Director of Legal Programs, Ayuda

Legal Director

Ayuda is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing direct legal, social and language access services, education, and outreach to low-income immigrants in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Since 1973, Ayuda has provided critical services on a wide range of issues, in the process acquiring nationally recognized expertise in several fields including immigration law, language access, domestic violence and human trafficking. Ayuda has office locations in Washington, DC, Silver Spring, MD and Falls Church, VA.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure the delivery of client-centered, high-quality legal services across Ayuda's offices in DC, Maryland, and Virginia
• Provide supervision to Legal Managers and other positions as needed
• Maintain and develop consistent practices and policies across legal teams
• Serve as an internal resource for ethical issues arising in Ayuda's cases and draw upon support from outside ethics counsel as appropriate
• Oversee program and grant financial management for the legal program, including management of low-bono fee-based services (including client trust accounts)
• Support preparation of grant applications, grant administration and reports
• Collaborate with Ayuda's Social Services and Language Access programs to ensure the provision of holistic services
• Represent Ayuda in meetings with prospective grantors and donors to support Ayuda' s fundraising efforts
• Stay informed about legal changes and help to communicate legal changes and their significance for staff and clients internally
• Support communications by drafting external legal updates and supporting participation in media interviews by legal team
• Represent Ayuda and our clients at local and regional stakeholder, coalition, and advocacy meetings
• Participate in Ayuda's efforts to bring about systemic change on behalf of our clients
• Represent the legal program as a member of Ayuda's Senior Management Team, supporting organizational management and strategic planning and implementation

Qualifications:

• J.D. or L.L.M. degree from an accredited law school and licensed and in good standing to practice law in any U.S. state or territory, with a preference for individuals licensed in DC, MD, and/or Virginia
• Immediate eligibility to apply for admission on motion in DC, MD, and/or Virginia if not already licensed there, and willingness to do so at Ayuda's expense
• 7+ years of experience in legal services or a related area of public interest law (Immigration, domestic violence/family law and/or consumer law experience preferred but not required)
• Prior supervisory experience
• Experience working with low-income immigrant populations and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, child abuse/neglect or other forms of trauma.

Preferred Knowledge and Skills:

• Knowledge of a second language a plus, with Spanish language skills preferred (examples of other languages commonly spoken by Ayuda's clients include Amharic, Arabic, Tagalog, French, and Portuguese)
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, flexibility, and good humor highly desirable
• Excellent judgment, calm demeanor even under pressure, strong work ethic, discrete, resourceful, and able to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and to initiate and follow through on work independently
• Excellent time management skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities
• Strong ethics, with prior IOLTA experience a plus
• Decisive, with ability to exercise independent judgment
• Proven ability to develop and maintain a positive team environment and support staff morale and resilience
• Ability to mentor, train and provide career path guidance to staff

How to Apply

Please apply here with resume and cover letter. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Apply early for full consideration. No phone calls, please.