Description:
The Opportunity:A Public Interest Law Firm is a non-profit, public interest law firm committed to ensuring universal access to quality health care in Massachusetts. HLA seeks an experienced, self-motivated, creative plaintiffs' litigator to enhance its in-court practice.
This litigator, after consultation with staff and experienced board members, will initiate litigation to achieve health care justice, often in partnership with other organizations and law firms. These issues arise in individual cases coming principally from our intake process, which can lead to broad-based impact litigation as well.
The Litigation Director will join a highly regarded organization with a 30-year track record of successful legal advocacy to break down barriers to health care for consumers in historically excluded groups. This position is a great opportunity to make a difference on a range of cutting-edge health care issues and improve the quality of life of countless people.
The ideal candidate will be: an experienced and skillful litigator who shares HLA's commitment to health care equity and social justice; a strategist who can identify solid opportunities for persuasion and for succeeding where efforts at persuasion fail; a relationship builder who can work with and lead teams of lawyers and others in broad-based health care justice campaigns.
Within the HLA staff, this experienced litigator will work closely with HLA's Executive Director and leaders of HLA's two legal departments to identify matters to pursue through litigation. The HLA Board Litigation Committee, currently headed by Steve Rosenfeld, will support this litigator in any way possible.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The primary day-to-day responsibility of the position is to develop and pursue opportunities for litigation to protect or expand access to health care.
More specific activities include:
Qualifications:
Education and Experience:
In addition, all HLA employees are expected to have the skills to:
The primary day-to-day responsibility of the position is to develop and pursue opportunities for litigation to protect or expand access to health care.
More specific activities include:
- Identifying opportunities for litigation on behalf of individual clients or classes, independently or through collaboration with other organizations, HLA attorneys, and/or HLA Board Litigation Committee members.
- Conducting pre-litigation investigations and conceptualizing negotiating and case strategy.
- Preparing cases for litigation, including complaint drafting.
- Litigating cases independently or in partnership with internal or external co-counsel.
- Mentoring and training HLA staff attorneys who are involved or seek to become involved in litigation.
- Collaborating with HLA board and staff members to develop organizational priorities.
Qualifications:
Education and Experience:
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school
- License to practice law in Massachusetts state and federal courts
- 7+ years of civil litigation experience, including extensive in-court advocacy
- Experience with case development, drafting complaints, and conducting discovery
- Preference for candidates who have litigated: in a public interest setting, class actions, and/or seeking system change
- Work both independently and as an effective team member
- Collaborate with and support staff at all levels of our organization
- Communicate clearly and professionally
- Maintain confidentiality and, for attorneys, strict adherence to all professional responsibility requirements for the practice of law
- Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and openness, with the desire and ability to listen and learn
- Understand and believe in the mission of the organization
- Embody the values of the organization, including a commitment to decreasing inequity in our health care system and society as a whole