WHO WE ARE: Founded in 1966, CRLA’s mission is to fight for justice and individual rights alongside the most exploited communities of our society. California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. offers legal services that defend the rights of the rural poor and change the unjust systems that oppress them. Our advocates believe that rural communities can thrive, and that the justice system can be worked to the advantage of people who reject poverty and discrimination. The work we advance spans an impressive gamut of venues and stands on a bold legacy of success and a vision for the prosperity of our clients. The Agriculture Worker Program is a foundational part of CRLA’s history and legacy.
Position: Legal Director
Experience: 5+ years
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Location: Any CRLA office (hybrid)
Other: FLSA Exempt, Non-Union Position, Full-Time (37.5hrs per week)
Position Description:
Reporting to the Deputy Director, the Agricultural Worker Program Legal Director will lead a dynamic team across five offices to implement creative advocacy strategies to address community-identified issues affecting California’s agricultural workers. The Legal Director will be responsible for setting the vision of the program, supervising program staff, strategic advocacy, and collaborating on grant acquisition and management.
The Agricultural Worker Program utilizes a community lawyering model to address the specific, discrete, and systemic issues facing agricultural workers statewide. The model calls for creative, innovative advocacy that uses a multipronged approach to address the issues and their systemic roots. Approaches such as community leadership development and advocacy around policies are as important to the work as traditional legal advocacy.
The Agricultural Worker Program (AWP) covers a wide array of legal areas ranging from wage and hour violations to unsafe industry-wide working conditions. AWP’s clients are low-wage agricultural workers, including farmworkers and people who work in: dairies, packing houses, plant and flower nurseries, and meat and animal product processing operations such as meat and egg packing.
Essential Responsibilities:
Supervision of Program Staff and Advocacy -
* Supervision of AWP’s Directing Attorneys who oversee each AWP office.
* Work with AWP’s Directing Attorneys to supervise program staff and advocacy.
* Work with AWP’s Directing Attorneys to supervise and guide staff’s advocacy work, including assessing legal needs and reviewing and editing litigation-related documents.
* The Legal Director ensures that case handling complies with CRLA policies, Legal Services Corporation regulations, the ABA Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Services, and ethical obligations.
* Conduct weekly case review meetings with staff to monitor for quality legal services and compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.
* Periodically visit offices where program staff and work are located.
* Work with AWP’s Directing Attorneys to guide staff development, including evaluating staff and developing and implementing professional development plans.
Strategic Advocacy -
* Litigate impact cases as lead or co-counsel and/or work on systemic advocacy.
* Raise awareness of the specific issues facing agricultural workers and CRLA’s work through media, participation in conferences, and collaboration with other organizations, agencies, and issue- and community-based coalitions.
Program Management -
* Develop and implement the annual Agricultural Worker Program office work plans. The work plans serves as a blueprint for systemic advocacy and sets out a results-oriented program that blends various advocacy approaches to impact change locally, nationally, and statewide.
* Work with the Development and Finance teams to evaluate and apply for grant opportunities.
* Understand, monitor, and ensure fulfillment of grant deliverables and necessary outcomes, including timekeeping and other LSC requirements.
* In collaboration with the CRLA Leadership Team, coordinate the general administration of the Agricultural Worker Program, including developing and overseeing the program budget.
Organizational Responsibilities -
* Collaborate with other CRLA Legal Directors to improve CRLA’s organizational effectiveness and capacity.
* Support the establishment of policies and programs that promote a desirable organizational culture and vision.
* Model appropriate leadership behaviors and take swift action to mitigate behaviors that compromise CRLA values.
* In collaboration with Human Resources, ensure a culture of knowledge sharing and continued learning.
Required Qualifications:
* Minimum of five (5) years of experience practicing law, preferably with a social justice focus in the areas of agricultural communities, farmworker rights, employment law, language access, or civil rights.
* Experience and/or proven ability to organize and supervise the casework and advocacy of team members.
* Knowledge and commitment to community lawyering principles.
* Demonstrated ability to interact constructively and maintain positive relations with diverse populations and team members.
* Demonstrated commitment to working with low-income, marginalized and diverse populations.
* Admitted to the California Bar, or any other State Bar and willingness to take the next California Bar Exam.
Preferred Qualifications:
* Experience in a non-profit legal services environment.
* Fluency in another language, preferably Spanish or an Indigenous Language from Mexico.
* Experience in obtaining grants and managing them through to completion.
* This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required for this job.
* Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Compensation & Benefits:
CRLA offers a diverse, family-friendly environment and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries; the expected pay range for this position is $111,000 to $139,000 per annum. CRLA provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what is reasonably expected to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, the program’s budget availability, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Generous benefits package includes 100% employer-covered Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Short & Long-Term Disability Insurance for employees and up to 50% for dependents coverage; and a 401K Retirement plan with CRLA contribution matching effective immediately. Generous paid leave policy includes 15 days of sick leave, 15 holidays each year, and 15 vacation days (accrue 15 days for the first year of service and 20 days after one year of service at CRLA). Some professional dues are paid by CRLA (Bar Fees) and, if qualified, up to $6,000 annually for the law school Loan Reimbursement Assistance Program (LRAP) through CRLA.
CRLA requires that all employees be Fully Vaccinated, defined as a CDC-approved COVID vaccination and one booster shot. This offer is contingent on meeting this requirement. The complete vaccination policy, including the process for reasonable allowable accommodations, is available for your review upon request.
CRLA invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice.
California Rural Legal Assistance thrives on our diversity and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, persons of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply.