Executive Director

About the Montana Justice Foundation

The Montana Justice Foundation (MJF) seeks a dynamic leader with a strong commitment to access to justice.

MJF is the charitable arm of the Montana legal community, with a mission of achieving equal access to the civil justice system for all Montanans through effective funding and leadership. MJF raises funds primarily through its Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) program, cy pres awards, and contributions from Montana lawyers, law firms, and other private donors.

MJF makes grants to programs that offer high quality legal assistance to low-income Montana residents with civil legal problems involving issues such as: landlord/tenant law, public benefits, family law, domestic violence, bankruptcy, Indian law, migrant workers’ legal issues, consumer matters, housing discrimination, and other civil rights.

In addition, MJF provides staff support for the Montana Access to Justice Commission, a blue- ribbon entity appointed by the Montana Supreme Court to improve the capacity of the justice system in Montana to meet the needs of its low and moderate-income or disadvantaged citizens.

High priority roles and responsibilities for the new executive director:

Working closely with the board of directors, the executive director has overall responsibility for the operation of MJF - establishing and implementing short and long range organizational goals and objectives; monitoring and evaluating programmatic, operational and financial effectiveness, and effecting changes required for improvement.

Specific key areas of responsibility include:

• Administration of Montana’s Interest on Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) Program: IOLTA is MJF’s most significant long-term funding source. The executive director is responsible for developing strong relationships with financial institutions to maintain and increase interest rates on IOLTA accounts. Working with the program director, the executive director ensures that the many administrative aspects of the program – including tracking bank remittances, responding to attorney and bank questions, and coordinating with the State Bar on attorney compliance - are handled effectively.
• Resource development: MJF’s impact is dependent on generating funds from a variety of sources. The executive director plans, develops, and implements strategies for achieving fundraising goals, including donor engagement, solicitation, and recognition, and the development of public presentations, proposals, and fundraising materials.
• Grants management: The executive director works with the board of directors to set overall priorities for MJF’s grant programs. The executive director develops and maintains relationships with grantees, oversees periodic site visits, and provides technical assistance to grantees as needed.
• Board development and volunteer engagement: MJF, with a staff of two and an ambitious agenda, can succeed only with the active leadership and involvement of board members and other volunteers. The executive director works closely with board leadership to increase volunteer participation in MJF activities and provide training and support as needed.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key constituents: With a goal of raising awareness of access to justice issues, the executive director is charged with keeping in touch with a wide range of key constituents, including the broader legal community, financial institutions, prospective funding agencies, individual donors, grantees, governmental agencies, and the media.
• Supervise and mentor one or more staff members.