Lead Counsel, Tech and Free Expression Policy

# The Lead Counsel, Tech Policy and Free Expression

The Lead Counsel, Tech Policy and Free Expression reports directly to FIRE’s Legislative and Policy Director and plays a central role in advancing the organization’s mission to protect freedom of speech involving AI, social media, and other emerging technologies.

**Apply now**

This position will be based in Washington, D.C. FIRE operates on a hybrid work schedule that allows for a mix of in‑the‑office and remote work days for eligible employees. Fully remote work will not be considered for this position.

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# About FIRE

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them.

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# Position Description

The Lead Counsel, Tech Policy and Free Expression reports directly to FIRE’s Legislative and Policy Director and plays a central role in advancing the organization’s mission to protect freedom of speech involving AI, social media, and other emerging technologies.

FIRE uses legislative advocacy, public commentary, research, and litigation to advocate and create conditions for government policymakers to protect the exercise of First Amendment rights. This position will build and coordinate FIRE’s strategy to use these tools to protect free speech facilitated by new technologies; develop and execute legislative advocacy strategies to promote speech‑protective legislation and fight censorial legislation; and help design and execute strategies to build new narratives around the importance of free speech involving new technologies.

Working with the Litigation department, this position will also help further the organization’s litigation strategy to secure landmark legal rulings protecting the right to free speech involving AI and social media platforms.

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# Key Responsibilities

## Tech Policy Leadership
– **Internal tech policy working group** — Managing a cross‑departmental group to develop FIRE’s positions on novel legal and policy questions affecting free speech.
– **Legislative influence** — Creating opportunities to influence specific legislation via direct lobbying, including selecting legislative targets and developing and implementing advocacy strategies.
– **Litigation strategy** — Providing strategic guidance and legal expertise to help the Litigation team identify key opportunities for First Amendment challenges to speech‑restrictive regulation and legislation.
– **Communications coordination** — Working with Communications to develop and implement strategies to build new narratives around the importance of protecting the right to use AI and social media platforms for speech.
– **Public messaging campaigns** — Identifying opportunities to influence legislation through public messaging and coordinating with Communications to execute those strategies.

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# Knowledge Development
– **First Amendment expertise** — Maintaining expertise in doctrines relevant to FIRE’s advocacy on new expressive technologies.
– **Emerging tech trends** — Maintaining deep working knowledge of emerging expressive technologies and trends in related legislation and litigation.
– **Research opportunities** — Identifying opportunities for research projects that advance FIRE’s advocacy goals.

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# Legislative Advocacy
– **Long‑term strategy** — Advising on and implementing FIRE’s long‑term strategy for legislative advocacy on tech policy issues.
– **Direct lobbying** — Providing testimony, meeting with lawmakers and staff, and drafting/delivering feedback on legislation.
– **Legislation analysis** — Identifying and analyzing state and federal legislation and regulations that pose threats to expressive rights involving emerging technologies.

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# Networking
– **Relationship building** — Building relationships with key political figures, organizations, and nonprofits to advance FIRE’s legislative and policy agenda.
– **Plaintiff sourcing** — Maintaining relationships with sources of potential plaintiffs for challenges to AI‑related and other tech legislation.

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# Legal Scholarship
– **Scholarship strategy** — Designing and executing strategies for developing outside legal scholarship advocating speech‑protective First Amendment interpretations for new expressive technologies.

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# Communications
– **Public analysis** — Producing regular public analysis and commentary on tech policy and legislative developments.
– **Events and conferences** — Attending, participating, and speaking on behalf of FIRE at internal and external events.
– **Media engagement** — Participating in media interviews.
– **Organizational statements** — Authoring and editing statements, press comments, articles, and legal analysis for FIRE’s Newsdesk.
– **Message review** — Reviewing outgoing messaging and analysis related to tech policy by other FIRE authors.

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# Management
– **Team leadership** — Managing legislative counsels, analysts, and interns in the tech policy working group.
– **Fellow coordination** — Serving as point of contact for FIRE fellows working on tech policy.
– **Capacity building** — Advising on expanding FIRE’s lobbying and commentary capacity.
– **Compliance tracking** — Coordinating lobbying registrations, disclosures, and activity tracking.
– **Goal setting** — Coordinating with the Legislative & Policy Director on setting, meeting, and recording specific goals.
– **General support** — Performing additional support functions and collaborating across departments.

This position involves moderate travel. Occasional weekend and evening work should be expected.

The expected start date is as soon as possible.

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# Qualifications

A successful candidate will be passionate about expressive rights and eager to lead a policy program protecting free speech across new technological platforms. The candidate must be a self‑starter capable of managing work across multiple departments and articulating FIRE’s mission persuasively.

Candidates must demonstrate:

– **Mission fluency** — Strong knowledge of FIRE’s mission and ability to communicate it effectively.
– **Government policymaker experience** — Track record of success working directly with policymakers.
– **First Amendment expertise** — Deep understanding of First Amendment law, especially online speech and emerging technologies.
– **Policy ecosystem understanding** — Understanding of how legislative advocacy, research, litigation, and communications shape policy outcomes.
– **Public writing** — Experience writing about legal and policy matters for public audiences.
– **Writing and editing** — Strong writing and copy‑editing skills.
– **Research skills**
– **Litigation assessment**
– **Interpersonal communication**
– **Organization and detail**
– **Decisiveness**
– **Problem‑solving**
– **Public speaking**

Candidates must be graduates of an ABA‑accredited law school and members of at least one state bar (or hold a similar advanced degree).

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# Salary and Compensation

The projected salary range is **$125,000–$175,000**, negotiable based on experience and education.

FIRE conducts periodic evaluations where employees may receive raises or bonuses for outstanding work.

Benefits include:

– Employer‑paid comprehensive health, dental, and life insurance
– Section 125 Flexible Spending Account option
– Matching retirement contributions
– Generous paid time off

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# Applications

Applicants should provide:

– Resume
– Cover letter
– Prospective start date
– Contact information for at least two references
– Three short (1–3 page) writing samples (policy commentary, bill analyses, op‑eds, etc.)

Writing samples must reflect the applicant’s own work with minimal outside editing. All applications are confidential.

Please address applications to **Cait Scanlan, Chief People Officer**.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

FIRE is an equal opportunity employer.

As part of the hiring process, candidates receiving a conditional offer will undergo a background check in compliance with applicable law.