Pro Bono Manager
Ohio State Legal Services Association (OSLSA) is a three-part legal aid program headquartered in Columbus. OSLSA’s mission is to provide civil legal aid and advocacy to combat unfairness and injustice and to help people rise out of poverty.
OSLSA is actively seeking a professional, dedicated and results-oriented person to manage the organization’s Pro Bono programs including coordinating clinics, recruiting and building relationships with volunteers, and collaborating with partners internally as well as in the community. A successful candidate will not only manage existing relationships and projects, but also contribute to the growth and development of the department.
Working in close collaboration with the Director of Community Engagement and Pro Bono, the Pro Bono Manager will be primarily responsible for managing the Pro Bono staff on the Team as well as developing, increasing and orchestrating efforts to increase the involvement of the private bar in providing legal assistance to general low-income population across the entire service area and otherwise maximizing resources to increase the amount of assistance provided to legal services-eligible clients.
Are You Someone Who:
- Comfortably relates and communicates with people whose backgrounds and lived experiences are different than your own?
- Is looking for an opportunity to grow and develop in an expanding organization?
- Brings creative ideas forward to drive the program forward?
- Takes pride in completing tasks accurately, timely and precisely?
- Has an aptitude to learn new things?
- Works well within a collaborative, team-driven, and goal-based environment?
- Can communicate verbally and in writing with a wide range of people?
- Is agile and able to respond effectively to the changing needs of a growing organization?
- Creates processes to increase work efficiencies and systems to work smarter not harder?
- Engages in continuous learning to evolve personal skillset?
- Is attentive, persistent and able to creatively adapt to dynamic situations?
- Advocates in a constructive manner to reach resolution?
- Promotes a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and quality?
- Is dedicated to improving the lives of low-income individuals in our communities?
You Will:
- Manage and lead the Pro Bono staff on the OSLSA Pro Bono & Community Engagement team and work across the program including implementing and expanding clinics, supervising pro bono cases, assessing and implementing systems to increase efficiencies and growing the program overall.
- Work with all OSLSA teams and offices to ensure pro bono program reflects the needs of the client communities and supplements the work of full-time staff throughout the program.
- Expand pro bono resources by developing new service delivery models and recruiting new pools of lawyers and non-attorneys throughout the service area.
- Work with OSLSA Pro Bono & Community Engagement Director to further unify the OSLSA pro bono program while maintaining separate LASC and SEOLS identities when needed for clarity of messaging and service delivery.
- Work with OSLSA Pro Bono & Community Engagement Director to ensure equitable distribution of Pro Bono staff resources across LASC and SEOLS programming.
- Lead the full lifecycle of volunteers from presentations and recruitment to on-boarding, placement and training as well as maintaining relationships at the close of volunteer terms.
- Coordinate and execute internal projects including Clean Slate/Opportunity Port, Naturalization and Virtual Advice Clinics, and a wide range of pro bono referrals.
- Work with other Pro Bono staff to maintain and strengthen relationships with existing pro bono partners as well as cultivate and develop new relationships.
- Manage grants administration including monitoring and meeting deadlines for pro bono-related applications and reports for existing and future funders.
- Partner with Training Manager to plan, develop and implement Pro Bono CLE workshops.
- Communicate effectively and timely with staff and other managers regarding required materials, data and actions along with specific timelines to meet grant requirements.
- Manage the files and databases to assure complete and accurate records and assure reports are accurate and submitted in a timely manner.
- Coordinate writing, editing, and collecting documentation, and ensure that grant deliverables are complete and submitted to grantor by the required deadlines.
- Assemble and facilitate meetings to assure coordination and collaboration with relevant parties.
You Have:
- Demonstrated ability to practice within several poverty law areas, including consumer, housing, domestic relations, public benefits, unemployment, and re-entry.
- Familiarity with a broad range of substantive areas of law and knowledge of available resources
- Excellent legal and communications skills with a proven record of performance and achievement
- Demonstrated leadership skills with a wide range of job categories and professionals
- Ability to anticipate needs and navigate problems with a creative, practical approach toward reaching successful resolution
- High ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment
- High ability to exercise sound judgement and discretion
- Ability to facilitate collaboration as well as build and sustain productive relationships with diverse individuals, groups and organizations
- Demonstrated ability to successfully lead, manage and develop a diverse team of professionals
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with diverse audiences
- A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion both internally and externally
- Patience, understanding and cultural competency in working with low-income communities
- Strong work ethic with an ability to connect big picture ideas to day-to-day work
- Ability to prioritize workload to manage time and tasks and delegate responsibilities in an effective and efficient manner
- Proficiency in Microsoft applications, knowledge of current technologies and commitment to remain up to date with industry best practices
- English language proficiency is essential and Spanish/English bilingual skills are a plus. Additional languages – even better
- Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and admitted to the Bar of the State of Ohio (or if not currently admitted, eligible to waive in) required
- Prior Legal Aid or related work experience a plus, but not required
Other Details:
- It is the policy of OSLSA not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability, age, ancestry, and military status or any other characteristic protected by law.
- This full-time position is based in Columbus, Ohio and reports to the Director of Community Engagement and Pro Bono. Some travel to other office locations and offsite locations may be required at times.
- Salary is dependent upon level of experience. OSLSA offers an excellent comprehensive benefits package and ongoing training and development opportunities.
Submit resume, writing sample, references and letter of interest.
In your cover letter, please address the following in order for your application to be considered: OSLSA’s clientele is extremely diverse and all of our clients are low-income. To ensure that our agency is best serving our communities, OSLSA strives to promote an evolving set of behaviors and attitudes amongst our staff, as well as policies that enable us to work effectively in all cross-cultural situations, with clients, with our coworkers, and with the community. We see this as a commitment to enhance the provision of our services to all clients; to raise the level of positive client outcomes; and to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued.
How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural humility and diversity amongst our staff? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences.
To promote social justice and best serve our clients, OSLSA is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and providing culturally competent services. We strongly encourage candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities and historically oppressed groups including BIPOC and LGBTQ individuals to apply. Bilingual/bicultural candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.