Pro Bono Project Manager
For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has provided free civil legal assistance to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year our attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Legal Aid Chicago was founded on the philosophy that all individuals are entitled to quality civil legal representation, regardless of their income. We work to ensure that poverty is not an impediment to justice by dismantling the legal barriers that perpetuate inequality. Legal Aid Chicago staff live our mission through our core values of equity, excellence, inclusion, kindness, and respect.
Position: The Pro Bono Project Manager will collaborate with the Director of Pro Bono & Community Partnerships and other staff to conduct onboarding, orientation, and training of new volunteers and interns. The Pro Bono Project Manager will identify and develop appropriate recruiting strategies and marketing materials that detail how volunteers at Legal Aid Chicago can make a difference in their community by providing legal assistance. This position reports to the Director of Pro Bono & Community Partnerships and works closely with program staff, including the Chief External Relations Officer, HR staff, and other Practice Group Directors, to maximize the use of volunteers and interns in advancement of Legal Aid Chicago’s mission. This position can be either full-time or part-time, depending on candidate and department needs.
Responsibilities: Duties include but are not limited to:
Volunteer Recruitment and Management
- Assist with volunteer recruitment and creation of volunteer recruitment materials, including website postings, social media postings and email communications
- Serve as a primary contact for law firms and corporations seeking to volunteer with Legal Aid Chicago including development of and recruitment for volunteer projects
- Respond to and screen individual volunteers to provide additional information and match their interest and experience with available projects
- Assist with onboarding and off-boarding process for volunteers, in coordination with both Information Technology and Human Resources, including assisting with creation and closing of accounts, as applicable.
- Conduct screening and background checks for volunteers
- Plan and execute volunteer recognition activities including volunteer award nominations and social media campaigns
- Assist with creation, improvement and delivery of trainings offered to volunteers, including assisting with administration of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) reporting requirements
- Attend volunteer recruitment events and serve as enthusiastic ambassador for Legal Aid Chicago
Internship Program Management
- Assist with intern recruiting including posting positions, screening candidates, and checking references
- Conduct screening and background checks for interns
- Make hiring decisions and extend offers to interns
- Assist with onboarding and off-boarding process for interns, coordinating with both IT and Human Resources, including assisting with creation and closing of accounts
- Assist with gathering and verification of personnel documents such as I-9 verification
- Manage all financial aspects of internship program including allocating grant funding, supporting funding applications, and assisting with payroll administration
- Coordinate intern activities including orientation, educational seminars, and other social and networking events
- Serve as primary contact for law schools and law student funding organizations to assist with recruiting talented and diverse pool of internship applicants
- Support Legal Aid Chicago employees providing supervision to interns and assist with any issues related to performance
- Coordinate with Human Resources and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to advance goal of recruiting internship candidates that contribute to agency’s DEI Initiatives
Data and Financial Reporting
- Keep accurate and current data on all volunteers and interns
- Provide accurate and complete data to Finance Department on value and quantity of volunteer hours furnished to Legal Aid Chicago
- Assist with grant reporting to funders including providing demographic data regarding volunteers and information regarding cases closed with volunteers
- Monitor timekeeping by staff to ensure that time spent working with volunteers is properly classified, according to grant funding requirements
- Provide accurate and complete data to External Relations on relationships with individuals, law firms, and corporations to identify sponsorship and board service opportunities
Salary and Benefits:
The Pro Bono Project Manager position begins at $57,000.
Legal Aid Chicago offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance, effective the first day of employment
- Time Off: 21 vacation days and 18 sick days accrued within the first year of employment
- 14 paid holidays, including one floating holiday
- Six weeks of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of the salary after six months of employment
- 401(a) retirement plan with an employer contribution after 3 months of employment
- $100,000 Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance, at no cost
- Access to Employee Assistance Program resources, at no cost
- Chicago Bar Association membership, at no cost
- Monthly internet reimbursement
- Legal Aid Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is an eligible employer for the federal public service loan forgiveness program
- Ideal candidates will have a minimum of two years professional experience working in a law firm or legal services organization or a J.D.
- Computer proficiency, including knowledge of and experience with the full suite of Microsoft Office applications is required
- Experience with software such as Raiser’s Edge and WordPress a plus
- Excellent interpersonal, written communication, verbal communication and organizational skills
- Ability to work effectively in cross-cultural situations with clients, co-workers and the communities we serve
- The ability to work well under pressure, to work independently and to learn and retain new information
- Demonstrated success in building relationships and working collaboratively to build and strengthen programming. Ability to bring diverse parties together in pursuit of common goals.
- Availability to work occasional evening and weekend events and the ability to travel throughout Cook County
Legal Aid Chicago offers a hybrid work environment. Our offices, located in downtown Chicago at 120 S. LaSalle Street, is ADA accessible and has convenient access to public transportation and local expressways. This position may require local travel to recruitment, volunteer engagement or other outreach events.
Submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample and the contact information of two primary professional references and one alternative professional reference. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled. Apply here.
Legal Aid Chicago is firmly committed to creating a diverse workplace and is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and therefore does not discriminate on the basis of creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age religion, marital or parental status, alienage, disability, political affiliation or belief, military or military discharge status, or ex-offender status, or any other protected status.
If an accommodation is needed to complete this application, contact Human Resources at humanresources@legalaidchicago.org.