Director of Private Attorney Involvement

Neighborhood Legal Services Program of the District of Columbia has an immediate opening for an experienced attorney with a deep commitment to public interest to serve as our Director of Private Attorney Involvement. Open until filled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF POSITION

Neighborhood Legal Services Program of the District of Columbia (NLSP) is a federally funded, non- profit, civil legal services law firm that provides free legal information, advice, and representation to low-income District of Columbia residents. We help with problems involving housing, family, domestic violence, public benefits, and other economic security matters. We also provide advice on some consumer issues and assist with preparing wills and advance directives. Our neighborhood- based, service delivery model -- which includes offices in Wards 5, 7 and 8 -- allows us to bring dedicated legal services attorneys and enthusiastic pro bono lawyers into low-income communities across the city to provide legal help while they learn first-hand the myriad, daily challenges faced by residents living in poverty.

The Director of the Private Attorney Initiative is the senior attorney in the firm who is responsible for identifying and managing the rich range of pro bono resources that are generously provided to the firm by members of the private bar, government attorneys, law school students, in- house legal departments, and paralegal programs in the District of Columbia. The Director of the Private Attorney Initiative serves as a member of the firm’s Senior Management Team, reports directly to the Executive Director, and is actively involved in firm management including setting case acceptance priorities, budgeting, development, and long-term, strategic planning.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Manage the firm’s “Private Attorney Involvement (PAI)” program (45 C.F.R § 1614) which was designed to ensure that recipients of federal, Legal Services Corporation grants involve private attorneys in the delivery of legal assistance to eligible clients.
• Develop and manage relationships with private law firms, in-house counsel, government attorneys, and law schools to identify and recruit potential volunteer attorneys and law students.
• Administer collection and maintenance of PAI data, including but not limited to tracking progress on placement of cases designated for pro bono referral, timely closing and tracking outcomes of pro bono cases, preserving background and contact information used to screen and identify volunteers, documenting outreach to potential volunteers, and tracking and reporting the hours recorded by NLSP staff on PAI matters.
• Collaborate closely with NLSP’s Management Team to innovate projects and involve volunteers to support all existing practice units. Ensure regular, continuous rotation of loaned associate program with Covington & Burling, including coordination of supervision with Managing Attorneys.
• Deliver training and, as-needed, directly supervise the legal work of the pro bono attorneys. Design all operational controls, training materials, and administrative processes used to track, monitor, and coordinate pro bono legal work.
• Manage substantive legal work on case types designated for pro bono program that are not routinely performed within the firm’s practice units, which currently consists of Wills and Estates practice.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Director of Development, and Director of Finance to perform grant-reporting responsibilities by providing statistical analyses and other data related to the firm’s use of volunteers. Support fundraising efforts connected to law firms’ involvement with PAI Program.
• Develop and implement Yearly Strategic PAI Plans and ensure compliance with PAI Operations and Procedures.
• Build and maintain relationships with the private attorneys, bar associations, community- based organizations, government agencies, and other entities that serve the District’s low- income community to raise awareness about NLSP’s services and to foster collaborations to better address the needs of our shared client community.
• Work closely with NLSP’s Litigation and Advocacy Director to promote community engagement strategies and volunteer projects in a manner that furthers NLSP’s overall advocacy goals and strengthens its capacity to serve clients.
• Identify opportunities for NLSP to join local and national conversations around poverty, removing barriers to access to justice, challenges facing the District’s low-income residents, and the use of volunteers to deliver legal services.
• Actively participate in the District’s growing community of pro bono professionals.

COMPENSATION
Competitive salary and benefits package which includes employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance; employer-subsidized family health coverage; paid vacation, holidays, personal days, and sick leave; 8-week parental leave for birth or adoption of a child; employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance; 403(b) Thrift Plan (voluntary retirement savings program); and tax-free transit benefits.

ABOUT NLSP
Established in 1964, NLSP pioneered the concept of a law office rooted in the neighborhoods that it serves and established landmark precedents which have retained their vitality and relevance. NLSP remains embedded in D.C.’s most low-income communities, builds its work on strong partnerships with community-based organizations, and seeks to achieve lasting change for its clients and their communities by using a full range of advocacy tools. Its diverse, multi-lingual, and passionate staff embrace an explicitly anti-poverty mission and share a deep commitment to securing meaningful access to justice.