Managing Attorney of Legal Services

JOB POSTING –Managing Attorney of Legal Services

The Legal Action Center (LAC) seeks a full-time Managing Attorney of Legal Services to supervise client services provided by the legal department’s staff attorneys, paralegals, and administrative team. This person will play a key role in LAC’s client education work and provide legal services to LAC’s clients. The managing attorney of legal services will also help integrate LAC’s legal services into its multi-dimensional strategy of direct legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and education that prioritizes achieving racial justice and equity and engaging directly impacted communities. This role will report to the senior vice president of legal advocacy.

The position is based in New York City. LAC has instituted a hybrid work model that offers the opportunity to work remotely, some of the time. COVID-19 vaccination and boosters are preferred.

About the Organization: The Legal Action Center (LAC) fights for the rights of people who use drugs, are in recovery, are living with HIV/AIDS or mental health conditions, and people with arrest/conviction records. We combat discrimination and advocate for equitable health outcomes and to drastically shrink the reach and harm of the criminal legal system. With offices in New York City and Washington, D.C., LAC uses a multi-faceted approach to effectuate its mission and create systemic change, including through impact litigation, legal services, education, and policy advocacy.

For over 50 years, LAC has fought to dismantle systemic barriers that perpetuate racial disparities in health, justice, and opportunities. LAC’s litigation and legal services program has established cutting-edge legal precedents and provided legal services that helped tens of thousands of individuals with conviction and arrest records, substance use disorders, or HIV/AIDS overcome discrimination and privacy violations in myriad walks of life, including employment, housing, education, and health care. Read about our legal services and impact litigation.

LAC’s legal team of seven attorneys, four paralegals, and administrative staff serves over 1,000 people annually. Together with other staff, they also engage in a robust education and technical assistance program that reaches thousands more. These programs directly inform – and are informed by – LAC’s policy advocacy and special projects, such as Clean Slate NY.

Position overview: The legal services managing attorney will oversee the high volume of client services performed by paralegal and administrative staff, maintain a limited caseload, coordinate and conduct much of the department’s educational work, nurture and expand relationships with community partners, and assist with managing the administrative aspects of the project, including grants management and operational aspects of service delivery. The legal services managing attorney will work closely with departmental leaders to shape and implement LAC’s legal services program to effectively integrate with LAC’s racial justice and equity priorities, litigation, and policy work.

Duties and responsibilities

• Manage LAC’s direct legal services program
  • Support, supervise, and promote the professional growth of five legal services staff;
  • Direct operational aspects of LAC’s direct legal services work, in close coordination with legal department leadership;
  • Maintain a limited docket of legal services cases – including provision of legal counsel and representation in conviction sealing cases, pre-litigation negotiations, and administrative proceedings;
  • Serve as internal subject matter expert on record clearance and other matters related to clients’ prior criminal legal system involvement;
  • Play a key role in managing the administrative aspects of the LAC’s legal services, including grants management and reporting, data gathering, proposal writing, identifying and pursuing new funding opportunities, evaluating and enhancing client intake processes, developing and implementing legal services policies and procedures, and managing day-to-day issues – in collaboration with LAC’s development team and the senior vice president of legal advocacy;
  • Stay abreast of best practices in legal services delivery, including incorporation of AI and other technology, as appropriate;
  • Collaborate with legal and policy staff to engage people with lived experience in informing and participating in LAC legal services work;
  • Collaborate with departmental leadership to shape the direction of the legal department’s work and identify systemic issues that could be addressed through strategic litigation or policy advocacy.
• Lead a key portion of client education and outreach work
  • Work with legal, development, policy, and communications teams to develop and implement strategies to educate and engage New Yorkers in need of LAC’s services and resources;
  • Supervise, create, and disseminate written and electronic material;
  • Develop and lead webinars and in-person trainings, and other community education events;
  • Develop and oversee off-site and other legal services collaborations, as well as pro bono projects, in collaboration with other departmental staff;
  • Cultivate relationships with community-based organizations, attend community events, coordinate other departmental staff’s attendance at such events, and lead LAC’s legal services outreach – helping to ensure that LAC’s work is informed by and serves communities most impacted by the war on drugs and mass incarceration and meets LAC’s racial justice and equity priorities.
• Engage in the broader advocacy work of the legal department, working with the policy and communications departments: participate in policy discussions and shaping of LAC’s policy agenda; possibly conduct limited policy advocacy; cultivate and respond to media opportunities on issues relevant to LAC’s legal services agenda.
• Collaborate with outside legal services providers, plaintiffs’ attorneys, and advocacy groups, including through participation in task forces and coalitions and attending conferences.

Job Qualifications:

We recognize that strong candidates may not meet 100% of the qualifications listed. If you believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, we encourage you to apply.

• 5+ years of experience in a high-volume legal services practice serving underrepresented communities – at least two years of which involve working in the criminal legal system (ideally, including felony cases);
• 3+ years of supervisory experience and demonstrated ability to inspire, lead, and support the growth and development of a team of paralegals and administrative staff;
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice and equity;
• Familiarity with and passion for dismantling barriers to re-entry, ending mass incarceration, promoting a public health approach to substance use, securing and enforcing privacy rights, and promoting racial and economic justice;
• Excellent written and oral communication and advocacy skills, including the ability to relate and communicate effectively with a diverse group of clients, community partners, legal, non-profit, and government stakeholders;
• Ability to write in plain English and create and edit educational materials and presentations for low-literacy audiences as well as LAC’s other stakeholders;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work cooperatively within LAC and to network effectively with external stakeholders, including government officials, service providers, advocates, and directly impacted individuals;
• Proven ability to problem-solve creatively while maintaining a sense of humor;
• Familiarity with employment, disability rights, insurance, and health privacy law, substance use, and/or HIV-related issues a plus;
• Bilingual in Spanish strongly preferred;
• Experience with compliance, operations, and contract and grant management a plus;
• Experience speaking publicly and to the media a plus;
• J.D. and admission to the New York State Bar.

Compensation and Benefits:

Salary is commensurate with experience. The salary range is $99,000 to $120,000 per year. LAC offers excellent benefits, including medical insurance, 403(b) plan with employer contribution, flexible pre-tax benefits, and generous time off.

Application Instructions:

Please email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample of up to five pages (no calls) as one PDF document to humanresources@lac.org and write “Managing Attorney of Legal Services” in the subject line.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

The Legal Action Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Individuals directly affected or impacted are strongly encouraged to apply.

LAC offers excellent benefits, including medical insurance, a 403(b) plan with employer contribution, flexible pre-tax benefits, and generous time off.

Bilingual in Spanish preferred.