Supervising Attorney, Families Together

ADP, Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 102,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working schedule

Spanish language proficiency bonus

Competitive benefits package with time

Job summary

Children’s Law Center is seeking a Supervising Attorney for the Families Together program in Washington, DC. The role centers on training, supervising, and evaluating supervisees, while maintaining a reduced caseload and delivering culturally humble, trauma-informed representation.

You will mentor volunteer and staff attorneys, lead litigation and program activities, and collaborate with leadership to advance custody, housing, and other family-law matters for DC families.

Qualifications

• DC bar admission or immediate eligibility for admission.
• At least two years of experience in DC family law matters.
• Experience in a legal services setting is preferred.
• Commitment to inclusivity, equity and trauma-informed practice.

Responsibilities

• Supervise staff attorneys and maintain a reduced caseload.
• Provide ongoing training, feedback and performance evaluations.
• Lead Families Together program activities and trainings with partners.
• Ensure compliance with case planning, deadlines and program policies.
• Attend hearings and supervise quality advocacy and client representation.

Skills

JD and DC Bar

Family law in DC

Legal services experience

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Supervising Attorney, Families Together

Healthy Together Full Time Washington, DC, US

2 days ago Requisition ID: 1261

Salary Range: $82,005.00 To $102,302.00 Annually

Who We Are

Children’s Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused on providing high-quality legal services to children and families in DC. As an organization, we envision a world in which all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC children and families, Children’s Law Center uses the law to solve children’s urgent problems today, improve the systems that will affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that change endures. A key part of our mission is to challenge and reduce ways in which racism and other biases – structural and interpersonal – prevent each of us, our organization and the systems in which we work from providing children a strong foundation from which to thrive.

Our greatest assets are our people. We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our ability to provide the best outcomes for our clients and our community. Staff members at Children’s Law Center advance the organization’s mission through their leadership, result-oriented mindset and commitment to cultural humility. We are looking for individuals who like to be challenged to grow both personally and professionally and value the opportunity to make a difference in their community. Children's Law Center’s continued success depends on recruiting and retaining individuals who possess and exemplify these attributes.

Program Description

Children's Law Center (CLC) has a long history of working with parents and caregivers to help them solve problems that threaten a child’s health, safety and well-being. By providing legal services at the right time, attorneys can lift burdens of poverty that often drain a client’s capacity to care for their child. Through our Families Together program, Children’s Law Center expands the range of legal assistance provided to parents and caregivers.

Families Together supports pregnant persons, parents and caregivers in achieving their goals for their families, with the long-term outcome of mitigating the risk of child welfare involvement and ensuring children can remain safely at home. When appointed, Families Together attorneys also achieve positive outcomes for children by representing their best interests in contested custody disputes.

To reach families, Children’s Law Center partners with community-based organizations, the Court and governmental agencies that share our commitment to strengthening DC families impacted by poverty.

Job Summary

The Families Together Supervising Attorney serves as the primary supervisor and is responsible for the training, supervision, professional development and evaluation of supervisees. The supervising attorney is responsible for ensuring that their supervisees provide high-quality, culturally humble and trauma-informed representation. Supervision tasks include being regularly available to supervisees, attending hearings, reviewing pleadings, actively participating in trial preparation, providing consistent and timely feedback on performance and ensuring compliance with program and organizational policies. The supervising attorney meets regularly with their supervisor to review case issues and trends, spot supervision and mentoring issues, assess plans for assisting in the professional development of their supervisees and assist with innovation and evaluation efforts.

In addition to supervising staff attorneys, the supervisor maintains a reduced caseload, provides brief advice and services, mentors and trains volunteer pro bono attorneys, supports program partnerships, and leads specific projects as delegated by the Families Together program leadership and/or Chief Legal Officer.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervision: Quality Supervision Meetings

• Conduct regular meetings with supervisees to develop case strategies and ensure high-quality representation and services to clients and potential clients.
• Meet regularly with the Families Together program leadership to discuss issues and develop strategies for their cases and those of their supervisees, review supervising tasks and techniques and assess and plan for professional development and performance.
• Ensure attorneys are spotting and referring cases to the Appellate Team in accordance with the Targeted Appellate Strategy Issue List.

Supervision: CLC Policy and Protocol Adherence

• Ensure compliance with applicable policies and protocols, including case planning notes, litigation protocol, timekeeping policy, client visitation and contact protocol, and supervision standards.
• Ensure organizational and program goals related to data collection, case and intake handling and timelines are met.

Supervision: Formal Advocacy and Litigation

• Accompany supervisees to court appearances for the first three months of new staff attorneys’ employment, and thereafter at the supervisees’ request or as required in the supervisor’s judgment.
• Review all written work prepared by new staff during their first six months of employment and as needed following that period.
• Provide ongoing feedback on informal and formal advocacy, court appearances and written materials, including trial preparation.
• Lead litigation meetings for supervisees.

Supervision: Professional Development

• Partner with and support direct reports on their professional development and promotion readiness.
• Set annual goals, participate in quarterly and annual goal reviews and exchange timely feedback (e.g., coaching, appreciation, evaluation) to assist in staff development.
• Identify supervisees’ strengths and provide support and direction around professional development.
• Identify supervisees’ challenges and formulate plans, timelines and measures of success to address them.
• Regularly address supervisee performance with support of the program leadership.
• Interview, hire and train new staff.
• Provide constructive and timely performance evaluations.
• Provide tools, resources and training to support and hold direct reports accountable to:
  • Role expectations (job requirements).
  • Compliance with programmatic requirements.
• Identify and elevate trends related to morale, culture, and programmatic and organizational issues.
• Support and strengthen a positive work culture.
• Keep program leadership or supervisor apprised of:
  • High-performing direct reports.
  • Direct reports ready for promotion.
  • Direct reports failing to perform adequately.
• Partner with program leadership or supervisor:
  • If there are conflicts among staff.
  • If direct report requests or supervisor believes modification of job function is needed.
  • If direct report requests or supervisor believes deviation from organizational policy is needed.
• Handle discipline and termination of employees in accordance with CLC policy.
• Partner with program leadership or supervisor and HIRED:
  • When progressive discipline is appropriate.
  • When accommodation or other deviations from standard performance are warranted.

Supervision: Program Activities

• Attend and at times facilitate Families Together team and other CLC meetings as directed.
• Take a leadership role in program activities as assigned, including conducting trainings and preparing training and other materials.
• Participate in office-wide and program-wide supervisor meetings as scheduled.

Role Responsibilities

Organizational and Program Leadership

• Work with the Families Together program leadership to instill a shared vision and values throughout the program and CLC.
• Work with the Families Together program leadership to ensure effective communication and support across programs, including effectively cascading information and messaging to staff around program initiatives.
• Coordinate with the Policy and Special Legal Projects teams and other in-house CLC direct legal services programs to maximize CLC’s impact.
• Work with the Families Together program leadership and supervisors to ensure the Families Together team consistently provides high-quality, culturally humble and trauma-informed representation and services to clients and potential clients.
• Maintain expertise in the Program’s legal issue areas, including but not limited to custody, guardianship, adoption matters and guardian ad litem representation in custody cases as well as other legal issue areas such as housing, special education and/or public benefits.
• Work with the Families Together program leadership, as well as the Chief Legal Officer, as appropriate, to develop and implement new approaches and cutting-edge legal strategy.
• Help lead program evaluation, innovation and improvements in casework, supervision, training and service delivery.
• Ensure organizational and program goals related to outcomes, data collection, case and intake handling and timelines are met by collaborating with the Families Together program leadership.

Project Management and Program Support

• Support the development and improvement of program systems for communication, case handling and service delivery, as assigned.
• Nurture and build relationships with external program partners, including medical and agency partners, to expand impact and increase effectiveness of Families Together, as assigned.
• Support program evaluation, grant-related work and other program initiatives, as assigned.
• Support legal intake processes and participate in case assignment and workload planning.
• Maintain a reduced caseload (depending upon the needs of the Program and supervisory responsibilities), providing high-quality, culturally humble and trauma-informed legal representation to individual clients.
• Support and handle program intakes as assigned, and provide brief advice, brief services and referrals.
• Ensure timely and accurate input of case information into LegalServer.
• Mentor external pro bono volunteer attorneys handling legal matters referred by CLC that are within the Supervising Attorney’s areas of expertise.
• Develop and conduct pro bono trainings as assigned.

Systemic Work

• Provide support to CLC’s Policy team in areas of expertise to address the systemic needs of CLC’s clients.
• Participate in community advocate meetings and collaborate with other legal services providers and family-law and child-welfare advocates on practice issues, coordination and systemic improvements.
• Participate on court or other external committees as needed and requested by the Families Together program leadership.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience

• JD and D.C. Bar membership or immediate eligibility for admission without examination.
• At least two years of experience in each of the following areas; experience may overlap between the two categories:
  • Providing legal services in family law matters in DC, including custody, child support, guardianship, adoption matters and/or guardian ad litem representation in custody cases.
  • Working in a legal services setting and providing legal services in at least one of the following practice areas: special education, housing, public benefits, child welfare or related fields.
• A commitment to fostering inclusivity and equity, along with humility when working with clients and colleagues across multiple identities and life experiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• 1–2 years of experience supervising attorneys preferred. Supervising experience may include formal or informal supervision and/or formal mentoring.
• Fluent in English and Spanish with the ability to provide legal services, including written materials, to clients.
• Willingness and ability to provide client-centered legal services and supportive supervision.
• A demonstrated commitment to social, economic and racial justice.
• A combination of strong legal skills and knowledge, self-reflection, cultural humility and leadership skills.
• Strong litigation, legal analysis, research, writing and oral advocacy skills.
• Strong organizational, analytic, oral and written communication, time management and teaching skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to work independently and collaboratively.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and relationship-building skills.
• Current knowledge of the District’s laws and legal system (as well as federal, where appropriate), in areas affecting low-income and marginalized communities.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively identify issues and work to find creative solutions in the face of obstacles.
• Cultural Humility – an openness to self-reflection and to understanding and respecting other cultural experiences and points of view and viewing individuals as experts in their own culture and experiences.
• Giving and Receiving Feedback – the ability to be self-reflective, give and receive appreciative, coaching, constructive, interpersonal and evaluative feedback.
• Conflict Management – a process which is designed to guide individuals and groups from the moment of conflict to the implementation of an identified solution. This process incorporates skills and techniques, including recognizing points of conflict, identifying the facts and feelings involved to get to the root of the issue, investigating equitable solutions, implementing and evaluating solutions and supporting and guiding others throughout the process.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position ranges from $82,005 - $102,302 annually based on relevant experience. Children’s Law Center offers a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability insurance; employer-provided retirement contributions; flexible spending plans; and vacation, sick, holiday, family and medical leave. You can find more details about Children’s Law Center’s comprehensive benefits package at https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/employee-benefits/ .

In order to provide better service to our clients and community, Children’s Law Center encourages individuals who speak Spanish to apply for this position. Candidates who indicate proficiency in Spanish will be asked to complete Spanish oral proficiency testing. Individuals hired for this role who are proficient in Spanish are eligible to receive a sign-on bonus after the start of employment.

Children’s Law Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. Employees with federal student loan debt can apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. For more information, go to https://myfedloan.org/borrowers/special-programs/pslf . Additionally, the DC Bar Foundation’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program provides renewable one-year, interest-free, forgivable loans up to $12,000 per year for qualified Children’s Law Center attorneys. For more information, see https:/dcbarfoundation.org/lrap/ .

Children’s Law Center is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. If you believe that you need accommodation to search for, or apply for, one of our positions please send an email to [e-mail] . In your email, please include the accommodation you are requesting and the job title you are applying for. It may take up to three business days to receive a response to your request.

Hybrid Working Conditions

Children’s Law Center is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule. Employees are required to work in-person from Children’s Law Center’s office a minimum of two days per week. At least one of these days must be either Tuesday or Wednesday. The hybrid work schedule is subject to change based on organizational needs and/or best practices for health and safety. Hybrid work expectations may vary depending upon role responsibilities.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. Children’s Law Center is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time .

Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be subject to a background check.

EEO

Children’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and existing employees. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. We invite you to visit our website to learn more about our company and our career opportunities ( https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/ ).

Our Commitment

Children’s Law Center is dedicated to building a world that is inclusive in approach and has equal opportunities and equitable outcomes for all. Our organization is committed to developing and supporting a robustly diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist community, where all members can create and feel a sense of belonging. Through our collective deliberate efforts, we work toward racial and social justice for children and families in DC.