Director of Legal Services (4-Day Week, Hybrid)

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS) is a nonprofit legal aid organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of low-income adults and children with mental health disabilities. For five decades, MHAS has provided free legal services, advocacy, and education so that our clients can secure the housing, public benefits, education, and other resources they need to thrive in their communities. Guided by a deep commitment to equity and inclusion, MHAS works at the intersection of mental health and social justice: empowering individuals, influencing systems, and driving lasting policy change to create a more just and compassionate society. MHAS will celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2027.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

MHAS seeks to hire an experienced attorney and leader to serve as its Director of Legal Services. The Director leads MHAS's legal work and the systems that support it and is a member of MHAS’s Senior Leadership Team. The position reports to the Executive Director and works alongside the Leadership Team and MHAS’s Board of Directors to set organizational priorities and make decisions about staffing, funding, and programs.

The Director mentors and supervises MHAS's Supervising Attorneys, who in turn supervise MHAS’s attorneys and advocates, and oversees at the highest level every MHAS project, ensuring that each meets its deliverables and complies with all project requirements. The Director also leads the infrastructure behind MHAS’s legal work, including intake, case management systems and data, and quality control. The Director will also be tasked with re-developing MHAS’s pro bono program. Much of MHAS’s work is delivered through partnerships with mental health and social service agencies, and the Director works with the Executive Director and Supervising Attorneys to manage those relationships. This position does not carry a caseload.

The ideal candidate will have substantial legal aid experience, a track record of supervising and developing attorneys, and the ability to provide substantive legal guidance across several of MHAS’s practice areas. They will be a steady, collaborative leader who can balance strategic thinking with building practical systems that make the work of MHAS’s legal team sustainable.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:

Leadership & Strategy

1. Partner with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and other members of the Senior Leadership Team to set the organization’s strategic priorities.
2. Develop new legal projects and partnerships that advance MHAS’s mission and help evaluate which opportunities MHAS should pursue.
3. Develop, maintain, and improve relationships with legal services organizations, mental health and social service partners, government agencies, funders, and other stakeholders.
4. Maintain expertise across multiple poverty law practice areas and stay current on changes in the law; and execute other projects and tasks as needed to further MHAS’s mission.

Supervision & Staff Development

1. Plan, assign, and direct the work of the Supervising Attorneys, regularly evaluate performance, and provide ongoing mentorship, feedback, and teaching.
2. Oversee the recruitment, selection, onboarding, and training of attorneys, legal fellows, law clerks, and non-attorney advocates.
3. Provide substantive legal supervision and guidance so that MHAS attorneys and advocates provide competent, ethical, and trauma-informed legal assistance to clients.
4. Foster a supportive and collaborative team culture with manageable caseloads and sustainable working conditions.

Legal Services Quality & Infrastructure

1. Conduct regular case review and ensure legal services are consistent with MHAS priorities, policies, and procedures, professional responsibility rules, and funder requirements.
2. Oversee MHAS’s intake, case acceptance, case management, and case closing processes, including MHAS’s case management system (LegalServer) and the MHAS Case Management Manual.
3. Monitor service delivery data, case outcomes, and client trends to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of MHAS’s services.
4. Re-develop and oversee MHAS’s pro bono program, including recruiting pro bono volunteers and placing and supporting pro bono cases.
5. Oversee, and at times directly provide, legal training and technical assistance to MHAS staff, partner agency staff, and community organizations, including maintaining MHAS’s status as an approved MCLE provider and submitting required reports to the State Bar.
6. In partnership with MHAS’s development and finance staff, oversee progress toward grant and contract deliverables, data collection, and the program content of grant applications and reports.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Active membership in good standing in the California State Bar.
2. 10+ years of legal experience, including substantial experience in legal aid, public interest, or poverty law practice.
3. 5+ years of experience supervising, mentoring, and developing attorneys and other staff.
4. Ability to provide substantive legal guidance in several of the following areas: mental health law, housing, public benefits, special education, consumer law, and re-entry and expungement.
5. Experience building or improving systems that support legal work, such as intake, case management, data tracking, or quality control.
6. Commitment to advancing the rights of people with mental health disabilities; people who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC); immigrants; and other historically marginalized groups.
7. Capacity to model and support a trauma-informed approach to serving clients under acute and/or chronic stress.
8. Excellent oral and written communication skills with meticulous attention to detail.
9. Strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
10. Demonstrated ability to analyze complex problems and develop creative solutions.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience with:

1. LegalServer, including building reports.
2. Managing grant-funded projects and deliverables.
3. Supervising public policy advocacy, including knowledge of policy advocacy rules affecting California nonprofits and legal aid funding recipients.
4. Spotting patterns in direct services work and developing systemic advocacy solutions, such as policy change, coalition work, or amicus participation.
5. Developing and supporting fellowship applications (such as Skadden and Equal Justice Works).
6. Working with pro bono attorneys or overseeing pro bono programs

LOCATION AND SCHEDULE:

This is a hybrid position. While most work can be done remotely, and there are no regularly-scheduled in-office days for the position, the Director may occasionally be required to attend in-person meetings or other events at the MHAS office in Glendale, at partner organizations and/or other locations. Events may occasionally take place outside of regular MHAS working hours, including evenings and weekends. All MHAS staff have access to the MHAS headquarters office as needed. MHAS equips all employees working from home with necessary technology and other office supplies. The Director will be required to live in the Los Angeles area.

We expect this position to start in early 2027.

FRINGE BENEFITS AND WORK CULTURE

On January 1, 2023, MHAS proudly and permanently adopted a four-day work week. All full-time MHAS employees, including this position, work four, eight-hour days per week. The MHAS office is closed on Fridays.

Other benefits include paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave; employee health, dental, vision, long term disability, and life insurance; and parking/transit fare reimbursement. MHAS offers a bilingual pay supplement of up to $100 per month, subject to language testing.

MHAS is proud of its collegial, family-friendly culture that respects the work/life balance of its employees. To that end, MHAS is willing to consider flexible work schedules on a case-by-case basis. MHAS also provides employees with frequent wellness opportunities, including trainings on stress management and mindfulness, group meditations, and regular, informal staff gatherings.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION:

Mental Health Advocacy Services seeks to fill all positions with people who share our values, including our organizational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage all interested individuals to apply - especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people experiencing mental health and/or physical disabilities; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, or non-binary; immigrants; people who have been affected by mass incarceration; and people from other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We believe that the resulting diversity is both a source of program strength and a matter of fundamental human fairness.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

View full job announcement at Employment Opportunities — Mental Health Advocacy Services. Submit the following to info@mhas-la.org (please write “Employment Application-Director of Legal Services” in the subject line):

1. Resume
2. Cover letter discussing any and/or all of the following:
   • How you heard about the position;
   • Your motivation for seeking the position;
   • Your interest in working with the communities MHAS serves;
   • How you meet the minimum qualifications; and/or
   • How your personal background or experience, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

MHAS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, mental or physical disability, or any other basis protected by law.

FRINGE BENEFITS AND WORK CULTURE

On January 1, 2023, MHAS proudly and permanently adopted a four-day work week. All full-time MHAS employees, including this position, work four, eight-hour days per week. The MHAS office is closed on Fridays.

Other benefits include paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave; employee health, dental, vision, long term disability, and life insurance; and parking/transit fare reimbursement. MHAS offers a bilingual pay supplement of up to $100 per month, subject to language testing.

MHAS is proud of its collegial, family-friendly culture that respects the work/life balance of its employees. To that end, MHAS is willing to consider flexible work schedules on a case-by-case basis. MHAS also provides employees with frequent wellness opportunities, including trainings on stress management and mindfulness, group meditations, and regular, informal staff gatherings.