Directing Attorney (Health)
WHO WE ARE
The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley advances the rights of historically excluded individuals and families across Santa Clara County through legal services, strategic advocacy, and educational outreach. We serve over 10,000 individuals and families each year through our Housing Program, Children & Youth Program, and Health Program. Our attorneys, social workers, and advocates use legal advocacy as a tool for social change by crafting inventive solutions to the legal issues facing low-income people in our region.
With a staff of 90 employees, we are the largest provider of free legal services in the South Bay region of the Bay Area. Our work is collaborative and meaningful and includes plenty of opportunities for professional growth. As a staff, we actively engage in discussions about race, equity, and inclusion, and are actively working towards a Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)-centered legal services practice that incorporates community and movement lawyering.
What You’ll Do
The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley is seeking a full-time Directing Attorney for its Health Program. Over the past year and as a part of our Strategic Plan, the Law Foundation consolidated its longstanding Mental Health Advocacy Project and Health Legal Services programs into a unified, mission-driven program. There is a renewed focus on promoting access to and quality of health and behavioral health care services and delivery; and addressing health disparities among low-income and underserved populations. We utilize a comprehensive approach of both direct legal services and system change work, including policy advocacy, local systems reform, and impact litigation.
Our Health team has longstanding expertise in the areas of mental health patients’ rights, economic rights, and related disability rights and health access advocacy. We represent individuals in inpatient psychiatric facilities at due process and capacity hearings, investigate allegations of abuse or denial of rights at behavioral health facilities, and assist with access to county behavioral health services, including treatment in the county jails. Our public benefits work includes denials, overpayments, terminations, and reasonable accommodations related to SSI/SSDI, Medi-Cal, Medicare, GA, UI, SDI, VA, and other public and private disability benefits.
The Health team will continue working to refine its renewed focus under the leadership of the new Directing Attorney, including incorporating race equity tools such as community lawyering in order to provide the best possible advocacy to our community. The Directing Attorney will play a critical role in further developing the Program’s mission, structure, prioritization, and service delivery model. We are seeking a strategic thinker who has experience leading and advocating with vision, passion, effectiveness. The Directing Attorney will be responsible for training, developing, motivating, and supervising staff and overseeing the daily work of the practice. In addition, the Directing Attorney will help to maintain and grow funding resources and manage the administrative aspects of the program.
The Directing Attorney will report to the Chief Program Officer and directly supervise the Health Program management team, including the two Supervising Attorneys. The Directing Attorney will also work closely with the Law Foundation’s management team to support the goals and operations of the entire organization, including implementation of the Strategic Plan.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead and be responsible for the Law Foundation’s Health Program, from both a strategic and execution perspective.
- Supervise and work in close collaboration with two program Supervising Attorneys.
- Oversee Health Lead pipeline mentorship program to foster managerial pipeline in Health program.
- Oversee professional development of staff including building opportunities for leadership, pre-litigation, legislative advocacy, and media advocacy.
- Serve on and be a thought-partner on the Law Foundation’s management team.
- Oversee all legal work, including direct services, administrative law hearings, litigation, and policy advocacy.
- Set priorities and implement goals, program development, project management and administration.
- Represent program in impact and systemic advocacy, including local, county, and state systems, policy, and legislative advocacy.
- Track policy and legal developments in the areas of health, racial justice, mental health, disability rights, social determinants of health, and other substantive legal issues affecting program clients.
- Engage in development functions, including funder and donor relations, grant writing, and creating sustainable funding models.
- Collaborate with Law Foundation Board of Directors, stakeholders, community, and clients.
- Participate and implement the Law Foundation’s race equity initiatives within the Health program.
- Representation of clients as needed to support needs of staff including co-counseling.
- Deep commitment to and passion for the vision and mission of the Law Foundation, particularly race equity framework.
- Significant legal and management experience (minimum of seven years preferred) in public interest law, including direct legal services, litigation, and/or policy advocacy.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively develop and supervise a team of attorneys, advocates, and other staff.
- Experience working with underrepresented communities, including people living with chronic health conditions, behavioral, mental health or developmental disabilities, and other disabilities, clients who experience homelessness, clients who are currently or formerly involved with the criminal justice system, and members of the LGBTQ community.
- Commitment implanting decisions and structures that align with race, equity, and inclusion goals of the program.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and persuasively, both orally and in writing.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work cooperatively with local government officials, judicial officers, health professionals, staff in institutional settings, volunteers, and other system and community partners.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within systems and ability to advocate against systems that do not align with race equity goals.
- Strong legal skills and demonstrated ability to analyze systems-level problems and develop creative solutions.
- Experience developing and maintaining internal processes for direct services-related client management, program development, project planning, client intake, grant/contract management, and outcome measurements.
- Experience building structures that center historically excluded individuals within the team and in external advocacy.
- Strong judgment and demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities while efficiently executing on multiple tasks.
- Experience in program administration, fundraising, and financial management.
- A team-building, collaborative, and positive approach to work, combined with ability to create and maintain a healthy work culture with clear and fair expectations and a culture of feedback.
- Bilingual ability (English/Spanish or English/Vietnamese) is strongly desired.
- California Bar Membership.
- Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint proficiency.
COMPENSATION
The annual base salary for this role will be competitive and commensurate with successful candidate skills and experiences. The starting salary range for this role will begin at $120,00 with generous benefits, including:
- 19 paid holidays per year
- 3-5 weeks of vacation per year
- 12 days of sick leave per year
- Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums
- A robust Employee Assistance Program that includes free/discounted mental health therapy and wellness services for employees and their dependents
- A 401(k) retirement plan with employer contributions
- A sabbatical after 5 years of employment
- An annual budget for professional development
- The option to work a hybrid schedule
- More information regarding the Law Foundation is available here: www.lawfoundation.org
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT
The Law Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer. We strongly encourage people of color, women, people living with disabilities, older people, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to apply. It is the policy of the Law Foundation to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, medical condition or genetic information, veteran status, national origin, disability, marital or other protected status. The Law Foundation will conform to the spirit, as well as the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.
Candidates from historically excluded communities including from different racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, persons living with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community encouraged to apply.
Application Process
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until position is filled. Please submit the following HERE TO APPLY: (1) a resume, (2) three professional references, and (3) a cover letter that explains your interest and also addresses the question below.
- To best serve our clients and our community, the Health Program has built a team that values race equity and centers historically excluded communities through its community driven advocacy approach. How has your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, prepared you to contribute to social justice, race equity, and diversity among our staff?