Description:
New Mexico Legal Aid (NMLA) provides civil legal services to low-income New Mexicans for a variety of legal issues including domestic violence/family law, consumer protection, housing, and benefits. NMLA has locations throughout the state including Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Gallup, Roswell, Silver City, Las Vegas, Taos, and Santa Ana.Are you an attorney who is passionate about ensuring that underserved populations have access to legal advice and justice? Do you have a commitment to New Mexico's rural communities and its people? NMLA is committed to building one of the most successful and innovative pro bono projects in the country. We seek a dynamic and creative attorney to serve as Statewide Pro Bono Coordinator for NMLA's Volunteer Attorney Program (VAP). This position will work closely with the VAP Manager, State Bar of New Mexico, the New Mexico Commission on Access to Justice ("ATJ"), local courts and pro bono committees, individual private attorneys and law firms, law school faculty and student groups, and civil legal services partner agencies to establish legal clinics where low-income residents receive free legal advice and other services in the communities where they live.
This position will be based in Albuquerque. If you become the new Volunteer Attorney Program Statewide Pro Bono Coordinator, you will play a key role in:
- Organizing, traveling to, and recruiting volunteers attorneys and non-attorneys to serve clients at legal clinics and other pro bono activities throughout the state.
- Coordinating with the pro bono committees in each of the judicial districts around the state to plan and conduct legal clinics statewide;
- Assisting the VAP Director and VAP Manager in recruiting pro bono attorneys willing to provide free legal services to low-income clients throughout New Mexico's 13 Judicial Districts.
- Creating and facilitating training materials and continuing legal education (CLE) courses to prepare pro bono attorneys for representing low-income clients in civil legal areas where they experience the greatest need (i.e., housing, family law, economic security, health care, consumer issue, etc.).
- Assist as needed with the daily operations of the Voluntary Attorney Program.
- Networking with private attorneys and other civil legal services providers.
- Marketing legal clinics and training programs.
- Monitoring the quality of legal services provided by pro-bono attorneys.
Requirements:
- JD Licensed in New Mexico or licensed in any other state and eligible for New Mexico legal aid providers limited licensing or for admission by reciprocity.
- Willingness to travel up to 15% to 20% of the time, including nights and weekends, with most travel to legal fairs occurring on Thursdays through Saturdays.
- Must be able to effectively use computer technology and remote communications systems, including shared online workspaces and web meeting and videoconferencing software.
- Proficiency in MS Word and Excel. Proficiency in PowerPoint is a plus.
- Effectively collaborate with staff and community partners located in multiple locations.
- High quality customer relations and communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Prior experience working with pro bono programs or handling pro bono cases is a plus.
- Candidates must possess administrative skills, including ability to organize workload, to manage multiple tasks, determine priorities, and effectively manage several areas of responsibility.
- Demonstrate enthusiasm for building collaborative relationships within the State Bar and the statewide pro bono community.
- Proficiency in Spanish is a plus.
This position is part of a collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the union. Pay is determined by years of experience and set by a union scale outlined in the CBA (click here to view the salary scale).