Director of Community and Economic Justice

• Active membership in the California State Bar;
• Previous supervisory experience and work experience in legal services;
• Minimum ten (10) years’ experience in the practice of law, including broad experience in lawyering skills, including client interviewing, legal research, writing, drafting, negotiation, law and motion and discovery techniques, and trial and appellate work; Have excellent legal writing, litigation and advocacy skills;
• The ability to engender confidence and trust;
• A management style that inspires and encourages professional growth in others;
• An understanding of the civil equal justice legal needs of low-income people, including the unique needs of populations that experience particular barriers to access to justice, and ability to identify systems, and effective approaches and methods for addressing those needs;
• A strong work ethic and commitment to working as a team;
• Ability to work cooperatively with staff effectively at all levels of LAFLA;
• Knowledge of advanced principles of administration and supervision;
• Ability to effectively communicate, to motivate others, and to work collaboratively with diverse groups of people with varying perspectives, experience and expertise, and demonstrated cultural competence with client communities;
• Initiative, creativity and problem-solving abilities; not averse to risk, and able to embrace change and uncertainty;
• Excellent administrative and organizational skills, and able to learn and integrate new technologies and methodologies to efficiently perform responsibilities; and
• Ability to administer grants and work with Development and Finance staff.

• Serve as Director of Community and Economic Justice coaching and supervising 8 Managing Attorneys, and work with the Managing Attorneys to monitor caseloads and legal work of attorneys to ensure the proper balance between direct service to individual clients and advocacy involving systemic issues that benefit the larger client population;
• Work with the Director of Housing Justice to ensure one unified Managing Attorney team that utilizes the same or similar processes and protocols;
• Review significant pleadings, including complaints and briefs, on substantive issues, and co-counsel, where appropriate; Coordinate amicus briefs and preparation of semi-annual litigation docket update;
• Develops guidelines that facilitate efficient and effective litigation; monitor litigation and training costs;
• Acts as a catalyst for the identification of systemic issues that affect LAFLA’s clients and the development of strategic litigation and/or advocacy strategies to address them with a focus on LAFLA’s priorities;
• In collaboration with the other Director of Housing Justice, and the Director of Legal Training and Professional Development, promote staff professional development and identify content areas for regular staff training;
• Assists staff to remain current on procedural and substantive law as well as policy and research issues regarding LAFLA’s priority areas and broader issues affecting the client community, and to identify and facilitate connections across units/substantive areas;
• Support and strengthen non-litigation advocacy projects including community legal education efforts, training and development of legal advocacy resource materials, assisting with maintaining web-based client information and advocate resource materials, client/community/program relations, collaboration with bar and court-related access to justice activities, and similar activities that promote and expand access to justice for low-income persons;
• Ensure that Foundation’s services are reaching those who need it and are as client-friendly as possible, including call-ins, clinics, walk-ins, and other intake opportunities;
• Ensure projects comply with grant requirements; ensure new grants are carefully vetted & coordinated with Development, Finance and Executive Director;
• Assist advocates and workgroups with resolving potential inconsistencies in client representation strategies, funding sources compliance requirements, professional responsibility, and ethical obligations, and/or competing interest of client communities; co-counseling; and, otherwise serving as a resource to help advocates address client needs;
• Works effectively with the leadership and staff of the legal services network to coordinate state-wide litigation and advocacy efforts;
• Establishes and maintains strong working relationships with community organizations, local bar associations, judges, social service agencies, funding sources, public officials, the media, and other individuals or groups related to the provision of legal services to the poor.
• Facilitate the work of substantive and population-based task forces, workgroups, and individual advocates; coordinate with partners to develop and promote effective strategies to maximize client service delivery;
• Assist individual advocates, and workgroups, in conjunction with others as appropriate, in defining and obtaining client representational objectives, including resolving potential inconsistencies in client representation strategies, funding source compliance requirements, professional responsibility and ethical obligations, and/or competing interests of client communities; co-counseling; and, otherwise serving as a resource to help advocates address client needs; and
• Regularly assess client representation and advocacy activities to ensure the most effective, efficient, and economical use of program resources consistent with the program mission.