Description:

Position Summary:
An Organization Represents Communities Facing Poverty and Oppression seeks a full-time Litigation Director to lead our statewide litigation work that seeks to dismantle the structures that perpetuate poverty, racism, and other injustices in Washington, particularly the mass incarceration and immigration systems. This position will work in close collaboration with our Policy Director and our Advocacy-Equity & Community Relationships Director to align our advocacy around our values and strategic goals, as well as to support equitable supervision throughout our advocacy program.

CLS brings its core values of community, race equity, and justice into all aspects of its work, and we seek an individual for this role who aligns with these values.

All CLS staff have the ability to complete some work remotely; however, this position will require some physical presence at the office, as well as an ability to attend required meetings at the office and in the community. This position may be based in any CLS office location: Kennewick, Olympia, Seattle, Wenatchee, and Yakima.

CLS requires that all employees adhere to our COVID-19 vaccine mandate through proof of vaccination or by requesting a medical or religious accommodation.

Responsibilities:
Litigation Support, Strategy, and Infrastructure (40%)

Works with the Deputy Directors of Advocacy to coordinate and align all litigation across CLS with a focus on high-level advocacy, centering organizational strategic goals and shared values of community, race equity, and justice.
Engages in litigation for coverage, support, and training purposes.
Serves as final decision maker for litigation-related policies and procedures, in collaboration with other organizational leaders.
Coordinates with CLS directors and departments to ensure strategic alignment and messaging, and aligned commitment to community engagement.
Provides leadership, thought partnership and problem solving for advocates, including litigation practices, ethics advice and counsel, and other expertise.
Assists with resource development for litigation efforts and manages litigation-related budgeting processes.
Coordinates with the Litigation Support Specialist to maintain litigation related infrastructure.
Provides regular communication updates to CLS staff and Board about litigation.

Supervision, Mentorship, & Leadership (30%)

Co-manages the Advocacy Team (which includes employees working on litigation, policy, and/or community engagement) and the Advocacy Coordination Team (which includes all managers working on litigation, policy, and/or community engagement) with the Policy Director and the Advocacy Equity & Community Engagement Director.
Supervises Deputy Directors of Advocacy and the Litigation Support Specialist.
Champions and leads equitable supervision and professional development within the Advocacy Team, in collaboration with the Policy Director, Advocacy Equity & Community Engagement Director, and the Human Resources Director.
Supports and mentors litigation team leaders.
Collaborates with and provides thought partnership to other Directors, including on organization-wide projects and priorities.
Participates in the Organizational Management Team and the Advocacy Coordination Team and Reports to the Executive Director.

Training & Development (20%)

Trains and leads, centering community lawyering and movement lawyering theory and skills.
Supports excellence in legal writing, oral argument, and other legal tools.
Organizes litigation-focused training and relevant materials.
Coordinate with Human Resources and other directors to ensure all advocates receive litigation opportunities and training, and that Advocacy Team employees receive clear expectations and necessary training during their orientation period.

External Connections (10%)

Strengthens external partnerships with organizations in the Alliance for Equal Justice and other affiliated organizations nationally.
Creates and nurtures relationships with the private bar to support CLS's litigation efforts and implements processes to ensure that joint advocacy efforts reflect organizational values.

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee; others may be assigned.

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have all or most of the experience below or a combination of comparable experience where they have demonstrated similar skills or responsibilities.

Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to dismantling and transforming two of the key racialized systems that perpetuate poverty, injustice, and dehumanization: mass incarceration and the impacts of the immigration system.
Lived or other demonstrated meaningful and sustained experience with people living in poverty, people of color, immigrant or indigenous communities, and/or the criminal legal system.
Commitment to confronting, exposing, and dismantling all forms of structural bias and oppression.
Demonstrated experience in big picture thinking, considering multiple perspectives, and aligning strategy to long-term goals.
Experience supervising multiple people at once and a demonstrated understanding of supervisory challenges and/or best practices.
Law degree and license to practice in Washington, or ability to take the next Washington bar exam.
Strong understanding of and demonstrated experience with litigation, legal writing, oral argument, and other legal tools, including experience leading litigation teams.
Excellent written and oral communication, research, negotiation, and analytical skills.
Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships with colleagues, and a desire to engage in shared leadership and decision-making.
Ability to lead a team effectively, prioritize responsibilities, and meet deadlines on time-sensitive projects.
Prioritization of self-care and a willingness to take breaks and vacations.
Ability to travel occasionally around the state to attend meetings, engage with community, and supervise staff.

Preferred:

A minimum of five years of litigation experience, including complex litigation and/or class action.
Experience supervising other supervisors and/or providing supervisor training or coaching.
Proficiency in Spanish is preferred but not required for this position; other language skills relevant to our client communities are a plus.