Family Law Practice Group Chair

Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV) is a large, high-volume legal aid organization in Virginia, with 45+ attorneys spanning seven offices. We help thousands of clients each year in civil legal matters, while cultivating relationships with community service organizations, local law firms, pro bono attorneys, and local bar associations, and other stakeholders to serve the region’s low-income and neediest populations.

Job Summary: Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV) is seeking a full-time Family Law Practice Group Chair to join our dedicated team.

This full-time attorney position requires demonstrated expertise in the substantive area of domestic violence and family law, overseeing the family law practice group.

This is a hybrid position which can be based at any of our office locations in Virginia.

Essential Functions:

• Maintains a limited but active caseload, independently or with other program personnel, of complex and impact matters suitable for an attorney of this level of knowledge and experience.
• Leads program-wide practice group meetings in the substantive law subject area(s), designed to bring practitioners in the area together to debrief, share ideas, and coordinate strategies.
  • Ensures that the practice area(s) remain high quality, innovative and responsive to the needs of client communities.
  • Responsible for designing and implementing training for the substantive practice area, both internally and externally.
• Provides active mentoring, supervision, and support to attorneys and paralegals in ongoing cases within the substantive practice area.
• Develops and maintains a substantive area pleadings bank for program-wide use, pro se informational content, and materials to assist community partners.
• Cooperates with Managing Attorneys and the Deputy Director of Advocacy to assess needs, provide appropriate staffing of cases, and adjust program priorities.
• Provides input to Managing Attorneys in the evaluation of attorney/paralegal performance and development in practice areas.
• Continues to develop expertise in the practice area(s) and serves as a resource to staff on substantive and procedural law, as well as legislative developments in the practice area(s), including providing technical assistance to community partners and the broader legal aid community.
• Takes a lead role on complex advocacy, including affirmative litigation, appeals, policy advocacy and community outreach or education efforts.
• Collaborates with the Managing Attorney for Pro Bono to plan, train, mentor, and manage programs within the subject area(s).
• Works with the Deputy Director of Advocacy and Managing Attorneys to assess and address the needs of the low-income and domestic violence communities in the service area and to facilitate comprehensive and strategic outreach to clients and communities; with the ability to maintain positive relations with diverse populations.
• Ensures LSNV’s representation and participation in local Coordinated Community Response or other teams responding to Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Human Trafficking.
• Assists with the application, compliance, supervision, and reporting of grants and funders.
• Serves as an active member of LSNV’s Management Team.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will possess a demonstrated commitment to public interest work, survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and a strong desire to assist indigent applicants. Further, the ideal candidate will meet the following requirements:

• Must be either licensed with the Virginia State Bar (in good standing) or have two years of practice in another state (LAC Rule 1A:9).
• Minimum of three (3) years of litigation experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to legal aid/pro bono/non-profit work.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with or assisting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or human trafficking in a trauma-informed manner.
• Active involvement in the community, local bar associations, statewide task forces, and other state or local groups and committees that address systemic needs of clients.
• Superior knowledge of litigating family law matters for survivors of domestic violence.
• Outstanding interpersonal relationship building and employee coaching and development skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to meet deadlines and perform multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail.
• Trauma-informed people management experience, preferred.

Travel: Up to 30% local travel may be required, depending on the attorney’s location and the specific requirements of the practice group.

We are proud to foster a supportive work environment where you can grow both personally and professionally. Enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes healthcare insurance, a retirement plan with company contribution, generous leave options (including paid parental leave and monthly wellness leave), a flexible hybrid work model, tax-free student loan repayment assistance currently available up to $7,500 per year, and more!

LSNV is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race (including traits historically associated with race such as hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles), color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy (including childbirth or related medical conditions and lactation), age (40 and older), marital status, disability, and military status.