Legal Director

Organization Overview:

For over 35 years, the Legal Clinic for the Disabled (LCD) has worked to empower low-income people with disabilities and the deaf and hard of hearing in the Philadelphia region by providing free legal representation to overcome legal obstacles that would otherwise affect clients' independence, health, or quality of life. LCD is headquartered in Center City, and our practice areas include family, housing, planning documents, public benefits, and social security law. Through LCD's Medical-Legal Partnership Initiative, staff work directly with medical partners at multiple sites across Philadelphia, and through our Housing Initiative, LCD actively participates in the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project. Additionally, we conduct general telephone intake and hold Community Legal Outreach Clinics. Last year alone, LCD served over 1,900 clients and more than 2,000 additional household members, furthering our mission to foster inclusion, independence, and justice for all.

Position Overview:

The Legal Director reports to the Executive Director (ED) and is responsible for working with the ED to provide leadership to ensure that LCD achieves its overall mission and annual objectives. The Legal Director leads, manages, and supports legal personnel who provide direct client representation and serves as lead counsel or co-counsel in major litigation. The Legal Director also oversees the development and dissemination of legal information (e.g., cases, statutes, and regulations) to provide support to the legal team and assure staff knowledge remains up to date.

Responsibilities:

Leadership:

• Participates in the agency management team and functions as Acting ED when the ED is absent or otherwise unavailable
• Participates in annual development of LCD’s areas of work
• With the ED, establishes program benchmarks and recommends improvements; develops standards for reporting, accountability, and measuring success; and makes program development recommendations to the ED
• Participates in planning and applying for LCD fund diversification, including grant writing and review

Legal Team Management:

• Day-to-day leadership and oversight of the agency’s legal work and legal team members;
• Leadership and oversight of the agency’s advocacy work
• Participates in regularly scheduled meetings with all legal team members
• Engages in legal work on behalf of clients and maintains a personal case load
• Establishes procedures for each step of LCD’s direct services of clients beginning with intake, determining which cases LCD will take based on resources, and the distribution of cases to staff
• In conjunction with the Supervising Attorney, oversees MLP operations at each site, including referral forms and processes, provider trainings, and staffing
• Supervision of attorney case work and court appearances when the Supervising Attorney is otherwise unavailable
• Works with staff to establish annual goals/expectations and conducts 6-month check-ins with staff regarding goals/expectations
• Works with the ED to recruit and hire legal team members
• Oversees orientation and training of new legal team members
• Files impact litigation
• Identifies experienced practitioners to provide mentoring for staff attorneys in new practice areas and other counties
• Oversees the pro bono arm of LCD’s direct services

Program Development and Evaluation:

• Coordination of in-service trainings for staff, including both substantive legal issues as well as skills-based trainings
• Oversees data collection, including setting uniform data points, storage, outcome measures, and client authorizations
• Coordinates with the Supervising Attorney and staff attorneys across MLP sites to share best MLP practices
• Coordinates with the Housing Director to ensure compliance with expected deliverables and outcomes

Community Involvement and Systemic Advocacy:

• Oversees LCD attendance at specific Philadelphia Bar Committee monthly meetings, task force group meetings, and MLP cohort meetings
• In coordination with the ED and Housing Director, cultivate and maintain relationships with regional legal services agencies to identify areas for collaboration;
• In coordination with the ED, identifies areas to target for policy advocacy and impact litigation;
• Oversees submission of abstracts to regional and national conferences regarding the MLP model, LCD’s MLP Initiative, and LCD programs.

Qualifications:

• JD from an accredited law school
• Active Pennsylvania law license
• Minimum of 8 years legal experience, with at least 3 years in a managerial role
• Demonstrated commitment to working with underserved populations and/or experience working in a pro bono legal services organization
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations and develop a creative approach to working with limited resources
• Demonstrated commitment to LCD’s mission, including an understanding of the MLP model and/or intersection of law and health
• Experience developing working relationships across legal, healthcare, and social services sectors
• Adaptable and able to coordinate across the various MLP sites
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate communication within teams and participate effectively as a member in teams
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills
• Sound professional judgment

Working Conditions and Physical Demands:

The Legal Director must be flexible and adaptable. The job requires travel to legal proceedings, client home visits or appointments, community and partner meetings, and other locations.