Assistant Litigation Director

National Legal Aid & Defender Association; Iowa (LA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Iowa Legal Aid seeks an Assistant Litigation Director to help lead the statewide program of litigation and legal advocacy. This executive role reports to the Director of Litigation & Advocacy and focuses on delivering high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Iowans.

The position may be based at any of our office locations across Iowa, offering leadership, strategy, and collaboration with attorneys, paralegals, and finance staff to ensure strong advocacy and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead statewide litigation in state and federal courts, reviewing and approving filings.
• Guide attorneys and paralegals in trial strategy, drafting pleadings, depositions, and settlements.
• Provide substantive legal expertise to staff and promote best practices.
• Participate in and help manage ILA’s substantive law workgroups.
• Support supervision practices and compliance with funder requirements.
• Serve as client trust account liaison with the Finance team.
• Assist with grant writing, compliance, and reporting.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job description

Position Description

Position

Iowa Legal Aid seeks an Assistant Litigation Director to help lead the organization’s statewide program of litigation and legal advocacy. This is an executive level position, working under the supervision of the Director of Litigation & Advocacy to ensure Iowa Legal Aid continues to provide the highest possible quality of civil legal assistance to low-income Iowans. This is a great opportunity for an experienced litigator seeking to use their strategy, litigation and leadership experience on behalf of low-income and vulnerable individuals and families. The Assistant Litigation Director may work from any of our locations (Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Mason City, Ottumwa, Sioux City, and Waterloo).

Our Organization

Founded in 1977, Iowa Legal Aid is a statewide, LSC-funded civil legal services firm with a long history of providing quality direct services to low-income people across the state. Our program has an important record of transformational advocacy, defending and strengthening the rights of our clients in a variety of legal areas, including consumer protection, expungement, family law and domestic abuse, housing and other areas critical to survival, safety and economic empowerment. Iowa Legal Aid serves all 99 counties through 10 regional offices as well as a number of innovative and nationally-recognized special projects.

Responsibilities

In conjunction with the Director of Litigation & Advocacy, the Assistant Litigation Director will:

• Lead and guide ILA’s statewide litigation efforts in state and federal courts, including the review and approval of legal filings;
• Collaborate with and guide attorneys and paralegals in trial-level litigation and strategy, including co-counseling, drafting pleadings, conducting depositions, negotiating settlements, and trial procedures and advocacy;
• Assist in the provision of substantive legal, procedural and skills expertise to staff through various means to promote continuous learning and the development of best practices;
• Participate in and help manage ILA’s substantive law workgroups;
• Support strong supervision practices and adherence to case handling standards, funder requirements and professional obligations;
• Serve as the point person for client trust account issues and management in conjunction with ILA’s Finance team;
• Share in the supervision of managing attorneys and/or special projects, as requested;
• Assist with grant writing, compliance and reporting, as well as the preparation of any reports for internal and external stakeholders, as directed; and
• Other duties as assigned.