Managing Attorney – Intake Team
Job Title: Managing Attorney – Intake Team
Position Summary
The Managing Attorney effectively supervises and trains the intake specialists and oversees the organization’s telephone and in-person intake system. Ensures that the team effectively and efficiently screens applicants for eligibility and interviews prospective clients to complete the intake process. Responsible for optimum functioning of a specialized team in a legal aid environment. Assist with all required administrative functions and grant requirements of the team.
About the Organization
Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD), the largest poverty law firm serving San Diego County since 1953, strengthens our communities by redressing our clients’ legal problems, empowering our clients to access and effectively participate within the legal, governmental, and social systems and encouraging self-empowerment in the fight against poverty and injustice. LASSD continues to be a proud, committed, and compassionate group of people dedicated to providing equal access to justice for San Diegans through aggressive, quality legal services. #justicebeginshere
Essential Functions
• Oversees the substantive and administrative responsibilities of the intake team.
• Responsible for ensuring that all inquiries from callers and walk-ins are handled promptly, efficiently and effectively.
• Ensures that applicants for service are correctly screened, that eligible intakes are sent to the appropriate legal team(s), and that referrals are provided as appropriate.
• Trains and supervises the assistant program manager and intake specialists, creates training materials for the team.
• Ensures that team’s interactions with individuals are conducted in a holistic, trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.
• Evaluates the work of staff, conducts performance evaluations, creates professional development plans as appropriate.
• Runs and analyzes data/productivity reports, monitors team productivity and quality of work, identifies issues and appropriate solutions.
• Conducts team meetings and individual check-ins.
• Works with substantive practice teams and management to keep abreast of teams’ eligibility criteria.
• Is responsible for creating adequate staffing plan for front desks in each office location.
• Timely and accurately performs team administrative duties.
• Maintains data in compliance with funding and programmatic requirements.
• Engages in community outreach and education presentations and events to develop positive relationships with our client communities and partners.
• Helps develop and implement new strategies for resolution of systemic problems which adversely affect client communities.
• Is part of the Leadership Team and participates in leadership meetings, committees, and other related activities.
• Works closely with Executive Management and meaningfully reports to the Board of Directors annually.
• Other duties as assigned by Management.
Qualifications:
• Admitted and in Good Standing with the California State Bar.
• Must have five (5) years’ experience as a practicing attorney, three (3) of which must be in civil poverty law or public interest law.
• Experience overseeing a call center, preferably in a fast-paced legal services environment.
• Demonstrated skills in managing others in a regulated climate and ensuring personal and team compliance with
such regulations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work with other teams, the public, court personnel, government agencies, and partner organizations.
• Must have desire and demonstrated capacity to train and mentor less experienced staff.
• The capability to relate to staff and the specific client communities in a direct, professional, and empathetic manner.
• Demonstrated ability to run and analyze data/productivity reports.
• High level of attention to detail required.
• Must have experience in working with our client communities and demonstrated commitment to serving low-income people.
• Skill in working independently and following through on assignments with accuracy and minimal direction.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as required by events and deadlines.
• Reliable transportation.
Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Fluency in written and spoken Spanish preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and experience in a variety of areas including the substantive areas of assistance offered by LASSD.
• Excellent Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint skills.
• Experience and ability to use Justice Server (database) and 8×8 (cloud-based call center).
• Ability to work successfully with people from diverse backgrounds.
Salary and Benefits:
The Managing Attorney position is a salaried position with a salary range of $110,000 – $165,000. The starting salary is $110,000. In addition, there is a bilingual pay increase of 2% for passing an oral test and 2% for passing a written test for threshold languages other than English.
LASSD offers a generous benefits package, a 35-hour workweek, paid vacation leave and sick leave and 100% employer-paid medical premium, 50% employer-paid premium for dependents under LASSD health plan, as well as dental, vision, and life benefits. Staff also have the option to participate in a 403(b)-retirement plan and dependent and health flex savings accounts (FSA). LASSD has its own law school loan repayment program and is an eligible nonprofit employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.
LASSD is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.
Hybrid Work Environment:
Legal Aid Society of San Diego (“LASSD”) has adopted a hybrid work environment in which most staff are required to work in the office part of the week and permitted to work remotely for the remainder of the week, provided their job duties allow. All employees are issued LASSD computers and provided with appropriate supplies to perform their work. LASSD has implemented and continues to explore additional technologies to make our hybrid working environment as efficient and connected as possible. All employees must be available to travel to LASSD offices and service locations throughout San Diego County as needed and in compliance with public health advisories. Applicants must reside in or near San Diego County or plan to relocate in or near the County prior to their start date and must be able to commute to the physical Legal Aid Society of San Diego office locations or service delivery locations within San Diego County. LASSD’s normal business hours are 9am-5pm, but we are open to providing flexible work schedules to the extent feasible for the position. LASSD reserves the right to change these policies at any time.
Diversity and Inclusion:
It is vitally important to LASSD that we represent the community that we serve. LASSD is a signatory to the San Diego County Bar Association’s Diversity Pledge. We pledge to promote diversity and inclusion through hiring and retention, promotion and leadership, engagement of outside counsel, and participation in legal community diversity initiatives. We strongly encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply.