Project Director

Indiana Legal Services•Indianapolis, IN

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Indiana Legal Services, Inc. (ILS) is a statewide, not-for-profit organization that provides free legal services to eligible clients in civil cases through eight branch offices. ILS is funded by the Legal Services Corporation, Indiana Bar Foundation, United Ways, Area Agencies on Aging, and approximately 40 other funding sources. The Agricultural Worker Project (AWP) is a program designed to support agricultural workers, including seasonal, migrant, and H-2A visa workers, and those in cannery, nursery/greenhouse, livestock, forestry or beekeeping work by providing free civil legal services and advocacy. It addresses issues such as unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions, employer-provided housing problems, labor trafficking, employment discrimination, and H-2A contract violations. The project also offers limited assistance with public benefits and recruitment-related legal concerns. ILS is committed to promoting diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any category protected by law. This is a full-time Project Director position. The Agricultural Worker Project Director leads the Project and is responsible for the overall direction, quality, and effectiveness of the Project’s work. The Director supervises staff and volunteers to ensure the Project provides high-quality legal services to eligible clients and appropriate outreach and education to the agricultural worker community. The Director will maintain a caseload and may participate in complex litigation, appeals, administrative advocacy, community education, and other efforts related to the Project’s mission.

Requirements

A demonstrated commitment to the mission of Indiana Legal Services, which is to use the law to fight poverty and racism, empower clients, and improve access to justice.
Juris doctorate degree and licensed to practice law in Indiana, or able to become barred soon after acceptance.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Ability to travel as needed to perform job responsibilities throughout Indiana.
Ability to establish and maintain excellent relationships with diverse populations.

Nice To Haves

Fluency in Spanish and English is preferred.
Management experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Supervise AWP staff, volunteers, and interns; assign and review work; oversee affirmative and defensive litigation; conduct performance and case reviews; support staff development; and ensure high-quality legal representation in compliance with applicable laws, professional rules, grant requirements, and ILS policies.
In coordination with the Development Department, manage project grants, grant reports and grant applications.
Run and review compliance reports to ensure the project operates in compliance with all relevant statutes, regulations, rules, grant requirements, and ILS policies.
Represent ILS at community meetings and engage with statewide coalition partners.
Assure the project reaches all relevant areas of the state.
Develop and maintain relationships with community organizations and other partners, provide community legal education.
Identify significant or emerging issues affecting client communities and develop appropriate legal, advocacy, or educational responses.
Perform other duties as assigned.