Executive Director
Two of New Hampshire’s venerable and respected legal services programs - the Pro Bono Program of the New Hampshire Bar Association (Pro Bono) and Legal Advice and Referral Center (LARC) - are merging to form a new, yet to be named, non-profit entity dedicated to providing high quality civil legal services to New Hampshire’s low-income communities. Services will be delivered in a variety of ways including limited and extended representation and pro se assistance. The program will be the central point of intake, screening and referral for the State’s civil legal aid system, and will operate a vibrant volunteer attorney program.
This new organization seeks an Executive Director to provide leadership during the launch and into the future.
The product of an almost two year collaboration among the Boards and executive leadership of LARC, Pro Bono and New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA), the new entity’s mission is to fight for justice and against poverty by providing legal services to low-income people and empowering low-income communities to know and enforce their rights. The focus is on providing direct legal services through: representation of clients by volunteer lawyers and staff; assistance to self-represented litigants, including advice and unbundled services; and community education. An important function of the program will be to serve as the statewide entry point for civil legal services provided by the new entity and NHLA, through operation of a client-centered screening, referral, and intake call center.
Both LARC and Pro Bono have long histories in New Hampshire of providing award-winning legal services through their respective functions. LARC, funded by the Legal Services Corporation, the NH Campaign for Legal Services, and IOLTA, among other grants, is a private, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to eligible people in New Hampshire through legal advice over the telephone, ongoing support to pro se litigants, direct representation, referrals to other legal aid or social service organizations, and community education. Pro Bono, a nonprofit agency funded by IOLTA and other grants, has operated through and been supported by the New Hampshire Bar Association since its inception, coordinating private volunteer lawyers to help low-income people with civil legal problems.
The proposed launch date for the new organization is June 1, 2021. The Boards of LARC, Pro Bono and NHLA have developed the fundamental structure and legal construct for the new organization. The new organization seeks an Executive Director to start prior to June 1 in order to lead the administrative planning and conduct the public relations prior to the actual merger. This position is an exciting opportunity for a legal services visionary to build a distinctive, purposeful, and effective legal services program based on the historical strengths of the merging organizations.
Principal Functions:
The Executive Director is the chief operating executive, responsible for the overall leadership and management of the organization. The Executive Director is responsible for implementation of Board policy, strategic leadership, management of the organization and maintenance of positive relationships with external entities. The Executive Director is also responsible for generating revenue, grant applications, grant reporting and compliance, financial oversight, implementing the strategic plan, and supervision of staff and programming, including supervision of legal work and volunteer lawyer recruitment. Specifically:
1. Providing innovative and motivational leadership during the transition to the new merged organization;
2. Providing leadership within the program, with the Board of Directors and within the legal community;
3. Ensuring high quality legal assistance for the client community and promoting equal access to justice in New Hampshire;
4. Maintaining a presence and working with the legal community to encourage their energetic participation as volunteer lawyers for clients;
5. Collaborating with other important stakeholders such as the New Hampshire court system and its judges and the New Hampshire Bar Association;
6. Involvement with recruitment, mentoring and training of volunteer attorneys;
7. Maintaining the fiscal and operational integrity of the program;
8. Collaborating in a meaningful way with the Board of Directors to assure a clear and compelling mission and a strategic plan and organizational goals consistent with that mission;
9. Supervising, directing and guiding the staff, ensuring a safe workplace culture;
10. Leading and managing staff by building a team environment, encouraging professional development of staff, ensuring supervision and support of staff, and leading efforts in staff recruitment and retention, consistent with the provision of high quality services with an emphasis on valuing diversity and inclusivity in staffing;
11. Working closely with an independent controller to: develop an annual budget with approval from the Board of Directors; monitor the budget on an ongoing basis; oversee the annual audit; and assure best practices in financial monitoring;
12. Maintaining relationships with funders, including managing relations with the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), supervising the annual grant application and taking responsibility for reporting compliance to the LSC;
13. Overseeing and insuring compliance with grants for the organization;
14. Fully participating in the management of the Campaign for Legal Services and its fundraising;
15. Partnering with other providers of civil legal services to maximize collective impact, recognizing the special relationship the program has with NHLA;
16. Representing the program in the public sector, as spokesperson and advocate, maintaining the programs’ reputation and integrity, and seeking opportunities for advancing public awareness of the program.
Job Qualifications:
1. An attorney in good standing, especially one who is a member of or can immediately waive into the NH Bar, is preferred. However, others with appropriate skills and experience will be considered.
2. Exceptional leadership skills are essential, as is a passionate commitment to advocating for the legal rights of low-income persons. Vision, integrity, creativity, energy and compassion are also essential qualities.
3. A candidate must have substantial management experience in a legal services or similar organization, with a commitment to team building, encouraging professional development of staff, and supporting staff in the program’s work.
4. Having successful experience recruiting, motivating, and managing volunteer lawyers is highly preferred.
5. A candidate should exhibit excellent communication skills and the ability to inspire the trust and confidence of the organization, public, the legal community, and client communities.
6. A demonstrated track record of fundraising and grant writing success is a plus.
7. A candidate should be able to demonstrate experience in budgeting, compliance, finance and fiscal controls.
8. Commitment to the use of technology to enhance education and the delivery of services to the client community is essential.
Application:
If interested, please submit a letter expressing your interest in the position, your qualifications for the job, and what you hope to contribute to the organization’s future. Please include a resume and the names and contact information for three professional references. Submissions should be sent electronically to NewcoExecutiveDirector@gmail.com. You are welcome to include your preferred pronouns, the correct pronunciation of your name, and any other information that will help us communicate with you effectively.
This position offers a generous benefits and compensation package commensurate with experience, within a salary range of $95,000-$120,000. The position will remain open until filled, but the goal is to make a final hiring decision in March 2021.
Please Note: This position is expected to be based in Concord, NH. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff may be temporarily teleworking. The person hired for this position must be willing to move or currently reside within a commutable distance from Concord, NH.
The new program is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a diverse staff that reflects the low income and older people the new program will work alongside, and we value equity and inclusion in our workplace. We are actively seeking applications from people of color, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, people who have lived experience with poverty, and other people belonging to communities that experience injustice.