Employment Opportunity: Legal Director

California Indian Legal Services, Legal Director

What We Seek:

California Indian Legal Services seeks a Legal Director to work in our Escondido field office.  The Legal Director position has statewide responsibilities.  The Legal Director supervises and manages the program’s legal work, develops and implements appropriate policies and procedures to ensure that our legal services are effective and efficient, and maintains and shares a program-wide perspective on CILS’ work both within the organization and the community.  

Under the supervision of the Executive Director, this position will require regular and frequent travel to the CILS field offices, attendance at management meetings, Board of Trustee meetings, and other travel as needed.

Who We Are:

Founded in 1967, CILS is the oldest public interest Indian rights law firm in the country, promoting the fundamental rights of California tribes and Indians through litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, community development, and other strategies for systemic change.  CILS is a state and national leader in protecting and advancing the rights of California Indians, and each year works with dozens of tribes in the state and thousands of Indian individuals and families. CILS provides a full range of legal representation to California Indian tribes and Indian organizations, advocates for the rights of California Indians at the local, state, and national levels, and provides direct services and community education to low-income Indian individuals on issues related to Federal Indian Law.  Our work includes such diverse practice areas as the Indian Child Welfare Act, trust lands, Indian probate, Indian cultural and religious rights, tribal community and economic development, tribal justice systems, tribal governance, tribal social service delivery systems, protection of sacred sites, and environmental protection. 

CILS has an annual operating budget of more than $2.1 million derived from a wide variety of sources, including federal and state grants, tribal donations, and tribal grants and contracts.  Escondido serves as the principal location for CILS, with branch offices in Bishop, Escondido, Eureka, and Sacramento.  The staff currently numbers 21, including 12 lawyers/advocates.  Our Board of Trustees is comprised of California Indians appointed by Indian tribes and organizations across the state, as well as representatives appointed by the State Bar of California.

Additional information about CILS may be found on our website, at www.calindian.org.

LEGAL DIRECTOR

Program Direction
• Ensures that legal issues affecting California Indians are identified and aggressively pursued by the program’s advocates.
• Collaborates with the Executive Director, attorneys, and Board to assess program direction and provides leadership and recommendations for the overall development of effective program services.
• Develops and maintains a comprehensive picture of CILS’ legal work, and works collaboratively with the Executive Director to ensure that program activities and strategies effectively fulfill the vision of CILS established by the Board of Trustees.

Supervision & Case Review
• Develops and implements effective policies and procedures for Attorney/Advocate case reviews.
• Reviews requests for complex case representation and presents recommendations to the Executive Director.
• Consults with individual staff attorneys on substantive, procedural, evidentiary, ethical, and strategic matters arising in caseloads.
• Travels regularly to all service areas to accomplish supervisory responsibility.

Mentoring & Training
• Coordinates and facilitates periodic advocates meetings. 
• Coordinates and facilitates in-house advocate training events.
• Coordinates orientation for new attorneys.
• Develops mechanisms to assist all advocates in staying abreast of current law and changes in law. 
• Work with individual staff attorneys to demonstrate, practice, and reinforce legal skills and theories.
• As necessary, accompanies – or ensures that other experienced attorneys accompany –  staff attorneys to hearings, pre-trials, negotiations, or other functions in order to observe and ensure advocates are trained in the skills and concepts of the legal profession.
• Provides advocacy support and ensures that attorneys have development opportunities through co-counseling, mentoring, supervision, evaluation, follow-up support, and training.

Management/Board
• Attends all management and Board of Trustees meetings.

Community
• Actively promotes a cohesive and compelling view of CILS’ mission and services to California Indian tribes, individuals, and organizations.
• At the request of the Executive Director, represents CILS in public forums.

Required Qualifications
• Law degree and licensed to practice in California.
• Minimum of seven years experience in the practice of law.
• Solid and extensive background in federal Indian law.
• Extensive experience in state and federal litigation.
• Demonstrated management and supervisory skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with attorneys of varying degrees of experience and to train less experienced attorneys.

Preferred Qualifications
• Legal Services and/or Nonprofit legal work experience
• Experience with the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) rules and regulations
• Fundraising, grant writing and reporting, and other program development

Salary:

Competitive based on experience.  Full family/partner medical and dental benefits, LTD, life insurance, generous leave policies, potential for annual performance incentive.

Application Procedure:

Please submit letter of interest, resume, two writing samples and three professional references to Patricia De La Cruz-Lynas, Director of Administration, California Indian Legal Services, Re:  Legal Director Position, 609 S. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, CA 92025.  E-mail hiring@calindian.org Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. 

-Carolyn