Director of Legal Services

Director of Legal Services

Director of Legal Services 150 150 TeamChild
TeamChild
Published
July 16, 2020
Location
Seattle
Job Type

Description

TEAMCHILD

TeamChild is a nationally recognized nonprofit legal aid organization serving youth across Washington State, with office locations in Seattle, Tacoma, Yakima and Spokane.  TeamChild’s mission is to uphold the rights of youth involved, or at risk of involvement, in the juvenile justice system to help them secure the education, healthcare, housing and other support they need to achieve positive outcomes in their lives. We have three mutually reinforcing program strategies:  legal services, policy advocacy, and training and community education. Core to all of our work is our legal services program, which reaches youth 12-24 years old in four of Washington’s largest counties as well as youth incarcerated in our state’s juvenile prison and community facilities.  Our clients are youth and young adults who are entangled in juvenile court and the child welfare system and need civil legal advocacy to prevent homelessness, access education and employment and get their basic health and other needs met.  In our work, we also aim to move systems away from exclusion, punishment, arrest, and incarceration towards more effective and community-based strategies that address root causes and provide culturally meaningful and developmentally appropriate support and opportunities for young people.

At TeamChild we believe that racial and other social identities should be respected and affirmed. In support of this belief, we are trying to build an equitable and inclusive organization and providing our team of staff, volunteers and Board members with the tools to address institutionalized racism and other forms of oppression. All members of our team are responsible for providing and supporting an equitable and inclusive work environment that will enrich our interactions with each other and our products and services. This responsibility provides the foundation for empowering the children and families that we serve so their needs are justly represented and their desires amply fulfilled.

 

JOB OVERVIEW

TeamChild is seeking a Director of Legal Services who will be responsible for leading and maintaining TeamChild’s high quality and holistic direct legal services program consistent with the organization’s values, vision and mission. In this role, the Director of Legal Services will build on TeamChild’s twenty years of experience and collaboratively develop, lead and implement priorities and impact strategies and supervise our client-directed work across the state.

The Director of Legal Services supervises four Managing Attorneys and the Juvenile Rehabilitation Institutions & Reentry Project staff and oversees the onboarding, training, and professional development of all attorney and non-attorney legal services staff.  The Director of Legal Services does not carry a caseload but provides litigation and other case handling support to Managing Attorneys and other staff attorneys across the state. The Director of Legal Services oversees and manages attorney licensing, protocols and professional and ethical duties related to case handling and contract acquisition, deliverables, and reporting related to the legal services program activities.

The Director of Legal Services reports to the Executive Director, is a member of TeamChild’s Executive Team, and works with all staff in supporting strategic policy advocacy, community engagement, and communication efforts to ensure visibility and accountability across diverse communities and social justice movements. This position will require frequent travel to TeamChild offices across the state. We anticipate this position will be based out of TeamChild’s King County office in Seattle, but are open to considering the Pierce County office in Tacoma if that is preferred.

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Leadership

  • Collaboratively develop, coordinate, and lead the strategic direction and implementation of TeamChild’s statewide direct legal services program in alignment with TeamChild’s Values, Vision and Mission.
  • Expand tools and impact of TeamChild’s legal services program by exploring and developing anti-racist strategies, including community or movement lawyering. This involves collaboration with the Policy Director, Community Engagement & Anti-Racism Director, staff and youth and communities most impacted by juvenile court involvement.
  • Build and cultivate relationships and engage directly with both TeamChild staff and youth and communities most impacted by juvenile court involvement to ensure alignment with and accountability to impacted communities.
  • Work with allies and partners within and outside the legal community to advance strategy and impact goals.
  • Work collaboratively with Executive Team and Board, including assistance in budget development and stewardship of resources.
  • Collaboratively create and ensure leadership and professional development opportunities are equitably distributed to staff.
  • Communicate and advocate for staff needs, concerns, and suggestions to the Executive Team.
  • Collaboratively develop and model strong relationships as well as timely and consistent lines of communication between the Executive Team, Managing Attorney Staff and Program Staff.
  1. Supervision

Supervise Managing Attorneys and Juvenile Rehabilitation Institutions & Reentry Project staff:

  • Lead and coordinate onboarding of new Managing Attorneys and JR staff
  • Conduct performance evaluations and provide support, ongoing mentoring and training, and professional development opportunities for direct reports
  • Approve and manage timesheets, vacation requests, and expenses for direct reports
  • Foster and develop skills for supportive and collaborative teamwork

Support and ensure culturally relevant onboarding, training and professional development of all legal services staff:

  • Collaborate with Executive Director and TeamChild attorneys to continue refining and improving onboarding, training and development opportunities for attorneys.
  • Collaborate with Executive Director, Managing Attorneys and non-attorney advocates to establish onboarding and training structures for non-attorney advocates.
  • Oversee and hold Managing Attorneys accountable to provide proper onboarding, support and development to Staff Attorneys and non-attorney advocates, using staff feedback. Collaborate with Managing Attorneys to coordinate onboarding and proactively connect staff with training, development and CLE opportunities based on staff needs and interests.
  • Identify and develop external networks and resources for consultation and development.
  • Create and maintain an accessible resource bank/legal library, including briefs, templates, relevant case law and other institutional knowledge.
  • Collaborate with Community Engagement and Anti-Racism Director and Policy Director to build staff capacity to engage in youth and community-driven advocacy, including community or movement lawyering.

Provide litigation and case support:

  • Oversee and manage organization’s litigation docket, including regular assessment of capacity and meeting support needs of each office and the program overall.
  • Assess, communicate, and develop strategy and impact of TeamChild’s legal services program
  • Provide guidance, expertise, and technical assistance on litigation in coordination with Managing Attorneys and Policy Director.
  • Coordinate with Managing Attorneys to provide case coverage during vacation, sick and other leaves or during periods of staffing transitions.
  • Co-counsel as appropriate to provide training and development opportunities to staff.
  • Oversee amicus work in coordination with the Policy Director.
  • Facilitate co-counseling arrangements across local offices.
  • Recruit pro bono and other litigation support for attorneys/offices and facilitate communication and connection where needed.
  1. Management

Ensure licensing compliance of all TeamChild attorneys

  • Ensure compliance with Rules of Professional Conduct
  • Manage license renewal process

Manage Fellowships & Pro Bono Attorneys

  • Centralize fellowship inquiries and work with local offices to develop fellowships in alignment with TeamChild Values, Vision and Mission.
  • Supervise and oversee the planning of fellowship projects, including the development of big picture goals and checkpoints.
  • Monitor the progress of fellowship projects on a quarterly basis.
  • Recruit and centralize information and access to attorneys interested in volunteering.

Oversee and manage contract acquisition, deliverables, and reporting related to the legal services program activities, with primary responsibility on JR Project and Fellowships

  • Review data and edit reports for local office contracts prior to submission.
  • In coordination with Executive Team, Managing Attorneys and impacted employees, seek funding, develop proposals, communicate with funders and develop funder relationships

Oversee and collaboratively develop program policies and practices for the legal services program work, including case handling protocols, document management, electronic case management and timekeeping tools, conflicts of interest, and volunteer and intern management.

 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

TeamChild is committed to providing employees with a competitive salary and benefits package. The salary range for this positions is $65,000 - $90,000. Position comes with full benefits (including medical, dental, vision, EAP, generous paid time off, long and short term disability, and options to set up FSA and 403b retirement accounts).

All interested individuals, including people of color, women, persons with disabilities, and persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or intersex are particularly urged to apply. TeamChild is an Equal Opportunity Employer. TeamChild is committed to promoting an environment free of barriers and discriminatory practices for its clients, Board, and staff.

How To Apply

TO APPLY

Please email a concise letter of interest and resume to jobs@teamchild.org. Please write "Director of Legal Services" and your last name in the subject line. No phone calls or email inquiries please.  Position open until filled.

Before submitting your application, please check TeamChild’s website (www.teamchild.org/careers) to make sure that this position is still open.