Summary
Legal Aid at Work (LAAW) partners with people to help them understand and assert their workplace rights, and advocates for employment laws and systems that empower low-paid workers and marginalized communities.
LAAW has seven core program areas: (1) Community Legal Services; (2) Disability Rights; (3) Gender Equity & LGBTQ Rights; (4) National Origin and Immigrants’ Rights; (5) Racial Economic Justice; (6) Wage Protection; and (7) Work & Family. Through these programs, LAAW:
- Provides free, individualized legal advice and counsel throughout California to thousands of low-income workers;
- Pursues targeted enforcement and impact litigation to strengthen and clarify the law;
- Conducts community outreach and education for workers, their advocates, their families, and their health and social service providers; and
- Advocates for laws, regulations, and policies at the local, state, and national levels to strengthen civil and workplace rights.
As a social justice organization, Legal Aid at Work’s mission is rooted in the firm belief that all people deserve respect, dignity, and self-determination at work, at school, and in their communities. Structural and systemic racism—with the oppression of Black and Indigenous people at its core—and other forms of injustice shape the society and the civic, political, and legal systems in which we work and live. Legal Aid at Work is committed to developing and nurturing an organizational culture that will dismantle systems of oppression, uplift people from underrepresented communities, and create a workplace that is truly equitable and inclusive. As such, we strongly encourage BIPOC candidates to apply.
The Position
The Director of Litigation is a new management position within LAAW. This position will report directly to the VP of Programs and Litigation.
The Director of Litigation will oversee and supervise the systemic, impact, and individual litigation efforts of each of LAAW’s program areas by coordinating a strategic approach to litigation, ensuring adequate staffing for all litigation matters (including recommending and making hiring and promotion decisions), advising on assigning work, and supervising large-scale litigation projects across the legal programs. Working closely with the VP of Programs and Litigation, the Director will co-counsel, coordinate, and advise on all levels of litigation, including complex litigation.
Responsibilities
Case Development
- Collaborate closely with the VP of Programs and Litigation, and Program Directors of each program area, to identify areas of greatest impact, develop response strategies, and provide guidance to staff and assistance to clients.
- Develop litigation and advocacy strategies to identify systemic issues that affect low-income workers across the state.
- Co-counsel, coordinate, and advise on all levels of litigation including complex litigation.
- Identify and develop innovative and mission-driven litigation cases in both state and federal court.
- Manage and strengthen LAAW’s case-vetting protocols.
Leadership & Supervision
- In partnership with the VP of Programs and Litigation, the Director of Litigation will contribute to setting overall programmatic strategy and priorities.
- Monitor attorney work. Oversee litigation, including legal research, discovery, depositions, motions practice, brief writing, trial work, appellate work, and amicus briefing.
- Supervise litigation cases, including making hiring and staffing decisions.
- Mentor attorneys at all levels, teach litigation strategies, and help develop their litigation skills, and counseling and discipline if needed.
- Work closely and maintain relationships with pro bono co-counsel.
- As needed, review pleadings, briefs, letters, presentations, and other attorney work product.
- Ensure that attorneys are well trained in substantive areas of the law and legal practice.
- Participate in management meetings and act as a representative of management with staff, including implementing and effectuating management policies.
The Candidate
As LAAW works to grow its litigation docket, including by exploring novel ideas for enforcing and strengthening the rights of low-income workers in California, we are looking for an experienced litigator who is excited to tackle this area of growth at our organization.
The ideal candidate will have a broad range of experiences in civil rights litigation, not merely employment law, and a deep commitment to movement and community-based lawyering including developing and leading litigation cases rooted in building power for underserved communities and fighting structural and systemic methods of oppression.
The candidate will be well-versed in concepts of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and have a track record of working collaboratively with teams, including co-counsel, community and advocacy groups, and client populations.
Qualifications
- J.D. or L.L.M. degree from an accredited law school and active membership in the California State Bar, or ability to obtain admission.
- Minimum 8 years of significant litigation experience, including systems-change litigation and class actions.
- Experience practicing in both State and Federal Court as lead counsel.
- Demonstrated commitment to social justice and civil rights work and passion for LAAW’s mission of seeking justice for low-wage workers.
- Experience and expertise to conceptualize new and mission-driven litigation and translate it into achievable plans.
- Demonstrated ability to “see the big picture” and provide strategic advice and input while also tactically executing policies and procedures.
- Experience supervising and mentoring legal staff, such as staff attorneys, fellows, or paralegals.
- Strong relationships with community-based organizations and experience working with low-wage worker and disenfranchised communities.
- A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and the ability to hold and foster difficult and necessary conversations about race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), disability, age, religious beliefs, and other protected categories.
- A commitment to racial equity work and incorporating racial equity principles into litigation efforts.
Compensation
Legal Aid at Work offers salaries that are competitive in the public interest law community. Benefits include health plans, long-term disability and life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, and generous paid vacation and holidays. The salary range for this position is $124,800 to $187,200 depending on years of relevant experience.
To Apply
Please email (1) your resume, (2) a cover letter detailing your experience in systemic and movement-based litigation, (3) an original legal writing sample of no more than 10 pages, and (4) three references including at least one direct report to:
Director of Litigation Search Committee
Email: jobs@legalaidatwork.org
Legal Aid at Work is committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. LAAW is an equal opportunity and fair chance, employer. Our complete EEO and DEI statements as well as further information concerning the organization and its programs can be found at legalaidatwork.org. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Legal Aid at Work will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.