Maryland Legal Aid (the Legal Aid Bureau) is seeking a Chief Counsel.

Maryland Legal Aid is a private, non-profit law firm providing free legal services to low-income people in Baltimore City and throughout Maryland's 23 counties from 13 office locations. Legal Aid is an independent, 501(c)3 charitable organization with diverse funding sources, including federal, state and local governments, the United Way, foundations, law firms and individuals, and other private sources.  Our current annualized operating budget is approximately $23 million.

Legal Aid’s mission is to provide high quality legal services to Maryland’s poor through a mix of services and to bring about the changes poor people want in the systems that affect them.  The Chief Counsel directs the substantive work of Legal Aid and is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high quality legal services, meeting client needs through an innovative, aggressive, client-centered and thoughtful advocacy program. 

Legal Aid’s priorities are in housing, public benefits, family, child advocacy, consumer, education, and employment.  Clients are provided legal assistance to avert unlawful evictions and sub-standard housing; obtain desperately needed health care, disability, and other income supports; avoid losing custody of children; prevent foreclosures; protect consumer rights; and recover unpaid wages. 

Special programs provide representation and assistance for children who are victims of abuse and neglect, the elderly, nursing home and assisted living residents, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, tenants working to preserve affordable housing, and parents striving to enter the workforce.  Additional legal representation involves:  access to medical assistance, denial of supplemental security income (SSI) benefits, denial of welfare and unemployment insurance benefits, nonpayment of correct wages, subsidized housing problems, foreclosures, utility cut-offs, bankruptcy, certain types of custody cases, abused and neglected children and rights of the elderly.

Legal Aid offers a dynamic service delivery approach that encompasses the zealous representation of individuals and groups as well as broad based systemic advocacy.  We have recently been described as a “Flagship Program” and enjoy excellent relations with the Bench, Bar and Legislature.  Current staffing includes individuals with a broad spectrum of experience.

Our up-to-date technology environment, including computer systems and network capabilities, meets the needs of our legal, support, and administrative staff, and positions Legal Aid to provide more efficient and effective services to our clients. 

Legal Aid provides comprehensive training to new staff, beginning with employee orientations; one-on-one training by immediate supervisors and co-workers; access to videotapes from prior trainings on all subject matter areas handled; in-house substantive law trainings; in-house routing of updated legal information; access to trainings through bar associations, the Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers (MICPEL) and other organizations; and new lawyer, paralegal and support staff skills trainings.  Task forces in housing, domestic, public benefits, elder, Children In Need of Assistance (CINA), employment and consumer law, meet regularly to share information and discuss substantive developments in the law and strategic case-handling issues.

High priority roles and responsibilities for the Chief Counsel include:

• With the Executive Director and the Chief Operating Officer, providing overall management oversight of the functions of Legal Aid and the allocation of resources to achieve the organization’s objectives.
• With the Executive Director and the Chief Operating Officer, leading key efforts of Legal Aid’s periodic, strategic and other long-term planning efforts, including, but not limited to, needs assessments studies.
• Overseeing the direct service delivery of Legal Aid’s offices to ensure high quality legal representation of clients.
• Evaluating and guiding the legal practices of Legal Aid’s offices.
• Developing effective systems to deliver services and ensure their utilization as well as adherence to established standards of practice.
• With advocacy staff, establishing and maintaining Legal Aid’s advocacy policies, procedures and priorities.
• Supervising and evaluating Chief Attorneys and the Director of Advocacy. 
• Consulting with the Director of Advocacy and other staff, on an as-needed basis, on non-routine advocacy efforts, including complex appeals and policy advocacy.  Approving decisions to undertake major litigation.
• Working with the Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, Director of Program Development & Compliance, and Director of Resource Development to identify potential funding sources, develop proposals, and prepare periodic reports on services rendered, based upon Legal Aid’s priorities and careful analysis of its resources and client needs.
• With Legal Aid staff, coordinating interaction and partnerships with other legal services providers, community organizations and/or other collaborators.  Helping to foster and maintain relationships with the Bench, the Bar, community organizations, governmental entities, and schools of law.

The successful Chief Counsel will:

• Be passionate about the mission of Legal Aid and demonstrate a commitment to providing legal services to low income and elderly persons.
• Possess 5 – 10 years of leadership and management experience, preferably in legal services. 
• Have prior involvement in significant litigation and advocacy.
• Have knowledge of technology as it relates to the practice of law and services to clients.
• Value diversity and be culturally competent.
• Possess excellent communications skills.
• Be an effective leader and member of a program team.
• Be a creative, innovative, risk-taking advocate.
• Have a LL.B. or J.D. degree, plus at least ten years experience as an attorney, five of which should have been in legal services. 
• Be admitted to the Maryland Bar or be eligible for and willing to take the first available bar examination.

Salary:  $100,000 and up depending upon experience

Location:  500 E. Lexington Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Benefits Include:  Pension Plan, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Dental Insurance, Short-term disability and Vacation, Sick, and Holiday Leave.

Applications:  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.  In order to receive full consideration, however, candidates are urged to submit their materials before May 1, 2009.  Interested candidates should submit a letter expressing in detail why they are interested in the position of Chief Counsel of Maryland Legal Aid, as well as what they believe they can contribute to the future of the organization and client community.  The letter should be accompanied by a current resume, writing sample of five to ten pages which exemplifies their advocacy efforts, and names and contact information for three references.

Materials should be submitted electronically to Phillip Stillman, Chief of Human Resources, pstillman@mdlab.org in Microsoft Word format. 

Maryland Legal Aid is being assisted in the search by Patricia Pap, Executive Director, Management Information Exchange, 617-556-0288, ppap@m-i-e.org.  Candidates with questions about the position or process are encouraged to contact her.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

To learn more about Maryland Legal Aid and its work, visit www.mdlab.org.

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South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (SCCLS) seeks an energetic and skilled executive to lead a large southeastern Massachusetts nonprofit law firm in its mission to achieve equal justice for low-income and elderly residents through community-based legal advocacy by providing high quality, culturally competent legal services to the region’s low-income population.

About SCCLS

South Coastal Counties Legal Services is the organization that emerged after the 2006 merger of Legal Services of Cape, Plymouth and the Islands, Inc. and Southeastern Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation.  Today, SCCLS is the second largest legal services organization in Massachusetts, with an annual budget of $4 million and a strong, experienced, and unionized staff of 33 advocates and support personnel and 11 management and administrative staff.  At full-service offices in Brockton, Fall River, Hyannis, and New Bedford, and satellite offices in Attleboro, Plymouth, and Taunton; SCCLS handles over 7,000 cases annually, which benefit over 15,000 clients and their families. 

SCCLS receives 75% of its support from the state of Massachusetts and from IOLTA grants, which is supplemented by federal and foundation grants, city and county contracts, private donations and attorney fee awards.

Since May 2008, SCCLS has been ably led by an Interim Executive Director.  At this juncture, the incoming Executive Director will have the opportunity to help shape the future of SCCLS as it moves forward with its newly instituted emphasis on raising the profile and visibility of the program and increasing impact advocacy. 

The South Coastal area is rich in history, natural beauty and cultural offerings and offers easy access to Boston and Providence. 

About the Position

The Executive Director serves as SCCLS’s chief executive and must bring a passion for:

·      Providing culturally competent legal services to low-income people,

·      Presenting SCCLS to the public and to key stakeholders, and

·      Serving as an inspirational leader to SCCLS’s committed staff of attorneys, paralegals and administrative personnel.

The Executive Director has overall management responsibility for strategic, programmatic, human resources, administrative, financial, fundraising and marketing operations, supported by a Management Team of five senior managers and four administrators.  Key responsibilities include:

Organizational Direction/Program Leadership

·      Lead and direct the overall operation of SCCLS, implementing strategic goals and program objectives in compliance with the policies established by the Board of Directors and funding sources, and developing organizational structures and functions consistent with those objectives and goals.

·      Work with the Board of Directors and staff to further develop and implement SCCLS’ strategic plan; to monitor and evaluate the organization’s work and projects to assure their effectiveness; and to modify projects, policies, and procedures as needed.

·      Oversee strategic and other planning processes to make SCCLS a strong effective law firm that delivers high quality legal services to the region’s low-income population.

·      Lead the integration of projects, practice groups, offices, and staff members into a cohesive,  client-focused program.

·      Provide leadership for the integration of SCCLS and the New Center for Legal Advocacy (the federally- funded legal services program for our region) into a cohesive regional system, and work with the Regional Coordination Committee (made up of members of SCCLS’s and NCLA’s boards of directors) to provide direction and resolve potential conflicts over regional programs and services.

·      Increase the amount of impact work done by SCCLS by ensuring that practice groups take a leadership role in propelling regional systemic strategies within particular substantive areas to achieve greater results for the effort involved.

Human Resources

·      Oversee all human resource matters including the implementation of personnel policies, employment of staff, negotiation of collective bargaining agreements with the union representing SCCLS employees, and handling of grievances.

·      Directly oversee the supervision and evaluation of senior managers and administrative staff to assure that all members of South Coastal management achieve their goals in a coordinated, effective manner.

·      Ensure the implementation of HR best practices with particular attention to maintaining the quality of legal services, good client relations, work efficiency, and fostering an overall atmosphere of mutual cooperation, internal communication and morale within the context of a unionized workplace.

Financial Management/Fundraising

·      In alignment with strategic goals and anticipated revenue, prepare an annual operating and capital budget to submit to the Board for discussion and ratification.

·      Work to secure the level of program funding necessary to meet current and new program needs by increasing and diversifying private and public funding, doing so collaboratively with other legal aid, human service, bar, and similar organizations when appropriate.

Community Relations

·      Serve as the primary public spokesperson for SCCLS, representing and fostering respect for SCCLS in the community at large.

·      Establish and maintain effective communication and relations with the client community, the private bar, the courts, funding sources, governmental and community organizations serving low-income persons, legislators, public officials, the media, and others interested in legal services for low-income people.

·      Work with regional partner and LSC program, New Center for Legal Advocacy, to foster understanding and appreciation of services provided by the regional legal aid coalition.

·      Work with others in the state, including other legal aid programs and organizations, interested in legal services for low-income people, to create a strong statewide legal aid system; participate in local, state and national activities to increase the availability of legal services to low income and elderly people, and assure that clients receive the highest quality legal assistance possible.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate must present a history of leadership in the areas of legal services and nonprofit management.  Recognizing that no one individual will bring all of the desired qualifications, the ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate a significant record of work that incorporates strong legal, leadership, management, fundraising, communication, and administrative skills with the ability to relate effectively to a diverse clientele and staff.

Experience:

·      Must have at least five years’ experience in providing culturally competent legal assistance to low-income individuals and families and at least five years’ senior-level experience in management, administrative and/or leadership positions in a nonprofit legal or human services program, or equivalent experience demonstrating outstanding skills in those areas. 

·      Must be an attorney in good standing, continuously licensed to practice law for at least the past five years.

Credentials:

·      Must either be licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or be eligible for admission to the Massachusetts bar at the time of hiring (must be admitted within one year of hire).

Skills:

·      Must have extensive knowledge and understanding of the legal problems of low-income populations and the provision of culturally competent legal services to low-income populations.

·      Must have strong legal, leadership, management, fundraising, and communication skills, with the ability to relate effectively to a diverse clientele and staff.

·      Must have knowledge of and a willingness to comply with the fundamental philosophy of legal services in its mandate to provide legal representation, education, and advocacy for low- income and disadvantaged members of the community.

·      Must have meaningful experience in human resource management, and in organizational and financial planning.

·      Must have a demonstrable ability to relate to and communicate with persons in the legal services’ client community, as well as with persons in social service, government, judicial, and business communities.

·      Proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese desirable.

·      Must have experience with cultivation and solicitation of individual and institutional donors.

Personal Attributes:

·      Must have the ability to inspire and motivate staff and Board.

·      Must be comfortable managing and negotiating organizational change.

·      Must have excellent listening skills.

·      Must embrace the value of diversity in the workplace.

To Apply:

Please email a letter of interest, current resume and salary requirements [in Word format] to:

southcoastalEDsearch@tdcorp.org. The deadline for resumes is May 20, 2009, although applicants are strongly encouraged to apply before the deadline since interviewing will begin before then.  Applications will be acknowledged upon receipt by email.

SCCLS offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

SCCLS is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages candidates who reflect and embrace diverse communities.

Patricia Pap

Executive Director

Management Information Exchange

99 Chauncy St., Suite 402

Boston, MA 02111

617-556-0288

617-507-7729 fax

ppap@m-i-e.org

www.m-i-e.org