NSBA Senior Director - Legal Services

Position Title: Senior Director – Legal Services

Department: Executive Office
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Hybrid Remote

Primary Position Objective and Purpose

The Senior Director, Legal Services, provides leadership in advancing NSBA's legal advocacy agenda. The position provides legal advice to the Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors, and senior leadership regarding governance matters, including constitution and bylaws, board policies, corporate records, committee structures, fiduciary duties, ethics, and conflicts of interest.

This position manages and supports NSBA’s Council of School Attorneys (COSA) program, recognized nationally as a premier professional network for attorneys representing public school boards, school districts, and state school boards associations, and others interested in school law. Through COSA, the position promotes legal excellence and delivers timely legal resources and professional development opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify, analyze, and communicate, emerging federal and national legal developments affecting public education through publications, webinars, seminars, legal guidance, and speaking engagements.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage contracts, grants, sponsorship agreements, licensing agreements, vendor agreements, memoranda of understanding, and other legal documents.
• Monitor federal and national legal developments affecting public education and school governance.
• Support NSBA's legal advocacy activities, including amicus brief development, regulatory comments, and legal publications.
• Provide legal counsel to the Association on nonprofit governance, fiduciary responsibilities, ethics, conflicts of interest, and compliance matters.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Required

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law in a state or the District of Columbia, in good standing.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible legal experience in school law, education law, nonprofit law, association law, public policy, government relations, or related fields.
• Demonstrated expertise in legal research, legal writing, regulatory analysis, and public policy.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts and legal agreements.
• Knowledge of nonprofit governance principles and board governance practices.
• Strong oral presentation and public speaking skills.
• Ability to work effectively with senior executives, boards of directors, member leaders, and legal professionals.

Preferred

• Experience serving as in-house counsel, general counsel, or legal advisor to a nonprofit organization, membership association, or educational organization.
• Experience in school law or representation of public-school districts, boards of education, or state school boards associations.
• Experience drafting comments on federal regulations and legislation.
• Experience managing professional legal networks or member programs.
• Experience writing and editing legal publications and resources.
• Seminar, conference, webinar development, and presentation experience.
• Familiarity with amicus brief development and appellate advocacy.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Yes

Certifications and Licenses

• Active license to practice law in a state or the District of Columbia required.
• Eligibility for admission to practice before federal courts is preferred.