Client Experience Directing Attorney

Client Experience Directing Attorney

About CRLA: California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is an anti-poverty law firm dedicated to dismantling unjust systems through community lawyering in California’s historically rural areas. For over five decades, we have partnered with communities priced out of private legal representation to uphold civil rights in housing, employment, health, and public education. Building on a radical legacy rooted in the farmworker movement and the War on Poverty, CRLA continues to fight for the rights and prosperity of rural Californians through bold advocacy, systemic change, and a vision of thriving, empowered communities. CRLA’s community-led legal services activate community power to achieve justice, ensuring our clients and partners have the tools to dismantle poverty, discrimination, and systemic inequities.

Position: Client Experience Directing Attorney
Reports to: Director of Strategic Initiatives
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Location: Hybrid; Modesto Headquarters preferred, Stockton, Salinas, or Fresno possible
Term of Employment: Regular, Full-Time
Other: FLSA Exempt, Non-Union Position

About CRLA:

California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is an anti-poverty law firm dedicated to dismantling unjust systems through community lawyering in California’s historically rural areas. For over five decades, we have partnered with communities priced out of private legal representation to uphold civil rights in housing, employment, health, and public education. Building on a radical legacy rooted in the farmworker movement and the War on Poverty, CRLA continues to fight for the rights and prosperity of rural Californians through bold advocacy, systemic change, and a vision of thriving, empowered communities. CRLA’s community-led legal services activate community power to achieve justice, ensuring our clients and partners have the tools to dismantle poverty, discrimination, and systemic inequities.

Joining CRLA means becoming part of a team that honors dignity, fights for fairness, and embraces bold, community-led solutions to systemic injustices.

Position Overview

The Directing Attorney for Client Experience is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping our clients’ experience of receiving legal services. Initial work will include redesigning and overseeing the client intake process to ensure efficiency, accessibility, and a trauma-informed approach. This position will collaboratively develop and implement a centralized intake system across the organization, provide training for staff on best practices, and continuously assess and improve the overall client experience—from initial contact to case resolution and follow-up.

The Directing Attorney for Client Experience will supervise the centralized intake process initially, with the goal of hiring an Intake Supervisor to oversee daily operations. They will work closely with both programmatic and operational teams to align intake, technology, language access, and client-facing materials with best practices in accessibility, trauma-informed care, and equity.

The Directing Attorney for Client Experience will play a critical role in advancing equitable access to justice for our communities.

Key Responsibilities

Client Intake & Experience Design

• Develop and implement a centralized intake system that is efficient, trauma-informed, and accessible to all clients.
• Establish organization-wide best practices for intake, ensuring consistency across all offices and service areas.
• Conduct ongoing assessments of the client journey, from initial contact to case closure and follow-up, and implement improvements as needed.
• Create training programs to ensure staff are well-equipped to provide a high-quality, equitable client experience.
• Track and analyze client feedback to inform policy and practice changes.

Supervision & Leadership

• Directly supervise the centralized intake process initially, with the goal of hiring an Intake Supervisor and transitioning oversight responsibilities.
• Provide strategic leadership on intake and client experience across the organization.
• Work with the trauma-informed working group and other stakeholders to ensure intake and client interactions align with trauma-informed best practices.

Collaboration Across Departments

• Partner with operations, technology, learning, and communications teams to improve client-facing materials and processes, including:
  • Signage on office doors for clarity and accessibility.
  • Website improvements to streamline client access to services.
  • Language access planning to ensure all clients can communicate effectively in their preferred language.
  • Accessibility improvements for physical offices and digital platforms.
• Ensure intake processes align with ethical obligations and best practices in legal services.

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active membership in the California Bar.
• Minimum of 7 years of legal experience, including direct client service.
• Experience designing and implementing client-centered intake processes or similar service models.
• Strong understanding of trauma-informed approaches in legal services.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-departmental initiatives and drive organization-wide improvements.
• Commitment to language access, equity, and inclusion in client services.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supervising intake teams or legal service programs.
• Familiarity with legal services technology and case management systems.
• Experience working with low-income, BIPOC, immigrant, and other underserved communities.
• Fluency in a language commonly spoken by clients.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

We offer a diverse, family-friendly environment and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries; generous benefits package which includes 100% employer-covered medical, dental, vision, life, and short & long-term disability insurance for employees and up to 50% for dependents coverage; and 401K retirement plan with CRLA contribution effective immediately. Generous paid leave policy which includes; 15 days of sick leave, 15 holidays each year, and vacation (accrue 15 days for the first year of service and 20 days after one year of service at CRLA). This is a nonunion and the estimated starting salary range for this position is $100,000 – 130,000.

CRLA requires that all employees are Fully Vaccinated, defined as a CDC-approved COVID vaccination and one booster shot. This offer is contingent on meeting this requirement. The complete vaccination policy, including the process for reasonable allowable accommodations, is available for your review upon request.

CRLA invites all applicants to submit their resume and in their cover letter a statement about how their unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice.

California Rural Legal Assistance thrives on our diversity and we are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, persons of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply.