Application Guide
How to Apply for General Counsel
at Amnesty International USA
🏢 About Amnesty International USA
Amnesty International USA is a unique workplace because it's part of the world's largest grassroots human rights movement, offering the opportunity to directly contribute to protecting human rights globally through legal advocacy. Unlike corporate legal roles, this position allows you to use your legal expertise to advance social justice and support an organization that conducts groundbreaking research and campaigns on issues like freedom of expression, refugee rights, and ending torture.
About This Role
As General Counsel at Amnesty International USA, you'll serve as the chief legal advisor to leadership while building legal frameworks that enable effective human rights advocacy and organizational innovation. This role is impactful because you'll directly shape how the organization navigates complex legal landscapes to protect activists, manage union relationships, and ensure compliance while advancing urgent human rights campaigns.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve reviewing legal implications of an upcoming campaign on refugee rights, advising the Executive Director on governance matters for an upcoming board meeting, and developing frameworks for new advocacy initiatives while ensuring compliance with non-profit regulations. You'd likely collaborate with program teams on legal aspects of research projects while managing ongoing union relations and international partnership agreements.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Amnesty International USA Is Looking For
- A lawyer with deep expertise in both employment law and non-profit regulations, particularly regarding advocacy organizations and 501(c)(3) compliance
- Someone experienced in handling sensitive union negotiations and governance matters within mission-driven organizations
- A strategic thinker who can proactively identify legal risks in human rights campaigning while enabling organizational innovation
- A collaborative leader who can advise senior leadership on complex international partnership agreements with the global Amnesty movement
📝 Tips for Applying to Amnesty International USA
Highlight specific experience with non-profit advocacy legal issues, such as lobbying restrictions, charitable solicitation regulations, or international human rights law applications
Demonstrate how you've previously balanced legal risk management with enabling organizational mission advancement in sensitive contexts
Show familiarity with Amnesty International's current campaigns by referencing specific initiatives in your materials
Emphasize experience with unionized workforces and collective bargaining agreements in mission-driven environments
Provide concrete examples of developing legal frameworks that supported organizational innovation while maintaining compliance
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your specific experience with non-profit advocacy organization legal requirements and how it applies to Amnesty's work", 'Examples of advising senior leadership on governance and compliance in sensitive, mission-critical contexts', "How you've previously supported organizational effectiveness through legal frameworks while managing risk", 'Your approach to handling staff union concerns within human rights organizations']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Amnesty International's current priority campaigns and how legal considerations might impact them
- → The structure of the global Amnesty International movement and AIUSA's relationship with the International Secretariat
- → Recent legal challenges faced by human rights advocacy organizations in the U.S.
- → AIUSA's organizational structure, current leadership, and recent public statements on legal matters
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Focusing primarily on corporate or for-profit legal experience without connecting it to non-profit advocacy contexts
- Demonstrating a risk-averse legal approach that might hinder Amnesty's advocacy mission
- Showing limited understanding of how human rights organizations operate differently from other non-profits
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Amnesty International USA!