Executive Director
Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing free legal services to persons who are low-income, seniors, and with disabilities, residing in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. ICLS targets services to those in the greatest social or economic need on the belief that everyone deserves access to justice.
ICLS’s services are provided by attorneys, or paralegals under the direct supervision of an attorney. Levels of service include advice and counsel, limited action (includes negotiations and preparation of legal documents), as well as direct representation before administrative law and civil courts. ICLS provides legal assistance in a variety of legal areas, and has eight practice groups, including: Elder Law, Consumer, Housing, Family Law & Domestic Violence, Immigration, Systemic & Impact Litigation, Health, and Public Benefits. ICLS also provides legal assistance in partnership with pro bono attorneys, law students, and other volunteers in a range of projects, including a Small Business Clinic, Expungement Clinic, and others. Visit our website at www.inlandlegal.org for more information.
Since its founding in 1958, ICLS has grown to more than 130 employees, working to ensure access to the justice system by providing free civil legal services. After a 20- year career at ICLS, Executive Director Darrell Moore, Esq. is looking forward to retirement in January 2023. Now, we are looking for the right person to lead the organization for years to come.
The Executive Director oversees the Executive Management Team, which consists of the Deputy Director of Litigation, Deputy Director of Operations, Deputy Director of Community Engagement, and Chief Financial Officer. This team is responsible for the supervision and support of more than 130 staff, which includes 55 attorneys. Through this experienced and dedicated team of professionals, the Executive Director is responsible for advancing ICLS’s Mission and Strategic Plan, as well as the growth of Pro Bono and Community Engagement initiatives. This position serves as the public face of ICLS in support of advocating fully and courageously for civil justice and social equity for those who are low-income in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
The general and specific job responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Community Engagement
Serves as the public face of ICLS and cultivates relationships with community stakeholders:
- Local, state and federal elected officials
- Non-Profit Executive Directors and Community Organization Leaders in ICLS’s service area
- Volunteers
- Donors
- Identify technological innovations to deliver services and enable public access to legal services
- Professional who can speak to the litigation experience at ICLS, and promote the same to the community and highlight staff accomplishments
Oversees program-wide fiscal issues and promote financial growth, which includes:
- Grant development and compliance
- Fundraising development
- Communication and collaboration with ICLS’s Board regarding organization financial matters
- Fiscal management as it relates to expenses and related transactions
- Detects risks, and develops strategies to mitigate risk
Organizational Culture and Values
Embodies ICLS culture and values through:
- Mentors and develops leaders within the program
- Fostering an open-door culture
- Values the experience and abilities of existing human capital
- Ability to create and perpetuate stability while moving the organization forward
- Demonstrated experience leading and training litigators and support staff to accomplish civil justice
- Oversee, and be a champion of, ICLS’s ongoing internal and external commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Promotes development of pro bono program:
- Cultivates the development of robust pro bono programs in ICLS’s service area
- Establishes and maintains relationships with local and state-wide law firms, private attorneys, law schools, law students and other professionals
Oversee the 5-year strategic plan to ensure that geography and income become practically irrelevant to service delivery with ICLS’s service area becoming a model for high-quality, full-scope legal representation for those who are low-income. The main pillars of the plan include:
- Becoming our region’s hub for public interest litigation excellence
- Practically eliminating geographic barriers to services
- Leading our community in opposing racial and social injustices
- Co-creating a powerfully active and collaborative pro bono system
Success in this plan will result in a truly accessible system of civil justice that promotes sustainability in basic needs, which in turn allows for healthy, happy, and productive residents who hold an enduring respect for our civil legal institutions.
Board RelationsEngages and Supports the Board of Directors:
- Work collaboratively with the Board of Directors
- Identify and encourage ways for the Board of Directors to actively and meaningfully contribute toward ICLS’s mission
- Support the Board in its governance and oversight functions
- Keeps the Board apprised of information necessary for the board to perform its governance and oversight functions
- Promote working relationships between Board and executive staff
- Understands the functions of each position in the organization, and the value that each staff member contributes
- Willingness and ability to actively support staff with litigation or assist clients
- Prior experience with LSC funding, IOLTA funding, and related federal/state/local grants
- Prior experience with non-profit and/or public sector entities
- Prior management experience
- Demonstrated experience in collaboratively working with the Board of Directors
- Appropriately delegates responsibility to ensure success in the organization
- Empowering leadership style
- Be open to feedback
- Technology fluent, and willingness to drive innovation in the same area
- Demonstrated civil litigation experience in complex cases
- Juris Doctorate Degree with license to practice law in California.
- 10 or more years of experience practicing law
- Access to reliable transportation
- Ability and willingness to travel to ICLS locations to meet with staff, clients, and community stakeholders with the understanding that ICLS utilizes a hybrid work environment across a geographic area larger than some states
- Desire to travel and values the importance of in-person meetings
- Ability to work evenings and weekends as organizational needs require
- In-person office hours are flexible, with the ability to work from home at least one day per week as business needs allow
Submit a compelling letter of interest and resume to:
Sean Keating, SPHR Human Resources Manager skeating@icls.org
951-248-4730
The recognition of our common humanity is the first step in fostering a diverse and equitable environment. The sum of our unique differences is greater than our individual parts. Our unique stories and experiences allow us to better solve the challenges that our community faces. Staff approach professional relationships with humility across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and/or limited English proficiency with a willingness to consider unique perspectives. Inland Counties Legal Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.