Directing Attorney - RJU

Description:

Reporting to the Rural Justice Unit (RJU) Legal Director, the El Centro Directing Attorney will lead a dynamic team of staff attorneys, community workers, and support staff to implement creative advocacy strategies to address community-identified issues affecting low income people communities. The Directing Attorney is responsible for developing the office's advocacy vision and tone and leading the office in delivering high-quality legal services commensurate with that vision. The Directing Attorney should have substantive experience in the RJU priority legal areas including housing, employment, health/public benefits, and education and is responsible for maintaining their caseload in addition to their leadership role.

The RJU Program utilizes both direct services as well as systematic approaches to address the specific, discrete, and systemic issues facing low income communities. The model calls for creative, innovative advocacy that uses a multipronged approach to address the issues and their systemic roots. Including using various advocacy approaches such as community leadership development and advocacy around policies.

Essential Responsibilities:
Supervision of Office Staff and Advocacy

• Supervise and guide staff's advocacy work, including assessing the community's legal needs.
• Ensure that case handling complies with CRLA policies, Legal Services Corporation regulations, the ABA Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Services, and ethical obligations.
• Conduct weekly case review meetings with staff to assess new intakes' eligibility, determine the level of service to be provided, and ensure all cases progress with the provision of quality legal services.
• Guide staff development, including evaluating staff and developing and implementing professional development plans.

• Maintain an active caseload.
• Litigate impact cases as lead or co-counsel and/or work on systemic advocacy.
• Oversee the planning of community education and outreach activities to raise awareness of diverse advocacy areas in local communities.
• Raise awareness of the specific issues low income communities and CRLA's work through media, participation in conferences, and collaboration with other organizations, agencies, and issue- and community-based coalitions.

• Develop and implement the annual office work plan that serves as a guide for systemic advocacy and sets out a results-oriented vision that blends various advocacy approaches to impact change.
• As needed, work with administrative departments including the Development and Finance teams to evaluate grant opportunities.
• Understand, monitor, and deliver grant deliverables and necessary outcomes, including timekeeping and other LSC requirements.

• Collaborate with other CRLA programs, supervisors, and staff to improve CRLA's organizational effectiveness and capacity.
• Support the establishment of policies and programs that promote a desirable organizational culture and vision.
• Model appropriate leadership behavior and take swift action to mitigate behavior that compromises CRLA values. In collaboration with Human Resources, ensure a culture of knowledge sharing and continued learning.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience practicing law, preferably with a social justice focus in low income communities in the areas of housing, employment, health/public benefits, and/or education
• Ability to organize and supervise the casework and advocacy of team members.
• Knowledge and commitment to community lawyering principles.
• Demonstrated ability to interact constructively and maintain positive relations with diverse populations and team members.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with low-income, marginalized and diverse populations.
• Admitted to the California Bar, or any other State Bar and willingness to take the next California Bar Exam.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a non-profit legal services environment.
• Experience supervising a team.
• Experience in obtaining grants and managing them through to completion.
• Fluency in another language, preferably Spanish or an Indigenous Language from Mexico.

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