Legal Aid Society Seeks Advocacy Director

Job Title: Advocacy Director

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Reports To: Executive Director

Supervises: Managing Attorneys

Legal Aid Society is seeking an Advocacy Director to join our Team. Legal Aid Society (LAS) is a historic and advocacy-driven non-profit law firm serving fifteen Kentucky counties. LAS’s service area includes urban, suburban, rural, and both large and small cities, including Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville. Founded in 1921, LAS has a long and vibrant history of fighting for disenfranchised and underserved communities in Kentucky.

The mission of the Legal Aid Society (LAS) is to pursue justice for people in poverty. LAS exists to serve and partner with the diverse Kentucky communities in which our clients reside - seeking to advocate for justice, remove barriers to access to the justice system, and fight for the most underserved in our community.

LAS provides free civil legal services to eligible clients in areas such as family law, consumer law, bankruptcy, non-profit formation and support, eviction, foreclosure, housing conditions, and other matters that relate to the economic security, safety, and stability of individuals and families.

LAS believes in meeting people where they are and provides services through three geographic centers – Downtown Louisville, West Louisville, and Shelbyville. Full services are provided across the entire fifteen-county area and numerous and regular clinics at a variety of community locations.

LAS’s Advocacy Director is retiring after decades of dedicated service. An Advocacy Director is sought to work with the LAS team continuing the legacy of advocacy.

Overview of Position

We are seeking an Advocacy Director to serve as the highest-level advocate in the organization. The successful candidate is expected to be an experienced and professional advocate who has the ability to lead, motivate, and inspire all advocates across the organization.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Experienced litigator, skilled in courtroom litigation and non-courtroom advocacy methods.
• Has a history of achieving results for clients.
• Knowledgeable about legal aid practice areas and poverty law generally.
• Leads the advocacy of LAS, coordinating advocacy work throughout the program and in all forums, including the courts, administrative agencies, and community initiatives.
• Assures uniform, high quality advocacy work.
• Monitors program-wide practice guidelines consistent with the program and professional legal standards.
• Works with advocacy staff to promote staff growth and professional development.
• Establishes systems to plan, coordinate, implement, monitor, and track advocacy work throughout the program.
• Reviews all major advocacy in the program on an ongoing basis, supervising managing attorneys to ensure oversight in all matters.
• Develops and oversees the work of the managing attorneys for substantive practice areas, ensuring that the advocacy furthers the Board-approved priorities of the agency.
• Promotes and ensures proper coordination between units and departments to further the overall mission of the agency.
• Promotes individual case work and systemic work in the program.
• Ensures grant compliance in concert with the Executive Director, engaging in regular oversight, training, and reporting as required by commitments to funders and relevant regulations.
• Serves as management designee in disciplinary and grievance processes, upon assignment by the Executive Director, or in conformance with applicable policies.
• Serves as acting Executive Director in the absence or incapacity of the Executive Director.

Desired Education and Experience

• Must be an attorney, licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, or capable of becoming licensed in Kentucky in a reasonable period of time.
• Must have no less than ten years of experience in the practice of law.
• Experience in non-profit legal services or other similar experience is preferred.
• Management experience is preferred.
• Proficient in the use of office technologies, including case management software.
• Able to balance administrative, supervisory, and advocacy responsibilities.
• Is highly ethical and respected within the legal and client communities.
• Proactive and creative thinking – identifies problems, defines central issues, evaluates options, proposes and implements solutions.
• Has strong interpersonal skills allowing for professional relationship building with staff, clients, and partners.
• Committed to serving the community, as evidenced through prior professional and/or volunteer work history.
• Understands the nature of poverty and the barriers that people living in poverty face in education, work, and personal lives as a result of lack of financial resources.
• Knowledgeable about the use of legal services as a mechanism to address systemic inequities as a result of poverty and the benefits of representation in critical civil legal matters and non-legal advocacy.
• Supports the provision high-quality advocacy to eligible client communities.
• Promotes and pursues diversity, equity, and inclusion.

How to Apply

To apply for the position of Advocacy Director, please send a cover letter, resume, and three professional references via email to Neva Polley Scott (neva@polleyscott.com). Please submit all three documents in either Word or PDF formats. The position is open until filled, however, candidates are encouraged to apply by August 11, 2023 for fullest consideration. The Legal Aid Society values a diverse workforce to serve a diverse community. We support the principles of equal opportunity, diversity, equity, and non-discrimination. We seek to ensure that no person employed or served by LAS will encounter discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability,

sex, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or Veteran’s status. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Kristie Clark, Director of Administration 502-614-3110 or kclark@laslou.org.