MANAGING ATTORNEY – Advocacy and Investigations

Disability Rights Wisconsin•Monona, WI

13d•$88,000 - $101,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Managing Attorney will provide team leadership and coordination to our short-term advocacy and investigations work, to include advocacy plan development and implementation: attorney and advocate supervision; grant management; and advocacy quality assurance. The incumbent will oversee and engage in legal, individual and systemic advocacy and provide outreach and training on behalf of people with disabilities. This role ensures the delivery of high-quality legal and advocacy services, supports the professional development of team members, and advances strategies that drive systemic change for the communities we serve.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate and licensed to practice law in Wisconsin or eligible
Eight years’ progressive leadership and management experience.
Experience or direct contact or both with persons of culturally diverse background.
Proven ability to communicate effectively with internal and external employees and entities including excellent listening, verbal, and professional written communication skills.
Effective computer skills include communicating via email, word processing, and spreadsheets, and use of Teams, SharePoint, HRIS system and Outlook.
Ability to work independently and as part of a management team. Manage your own workload, which includes prioritizing work as needed and multitasking and pivoting between multiple projects simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

Experience/direct contact with persons with a disability or social justice movements either in a paid or unpaid capacity.
Knowledge of public policy.
Effective supervisory skills.
Experience with grant management.
Ability to write and/or speak Spanish, Hmong, or ASL as well as English is desired.

Responsibilities

Work with short-term advocacy, investigations and monitoring teams to develop potential activities that support the mission and priorities of DRW. Collaborate to identify issues and strategize to ensure the most impactful use of DRW’s resources to meet the legal needs of people with disabilities and advance systemic change.
Oversee the allocation of time and funding to ensure that i) all activity falls within the bounds of the DRW Mission, and ii) the resources are used cost-effectively to make progress toward DRW Priorities.
Develop and sustain strong working relations with each staff member by:
individualized relationships with each team member to achieve the right balance of support, teamwork, monitoring, guidance, and room to move autonomously ensure compliance with all relevant state and federal grant requirements ongoing effort to promote the professional development of each team member (and ensure that each team member is adequately trained) appropriate ongoing supervision and support of all students and volunteers (if any)
Supervise advocates and attorneys.
Coordinate professional development activities to ensure attorneys and advocates have the skills to perform effective and ethical practice.
Maintain a limited caseload of strategic or high-profile cases. Directly engage in a substantial level of advocacy activity, which could include the provision of information and advice; speaking; training; handling some individual cases; collaborating with litigation team for a major case; and/or participating in various aspects of DRW systems advocacy.
Perform legal oversight of advocacy, investigation and monitoring programs to ensure goals are met and advance DRW’s individual and systemic advocacy.
Collaborate to develop cohesive strategies to address overall agency-wide advocacy strategy especially on cross-disability issues.
Create and maintain a process to identify and document trends for future program enhancements.
Develop and maintain expertise in significant disability focus areas.
Ensure team compliance with ethical rules, organizational policies, and funder requirements.
Track and report on team outcomes, deliverables, and grant objectives, including collaboration to draft portions of various grant reports throughout the year. Contribute to budget planning and resource allocation for the Team in collaboration with Directors of Finance and Legal & Advocacy Services.
Ensure positive relations between DRW and the key funders/stakeholders, while continuing to protect the overall integrity and quality of DRW’s advocacy.
Adhere to all DRW policies and procedures, including but not limited to work hours, timesheets, file maintenance, confidentiality, and security.
Participate in DRW activities such as all-staff meetings and committees.
May be other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

Generous employer contribution for individual and family health insurance plus a Health Reimbursement Account for uncovered health care costs.
Employer-provided Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan with Employer Contribution
Flex Spending Account
Access to affordable, quality:
Dental, Vision Coverage
Additional Life Insurance for employee and spouse and children
Critical Illness Insurance
Identity Theft
Pet Insurance
Public Student Loan Forgiveness
Employment at our organization may qualify you for federal student loan forgiveness programs. We do not directly pay for – nor forgive – federal student loans. However, our status as a not-for-profit organization under Section 501 (c) (3), makes us an eligible employer. There may be other determining factors for one to qualify.
For more information, read the Federal Student Aid’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) page:
studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service
Generous paid time off policies include:
10 Fixed and 4 Floating Holidays
Leave time for:
Medical and Caretaking
Vacation
Personal
Bereavement Leave
Additional benefits include the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Commuter Choice, and Sabbatical Leave.