Legal Aid DC seeks an experienced attorney to serve as Director for a new community-wide coordinated intake and referral program, DC Resource Bridge. The program was funded and created by the DC Bar Foundation and is hosted by Legal Aid DC.

Since 1932, Legal Aid has provided civil legal assistance to clients in individual cases and engaged in systemic reform. Currently, we provide individual representation in consumer law, domestic violence/family law, housing, public benefits, immigration, and appellate matters. We also help individuals with the collateral consequences of their involvement with the criminal legal system. From the experiences of our clients, we identify opportunities for law reform, public policy advocacy, and systemic impact and appellate litigation.

The DC Bar Foundation is the leading funder of civil legal aid in the District of Columbia, committed to the vision that residents of the District have equal access to justice, regardless of knowledge, income, or power. Through a network-driven approach, DCBF brings together invested stakeholders to identify and address unmet civil legal needs, develop solutions and drive meaningful impact to transform DC’s legal aid system into one that provides a fair and equal legal experience for all.

The new DC Resource Bridge (DCRB), a collaboration with the DC Bar Foundation and legal services organizations across the District hosted by Legal Aid, will connect residents to the most appropriate legal referral to meet their needs. In the first phase, the DCRB will connect residents with help in family law, public benefits, consumer law, and appellate cases. In later phases, DCRB will grow to cover all traditional legal services practice areas. The Director will lead the full launch of the DCRB by collaborating with the DCBF, legal service providers, the court, and community-based organizations; hiring and training staff; and developing and troubleshooting systems.

Legal Aid believes that meaningful pursuit of our anti-poverty mission requires an unwavering commitment to racial justice and equity. We aspire both to reflect the rich racial diversity of the communities we serve and to value, respect, and empower our staff and clients to be effective agents of change. For more information about Legal Aid please visit our website, www.LegalAidDC.org.

Tasks and Duties

The Director of the DC Resource Bridge will manage all aspects of coordinated screening interviews and referrals. The Director will design, implement, and monitor systems for client-centered initial screenings by navigators. This includes the efficient distribution of referrals pursuant to proprietary technology developed for the DC Resource Bridge by the Bar Foundation and its technology partner and timely processing of requests for assistance. The Director will recruit and identify new legal services and institutional partners in the District and develop innovative strategies to address the evolving needs of our client-eligible community.

The Director reports to the Legal Aid’s Legal Director for Direct Legal Services Program. The Director also coordinates regularly with the DC Bar Foundation and other partners. 

Note: Legal Aid has a hybrid work plan. However, the Director may be expected to work in a Legal Aid office, either in NW DC or a community office, 4-5 days each week. Weekend or evening hours may be required when the DC Resource Bridge is open for residents seeking services outside of normal business hours.

Program Leadership:

• Coordinate with legal services providers in the District to develop buy-in, trust, and increasing participation in the DC Resource Bridge;
• Serve as the primary contact between DC Superior Court, the Office of Administrative Hearings, and DC agencies to build referral pathways for the DC Resource Bridge;
• Initiate conversations and build relationships with community-based organizations to promote the work of the DC Resource Bridge, gather information on community and provider needs, and create increasing utilization of DC Resource Bridge as a first-line referral for legal services;
• Liaise with partners at the DC Bar Foundation to keep them appraised of progress and brainstorm solutions to DC Resource Bridge challenges, including facilitating approval of designated communications;
• Complete an annual DC Resource Bridge report, in collaboration with the DC Bar Foundation, for publication on the DCRB website;
• With other DC Resource Bridge staff, create and maintain external materials relating to the DCRB;
• Maintain a DCRB network listserv; and
• Develop clear and robust ethical guidelines for DCRB staff to ensure necessary firewalls between Legal Aid program staff and DCRB staff.

Supervision:

• Provide routine supervision and feedback for DCRB staff, as well as conduct performance evaluations;
• Work with and oversee the Deputy Director’s portfolio of responsibilities, including all aspects of internal program management;
• Monitor data compliance within technology partner and other data collection systems; and
• Work with People & Culture team to ensure that the DCRB management implements Legal Aid’s collective bargaining agreement as appropriate.

Grant Management:

• Monitor grant targets and report concerns to the Legal Director of the Direct Legal Services Program and
• Oversee grant applications and grant reporting in the DCRB, delegating portions to the Deputy Director as necessary.

Organizational Management:

• Serve as liaison and point of contact between the DCRB team and Legal Directors, Executive Director, Development Director, and People & Culture team and
• Provide representation for DCRB in management discussions as needed and share relevant information with DCRB staff.

Qualifications

• D.C. Bar membership.
• Knowledge of the DC community and legal services organizations.
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues and members of the public.
• Ability to work both independently as well as in collaboration with others.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize assignments.
• Experience managing high volume customer and/or client facing projects.
• A demonstrated commitment to racial, social and economic justice.

Preferred Qualifications

• More than 5 years of experience working in a legal services environment, particularly in DC.
• Ability to speak Spanish, Amharic, or other language spoken by our client community.
• Experience managing staff.

Salary and Benefits

The salary is based on years of experience with a range of $160,000 to $175,000.

Legal Aid offers a generous benefits package including eligibility for fully paid health insurance for the employee, annual retirement match, short term disability, life insurance for the employee, 13 paid holidays, 25 days of annual leave per year and 15 days of sick leave per year. 

To Apply

Legal Aid values an inclusive, diverse workplace and encourages applications from interested persons from diverse backgrounds of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage applications from people with personal experience with the criminal justice system and/or with lived experiences in the communities we serve. Interested persons are encouraged to apply immediately and should submit a letter of interest and resume here. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. Position remains open until filled. No emails or phone calls, please.