Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program

Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program

Position Description

Position Classification: Full Time, Exempt, In-Person (San Diego, California)

Reports to: Legal Support and Strategy Director

Salary: $89,115.60-$114,577.20/year (DOE)

Benefits: Fully paid medical, dental, vision and long-term disability for employee; generous paid vacation and paid sick leave; 22 paid holidays; retirement plan; parking reimbursement; and professional

development covered.

Start date: July 1, 2025 (negotiable)

Casa Cornelia is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a positive and inclusive work environment for all employees. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds.

The Firm: Casa Cornelia Law Center (“CCLC”) is a public interest law firm providing quality pro bono legal services to victims of human and civil rights violations with a primary commitment to the indigent within the immigrant community in Southern California. Our legal services include representation to those in removal proceedings or seeking affirmative immigration relief including asylum seekers, abused and abandoned children, and immigrant victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, and other serious crimes who are eligible under U.S. law.CCLC provides pro bono representation through its staff and the support of volunteers, such as private attorneys, law students, and interpreters/translators under the mentorship of CCLC attorneys.

The Program: The Pro Bono Program furthers the mission of CCLC by recruiting, training, and coordinating the work of licensed attorneys and law students who provide volunteer service within CCLC’s core legal programs. Volunteer attorneys recruited and trained by the Pro Bono Program serve in all of CCLC’s core legal programs and function as counsel of record on the cases assigned to them. The Pro Bono Program ensures that these attorneys are appropriate for service within the relevant program, assigns cases, and matches the attorneys with CCLC staff mentors. The Pro Bono Program is also CCLC’s primary point of contact with law firms, in-house counsel offices, law schools, and similar organizations. The Pro Bono Program is also responsible for interviewing and selecting law student interns and assigning these students to work with appropriate CCLC staff. The Pro Bono Program also serves a crucial role in representing CCLC in the community including with potential supporters.

The Position: The Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program, manages the day-to-day operations of the Pro Bono Program, supervises program staff, mentors a limited number of attorneys volunteering in each of the core legal program, and personally provides high-quality representation to a limited number of clients. They are responsible for ensuring that all program functions are conducted according to CCLC policy.

Appointment and Accountability: The Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program, is hired by the Executive Director with recommendation from the Legal Support and Strategy Director and is accountable to the Legal Support and Strategy Director.

Primary responsibilities: The Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program, will discharge the responsibilities of the position by:

1. ensuring that individual clients are treated with dignity and are fully apprised of their legal rights and situation;
2. recognizing the vulnerability of the immigrant population, especially those in proceedings or detention, and accommodating for cultural diversity;
3. overseeing the firm’s Pro Bono Program;
4. implementing firm processes to address the needs of the client population through the use of attorney and law student volunteers;
5. supervising Pro Bono Program staff;
6. arranging work responsibilities commensurate with the qualifications and professional training of staff;
7. communicating with law firms, in-house counsel offices, and law schools, and fostering CCLC’s relationships with these offices;
8. coordinating responses to potential volunteer attorneys and law students;
9. vetting potential volunteer attorneys and ensuring proper training;
10. assigning appropriate cases to appropriate volunteer attorneys;
11. participating in the preparation and maintenance of training materials for volunteers;
12. participating in the training of volunteers;
13. mentoring volunteer attorneys;
14. screening, selecting, and placing law student interns and volunteers;
15. screening, selecting, and placing other interns and volunteers as requested;
16. providing direct, high-quality representation in a limited number of cases from all core legal programs;
17. overseeing and instituting systems for the collection of program data;
18. assuring key program planning goals and objectives are met;
19. cooperating with and participating in fundraising including by providing statistics and information to the Development Office;
20. participating in legal and community outreach to further positive collaboration and good will towards CCLC; and,
21. assuming responsibility for other tasks as assigned by the Legal Support and Strategy Director.

Supervisory Responsibilities: The Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program, directly supervises the work of the Program Assistant, Pro Bono Program. The Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program, may from time to time supervise law student and administrative interns.

Qualifications: The following are required for appointment as the Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program:

1. A commitment to social justice and the mission of CCLC;
2. A Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA-Accredited law school;
3. A license to practice law in California and being in good standing with the relevant licensing authority;
4. Five years of experience practicing law;
5. Three years supervising professionals in a legal setting;
6. Strong writing skills and the ability to prepare persuasive and thoughtful legal documents;
7. Strong leadership skills and ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, and diplomacy;
8. Exceptional communication skills including public speaking;
9. Willingness to work in a fast-paced, collaborative, and detail-oriented environment; and,
10. A demonstrated commitment to serving indigent populations through public interest law.

Candidates for the position of Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Program, with the following additional qualifications will be given priority:

1. Demonstrated scholastic aptitude or history of publication;
2. Familiarity with immigration law and procedure;
3. Fluency in language(s) frequently spoken by CCLC clients;
4. History of recruiting, training, and/or managing volunteers;
5. History of legal or social services program development, implementation, and management;
6. Experienced in public speaking and/or public relations;
7. Experience working in a not-for-profit; and,
8. History of organizational strategic planning and program/project implementation.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

TO APPLY: Email your (1) Cover Letter of Interest, (2) Resume, and (3) Three references to: Applications@CasaCornelia.org.

Please see our website located at www.CasaCornelia.org to learn more about CCLC’s work.

Casa Cornelia Law Center provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, age, medical condition, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, military status, caregiver status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This is a full-time, in-person position.