represents the interests of people with low income in the state legislature, before the courts and administrative agencies, and through outreach and education in the community.
We work to increase economic security, opportunity, and equity in Maine, ensuring that people can access adequate health care, food, income security, and higher education and training.
Help Lead Systemic Change Toward Economic Justice in Maine
Maine Equal Justice (MEJ) is seeking a Legal Director to lead our litigation and legal services in pursuit of greater economic security and equity for people in Maine. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced legal professional who is passionate about economic justice, interested in anti-poverty law, and energized by the power of law, policy, and community advocacy working in concert.
As Legal Director, you will guide MEJ’s legal services and litigation strategy— developing and supporting high-impact cases and aligning legal advocacy with broader systemic goals. You will supervise and mentor a passionate team of attorneys and advocates, lead collaborative problem-solving across teams, and help ensure our work is community-centered, strategic, and aligned with the lived experiences of people most impacted by poverty.
The Legal Director works under the direction of the Executive Director and in close collaboration with the Advocacy & Programs Director and Organizing & Outreach Director. This is a highly collaborative role that combines litigation expertise, team leadership, strategic thinking, and deep commitment to advancing racial and economic justice.
Maine Equal Justice is a nonprofit legal aid and economic justice organization based in Augusta, Maine. We represent the interests of people with low income in the state legislature, before the courts and administrative agencies, and through community outreach and education. We work to increase economic security, opportunity, and equity in Maine, ensuring that everyone can access adequate health care, food, income security, and pathways to higher education and training. Learn more at MaineEqualJustice.org.
Representative Tasks:
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Minimum qualifications:
JD degree from an accredited law school. Member of state and federal bars in good standing. If not admitted in Maine, must be eligible to waive in or sit for the Maine Bar. Experience litigating class action cases that is sufficient to meet Rule 23 requirements. An eight (8) year combination of education, training, and/or experience in civil legal services, litigation, policy analysis, and/or working on issues affecting people with low incomes.
Licensing/Registration/Certification Requirements:
Member in good standing of state and federal bars.
Location:
This is a hybrid position. Weekly in person presence working in Augusta and Portland may be necessary.
Salary and Benefits:
Salary range of $84,000-$94,000 based on experience. Health and dental insurance are provided, with premiums and deductibles mostly covered by employer, as well as employer-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability insurance. MEJ offers retirement accounts with an annual employer contribution, generous vacation time (five weeks vacation in first year of employment), generous sick time, and 14 paid holidays per year.
To Apply:
Submit a letter of interest, writing sample, and resume addressed to Robyn Merrill, Executive Director, via email to admin@mejp.org. PDFs are preferred.
Please note: Resumes submitted without a letter of interest will not be considered.
Your writing sample should demonstrate your legal writing skills and may be an excerpt from a longer piece.
Applications will be accepted until May 9, 2025, or until the position is filled.
We encourage people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and those with lived experience of poverty to apply. Maine Equal Justice is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Thinking about applying? Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your lived experience and passion set you apart.
Maine Equal Justice welcomes and values interns and volunteers! Whether you are looking for a role to meet work requirements, an internship or externship for an educational program, or another service-learning experience, we want to hear from you. Unfortunately, we cannot offer intern placements in the summer for public policy.
Please complete this form so we can learn more about your interests and timeframe.
You will hear from us within a few days to seek more information if we have an upcoming internship opportunity. Our internships team meets quarterly (generally in early January, April, July and October) to review our need and capacity for internships.
Internships are based on our current capacity and how well the needs of both the organization and the learner fit together. We want to provide a supportive, meaningful experience for people who can also contribute to our work. Unfortunately, we are not able to say yes to every request.
We offer internships in the following areas:
Our organizing team works to build the power of people, especially those living in poverty, to create positive change for Maine. They connect with people around the state through online community meetings, story collection, and strong relationships to build a movement for greater economic and racial justice in Maine.
We work on impact litigation in the courts and with administrative agencies to create lasting positive change on systemic issues that affect groups of people with low incomes. MEJ typically has an internship available for a law student each semester. We receive referrals for legal internships from the University of Maine School of Law and Northeastern Law School. We will consider candidates from other schools.
We provide legal aid to Mainers with low incomes on state-level public benefits issues. We work to ensure Mainers are being treated fairly in accordance with the laws within these programs. Some of the programs h we provide help with are MaineCare, SNAP, and TANF. We typically have an internship available for a Master's level Social Worker to work with our legal services team from September to May. We get referrals from the University of Maine. We will consider candidates from other schools.
Our policy team advocates for laws at the state legislature and within governmental agencies that will help people with low income meet their basic needs and improve their financial circumstances.
Maine Equal Justice is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other consideration prohibited by law. Persons who are of color, are current or former recipients of public assistance, or have a lived experience of poverty are especially encouraged to apply.
Maine Equal Justice focuses its work on many of the issues that affect people’s daily lives – access to adequate health care, housing, transportation and childcare; food and income security; and higher education and training. Maine Equal Justice is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization. Our EIN is 04-3346273.
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126 Sewall Street, Augusta ME 04330 (Map) • Toll-free: 1-866-626-7059 • FAX: 207-621-8148
