Assistant Litigation Director

Position

Iowa Legal Aid seeks an Assistant Litigation Director to help lead the organization’s statewide program of litigation and legal advocacy. This is an executive level position, working under the supervision of the Director of Litigation & Advocacy to ensure Iowa Legal Aid continues to provide the highest possible quality of civil legal assistance to low-income Iowans. This is a great opportunity for an experienced litigator seeking to use their strategy, litigation and leadership experience on behalf of low-income and vulnerable individuals and families. The Assistant Litigation Director may work from any of our locations (Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Mason City, Ottumwa, Sioux City, and Waterloo).

Our Organization

Founded in 1977, Iowa Legal Aid is a statewide, LSC-funded civil legal services firm with a long history of providing quality direct services to low-income people across the state. Our program has an important record of transformational advocacy, defending and strengthening the rights of our clients in a variety of legal areas, including consumer protection, expungement, family law and domestic abuse, housing and other areas critical to survival, safety and economic empowerment. Iowa Legal Aid serves all 99 counties through 10 regional offices as well as a number of innovative and nationally-recognized special projects.

Responsibilities

In conjunction with the Director of Litigation & Advocacy, the Assistant Litigation Director will:

• Lead and guide ILA’s statewide litigation efforts in state and federal courts, including the review and approval of legal filings;
• Collaborate with and guide attorneys and paralegals in trial-level litigation and strategy, including co-counseling, drafting pleadings, conducting depositions, negotiating settlements, and trial procedures and advocacy;
• Assist in the provision of substantive legal, procedural and skills expertise to staff through various means to promote continuous learning and the development of best practices;
• Participate in and help manage ILA’s substantive law workgroups;
• Support strong supervision practices and adherence to case handling standards, funder requirements and professional obligations;
• Serve as the point person for client trust account issues and management in conjunction with ILA’s Finance team;
• Share in the supervision of managing attorneys and/or special projects, as requested;
• Assist with grant writing, compliance and reporting, as well as the preparation of any reports for internal and external stakeholders, as directed; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Applicants must be licensed to practice law in Iowa or eligible to waive in by motion; admission to federal court or ability to be admitted is a plus.
• A minimum of eight years of experience practicing law with a proven record of complex, creative and/or novel civil litigation as lead counsel is required.
• Applicants must possess a demonstrated interest in and knowledge of poverty law and a strong commitment to providing a full range of legal services to low-income people.
• The ability to lead others, think strategically, show a high degree of initiative and manage a caseload are required, along with excellent legal research, writing and communication skills.
• Applicants must demonstrate a working knowledge of civil procedure rules and professional regulations.
• Applicants must be willing and able to travel to Iowa Legal Aid’s 10 regional offices and county and federal courthouses as needed.

Salary/Benefits: Commensurate with experience. Excellent fringe benefits are available, including a generous leave, insurance, and retirement package. Iowa is a great place to live and to work for a non-profit, consistently ranking in the top 10 states for affordability. Seehttps://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/opportunity/affordability.

Closing Date

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until position is filled.

Excellent fringe benefits are available, including a generous leave, insurance, and retirement package.