Deputy Director, Legal Services Fund

BLDG SVC 32 B-J•New York, NY

5d•$195,000 - $215,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Building Service 32BJ Legal Services Fund provides legal representation to over 185,000 Local 32BJ members and their dependents and to covered retirees and their spouses. The Legal Fund also administers the 32BJ North Legal Services Fund covering members working in the Bronx and the service trades. We seek an attorney with proven leadership skills to take on the pivotal role of Deputy Director. In this position, you will help spearhead all aspects of our legal services and programs, managing operations, strategizing with leadership, and guiding our committed team of advocates.

Requirements

10-15 years of legal experience including employment law, immigration law, litigation, and/or family law.
5+ years managing and developing teams of legal professionals.
Experience supervising and mentoring others.
Strong interest in and familiarity with legal management principles.
Demonstrated leadership ability.
Demonstrated commitment to and experience in public interest law and legal services.
Demonstrated commitment to policy advocacy and administrative reform.
Commitment to exploring alternative approaches for improving legal practice.
Excellent oral, research, writing, analytical and organizational skills.
Ability to prioritize and handle multiple complex tasks.
Ability to convene and lead meetings.
Ability to work both independently and in a highly collaborative team environment.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
Ability and experience working with diverse individuals and communities.
Licensed to practice law in New York and in good standing.

Nice To Haves

Pro bono, government, public service, and academic experience is desirable, but not required.
Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable but not required.

Responsibilities

Ensure legal services meet high professional standards of quality, ethics, and accessibility.
Assist the Director in day-to-day operations and management of the Fund across covered states.
Collaborate closely with the Director on strategic planning for the Fund, helping set short-term and long-term goals, identifying emerging legal needs, and developing new access to justice initiatives.
Directly oversee operations, immigration, criminal intake and civil teams, guiding strategy and operations. Provide backup supervision to other departments.
Monitor and approve expenses for department programming and make any necessary budget adjustments; work with assigned staff to facilitate prompt and accurate tracking, invoicing, claims, forecasting and budgeting; maintenance of the firm's IOLA account(s) according to state bar association guidelines; ensure compliance with all rules and reporting requirements.
Lead strategic planning meetings with the legal management team to align on objectives, surface challenges, and measure progress.
Provide direct supervision, mentoring, and professional development support to Supervising Attorneys and direct reports; ensure they have resources and guidance needed to effectively manage their teams.
Proactively identify opportunities for improvement through management reportioning analysis; implement process changes to increase efficiency.
Oversee hiring process and provide mentoring to staff; promote an inclusive and collaborative work culture.
Utilize regular one-on-ones and team meetings to provide clarity around priorities, give developmental feedback, and boost staff engagement.
Leverage expertise in legal practice areas to elevate our services.
Research and address complex and novel legal issues facing our members; prepare and review appeal letters, including research of complex legal issues.
Manage and expand our network of participating attorneys.
Travel to states where members live and/or work to attend meetings on behalf of the Legal Fund and to meet with participating attorneys or other vendors.
Help safeguard and maximize the Fund's annual budget and promote fiscal responsibility.
Develop relationships with community partners, legal organizations, Board, and Union leadership to align on objectives.
Monitor performance metrics and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and service delivery.
Manage and oversee projects of all sizes and scopes for the Legal Services Fund. Provide leadership and direction to ensure effective planning, coordination, and on-time delivery of project outcomes.
Research and stay up-to-date on laws, regulations, and issues related to the focus areas of the Legal Services Fund; develop seminar materials such as slide decks, handouts, activities, and evaluations; promote seminars to target audiences through marketing materials and outreach; facilitate seminars by delivering presentations, lea ding discussions, and answering questions from attendees.
Partner with Fund's communication department to increase the volume and effectiveness of our external communications such as social media.
The work schedule is Monday-Friday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM onsite with occasional evening and weekend work.