Legal Director

Legal Director 

Position Summary: The Legal Director provides leadership to ensure that 603 Legal Aid (603LA) accomplishes its mission of offering high-quality legal representation, advocacy, and education to eligible clients. The Legal Director is responsible for the delivery of effective and efficient legal services at 603LA. The Legal Director leads, manages, and supports the legal team (including attorneys and paralegals who provide advice and counsel and/or direct client representation as well as support staff), while also providing legal support to pro bono volunteers. The Legal Director also develops, maintains, and disseminates legal resources (e.g., cases, statutes, and regulations, Know Your Rights materials) to 603LA staff, the public, and pro bono volunteers. Additionally, the Legal Director plays a key role in department funding efforts. This role works closely with, and reports to, the Executive Director. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Leadership: 

• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Deputy Director, and Management Team to advance the mission of 603LA. 
• Participate in the annual development of program areas, establishing benchmarks for reporting, accountability, and measuring success. 
• Develop and implement management methods that enhance organizational resources to meet mission goals and grant requirements, including: 
  • establish program benchmarks and recommend improvements; 
  • develop standards for reporting, accountability, and measuring success; and  
  • make program development recommendations.  
• Propose technology, fiscal, and human resource innovations to the Executive Director. 
• Engage in 603LA’s funding efforts, including assuming responsibility for grant writing and reporting, as well as fundraising and prospecting. 
• Represent the Executive Director as a designee when necessary. 

Legal Team Management: 

• Provide leadership and oversight of 603LA’s legal work, team members, (including attorneys, paralegals, and support staff), and support for pro bono attorneys. 
• Oversee the day-to-day legal work, lead case reviews, and manage legal advocacy efforts. 
• Engage in reduced-caseload legal work on behalf of clients and 603LA. 
• Recruit, hire, and train legal team members and oversee new staff orientation. 
• Conduct annual performance reviews of the legal team and collaborate on professional development plans. 
• Review and address complaints related to intake and case services. 
• Support 603LA’s Intake team. 
• Review timesheets and expense reports of legal team members. 

Program Development and Evaluation: 

• Monitor the quality of legal programming and contribute to quality assurance program development and evaluation. 
• Collaborate with partner organizations to create efficient service delivery models. 
• Develop and edit legal resources, such as practice guides and template motions, for internal use and pro bono volunteers. 
• Review and update legal information available to the public via the organization’s website or other sources. 

Community Involvement and Systemic Advocacy: 

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with external agencies, organizations, and legal aid partners. 
• Participate in task forces, committees, and other collaborative efforts to address systemic issues. 
• Engage in projects that address systemic challenges and improve legal service delivery. 
• Assist with developing content for newsletters, social media, reports, and other organizational communications. 
• Assists with planning staff development activities and participates in professional development. 
• Performs related tasks consistent with skills and abilities and general responsibilities as assigned by the Executive Director. 
• Other responsibilities as assigned.  

Qualifications: 

Education and Experience: 

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school. 
• Active New Hampshire law license or ability to obtain one within a year of hire. 
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in litigation or direct client representation, preferably in a public interest environment (experience in family, consumer, and/or housing law preferred). 
• Must be able to work in a collaborative manner with diverse groups, including government agencies, foundations, media, and other advocacy and community organizations. 

Skills and Abilities: 

• Strong leadership, critical thinking, and professional judgment. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with attention to detail. 
• Understanding of human resource management, staff evaluation, and team collaboration. 
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills. 
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 
• Ability to integrate new technology effectively into the work environment. 
• Commitment to the mission of 603LA, demonstrated through professional representation and presentations. 
• Capacity to develop and implement innovative service delivery models with limited resources. 

This position plays a vital role in ensuring the legal services provided by 603LA are high-quality and accessible to the community it serves. 

 

Compensation and Hours: 

This is a full-time, salaried-exempt position (37.5 hours per week). Starting salary will be based on number of years of relevant experience with an anticipated range of $80,000 - 90,000 annually. This position also includes generous benefits and paid time off. Candidates with a disability and/or those who are minorities are encouraged to apply.  

  

Application Process:  

To submit a cover letter and resume. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We expect to conduct interviews shortly after this date. If reasonable accommodation in the application process are required, please notify us at careers@603legalaid.org. 

 

603 Legal Aid is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a diverse staff that reflects the communities of low-income and older (age 60 plus) people that we work alongside, and we value equity and inclusion in our workplace. 603 Legal Aid actively seeks applications from Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, people of diverse national origin, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, people who have lived experience with poverty, and other people belonging to communities that have historically experienced injustice.  

Salary

• $80,000 - $90,000/year