Managing Attorney, Metropolitan Equity

Public Advocates seeks a collaborative, strategic senior team leader to serve as Managing Attorney of the Metropolitan Equity Team. 

About Public Advocates

For more than 55 years, Public Advocates has challenged the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination. As a bold and highly regarded nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization, we skillfully deploy a multi-pronged approach. Using litigation and enforcement, policy advocacy, community partnership, movement-building, and communication strategies, PA achieves tangible legal and policy victories in education, housing, and transit justice and builds power with low-income communities of color. PA was recently ranked as one of the top two most effective legislative advocacy groups out of over 100 ranked by CalMatters. We have a team of 34 staff people, a 14-person Board of Directors, and an annual budget of $6.9 million. 

Position Summary

Public Advocates is seeking a Managing Attorney to co-lead the Metropolitan Equity (Met) team. This team of 14 attorneys and advocates works to increase affordable homes in all communities, protect tenants and communities facing displacement pressures, support public transportation that serves the needs of low-income people, win socially just and environmentally sustainable development, and fund infrastructure that meets the needs of historically disinvested communities. 

The Managing Attorney will co-lead the Met Team with the Managing Director, who brings complementary organizing, campaign, fundraising, and team leadership strengths to a shared agenda. Together, they will set the strategic direction of the team, oversee the portfolio of advocacy campaigns, projects, and cases, and manage team operations. They will also partner with other internal senior leaders on communications and fundraising and serve on the executive-level Management Team. Within the shared leadership structure, the Managing Attorney will lead the Met team’s litigation strategy and execution, and shape legal advocacy embedded in community-driven local, state, and federal policy campaigns. The Managing Attorney will directly supervise 2-4 attorneys and/or policy advocates and  mentor and coach all members of the Met Team. 

Key Duties & Responsibilities

The successful candidate will bring demonstrated strengths in several of these areas, along with the capacity and enthusiasm to grow in others.

Lead legal strategy and advocacy: Set, guide, and execute the Met team’s litigation and administrative advocacy, including partnerships with pro bono co-counsel. Lead non-litigation legal advocacy as part of community-based coalitions and campaigns, ensuring that it is high quality and pursued in authentic collaboration with our community partners so as to reflect the needs of low-income communities and communities of color. 

Co-lead programmatic strategy and team management: In co-leadership with the Managing Director, set the strategic direction and management of the Met Team, translating the organizational mission into ambitious, effective work that improves material conditions and builds the power of low-income communities and communities of color, and guide the Met Team’s portfolio of local, state, and federal policy and legal advocacy projects.

Develop and support a high-performing team: Supervise, evaluate, mentor, and support the professional development of attorneys, law fellows, and/or policy advocates. 

Contribute to organizational leadership: Actively contribute to organizational strategic direction and management as a part of the Management Team and support the CEO in carrying out organizational priorities.

Engage in external communications: Collaborate with the Managing Director of Communications to develop and execute program communication goals and strategies, strengthen the organization’s brand, and serve as a public spokesperson.

Support resource generation: Lead and/or support fundraising efforts for the Met Team and Public Advocates, partnering with organizational leadership to cultivate funders and communicate impact.

Advance diversity, equity, and inclusion: Proactively implement the organization’s diversity commitments through recruitment, staff development, team culture, partnerships, and approaches to advocacy.

Promote a healthy, collaborative workplace: Model and strengthen a culture of trust, clear communication, mutual support, accountability, flexibility, resilience, optimism, curiosity, and a sense of humor. 

Required Qualifications 

• At least 10 years of legal experience, including high-impact litigation in state or federal courts, demonstrated ability to oversee litigation, administrative advocacy, and legal strategies that support broader policy campaigns
• California Bar admission 
• Commitment to racial and economic justice and experience advancing progressive social change
• Expertise and advocacy experience in civil rights, affordable housing, land use, tenant protections, equitable development, community benefits, and/or transportation/public transit 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex legal and policy concepts clearly and persuasively for legal and non-legal audiences
• Demonstrated success supervising and developing attorneys or other legal professionals, typically gained through at least three to five years of people management responsibilities
• Demonstrated experience or readiness to manage a team of lawyers and advocates, including managing team strategy, projects, and team operations 
• Demonstrated experience effectively working with diverse colleagues, clients, and partners 
• Demonstrated experience cultivating foundation or other philanthropic support and/or securing court-awarded attorneys’ fees
• Sound judgment, integrity, and high professional standards

Additional Preferred Qualifications 

• Expertise in land use and zoning 
• Experience partnering with grassroots community and/or labor organizations and building coalitions to advance durable policy change and community power 
• Experience with complex litigation involving governmental agencies and the public sector 
• Experience contributing to organization-wide strategy and management

Compensation & Benefit

Compensation for this full-time exempt position is $171,600-$200,000, based on experience. Public Advocates offers a competitive benefits package including:

• 100% of premiums paid for the employee, spouse/domestic partner, and dependents on our medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• An employer-funded Health Savings Account
• Discretionary employer contributions to a 403(b) retirement plan
• Annual professional development budget of $750
• Generous paid time off including vacation (accrue up to 15 days in first year and 20 days each year thereafter; 30-day cap) and sick leave (accrue up to 20 days each year), 13 organizational holidays, 2 floating holidays, additional leave between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
• $75/month cell phone and home office internet stipend
• 12-week (6 weeks paid) sabbatical after 7 years of employment

Location

The Managing Attorney position is hybrid, working remotely three days per week and spending two days working in the office. We prefer the Managing Attorney be based out of our downtown San Francisco office located on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building, convenient to public transportation. We will also consider candidates who are based out of our Sacramento office and able to regularly travel to be on-site with San Francisco-based staff. 

Application Instructions

Applications are welcomed immediately; position open until filled. Please submit your application (and/or questions) by email to MA@publicadvocates.org. Your application should include:

1) Cover letter that explains: 

1. a) Your specific interest in this role and in our advocacy model,
2. b) What brings you to this work, and 
3. c) A leadership experience that will help us understand your qualifications

2) Resume

3) Writing sample of no more than five pages from the last three years that illustrates your legal analysis, analytical reasoning, and communication skills and was prepared without substantial contributions or editing from a collaborator or artificial intelligence 

Candidates who advance in the process will be asked to submit references. 

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement

Public Advocates is an equal opportunity employer and believes that to best serve our team and clients, our staff needs to reflect the diverse communities with which we partner. We value and celebrate the unique differences of our employees because we understand this to be what drives critical thinking, innovation, and organizational success. We do not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, place of birth, religion or creed, color, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or domestic partner status, veteran status, ability status, medical condition, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, height and weight, AIDS/HIV status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. We look at each applicant’s full experience and encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities.  Please email lmateja@publicadvocates.org or call 415-625-8462 for assistance.