Regional Director
Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) is seeking a Regional Director for its Portland Regional Office (PRO). The PRO Regional Director leads an office with four supervising attorneys and 25 staff attorneys and support staff.
Background
LASO is a non-profit organization that represents low-income clients in civil cases. LASO’s eight regional offices serve low-income individuals throughout the state and two specialized programs focus on services to farmworkers and issues impacting Native Americans. LASO is an effective, high-quality legal services program that is committed to advocacy strategies having the broadest possible impact on client community problems. LASO is actively working to build an inclusive organizational culture that centers on racial equity. LASO is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a welcoming and culturally responsive environment for our staff and clients.
The Portland Regional Office of LASO serves a poverty population of more than 220,000. The office serves Multnomah, Clackamas, Hood River, Sherman and Wasco counties, a diverse service area requiring the ability to work effectively with individuals from different cultures and backgrounds.
Responsibilities
The Regional Director (RD) is responsible for the overall effectiveness of the office. The RD leads the office’s advocacy efforts, which includes supervising legal work and identifying and advancing cases and projects designed to achieve broad impact on significant problems in the client community. The RD advances the work of the office’s Race Equity Team. The RD also leads office planning and priority setting and oversees a comprehensive community engagement strategy. The RD fosters positive work relationships within the office and oversees the career development of staff. The RD oversees grant compliance for a large number of city, county and private grants. The RD also supports the office’s many pro bono programs and maintains strong relations with the private bar.
Salary/Benefits
Salary range $88K for eight years of relevant experience to $115K annually for 30 years of relevant experience. Additional compensation for bilingual ability. Full benefits package including individual and family health, vision and dental insurance coverage; 6% employer retirement contribution; generous paid holidays, vacation and sick leave; and paid moving expenses.
Closing Date
Review of resumes to begin on June 21, 2022.
We celebrate diversity.
LASO is committed to being an organization that reflects the communities we serve and is diverse in race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental and physical abilities, work background, experience and education. We believe that the outcome of such diversity is our greatest strength and a matter of basic human fairness. It is to this end that we strongly encourage applications from people of color and people from any other underrepresented and historically marginalized group to apply for this position.
Eight years of legal experience required. Proven interest in and commitment to advocacy for the legal rights of low-income and other vulnerable clients. Legal aid experience or demonstrable involvement in poverty law issues, such as domestic violence/family law, public benefits and housing. Substantial litigation experience and excellent legal skills. This position requires excellent communication skills and the ability to promote community visibility, awareness and collaboration. Enthusiasm, creativity, good judgment, initiative, and willingness to work collaboratively. Demonstrated understanding and commitment to anti-bias principles, cultural competency and addressing systemic racism and other forms of oppression. LASO has a hiring preference for candidates who are bilingual in Spanish and/or another language and are members of the Oregon State Bar.
Send resume, references and letter of interest by email to:
Janice Morgan
Legal Aid Services of Oregon
520 SW Sixth Avenue, Suite 1130
Portland, OR 97204
centraljobs@lasoregon.org
Supplemental question
Please provide a written response to the following question and submit as part of your application materials. Limit response to 500 words:
LASO is committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon. Our client communities include people of color, farmworkers, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, seniors, people with lived experiences of homelessness, veterans, people with disabilities, and people from other underrepresented groups. It is essential to our mission that we also work to create an inclusive and respectful workplace environment in which differences are acknowledged and valued. How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to: (1) serve our diverse client communities effectively, (2) work effectively with colleagues from backgrounds different than your own, (3) acknowledge the systemic barriers that our clients face, and (4) contribute to our efforts to achieve racial justice? Feel free to provide examples and apply various aspects of your life and personal experiences in your response.