Litigation Director

Full-time

No

annually.



Litigation Director - Columbia Legal Services - Seattle, Olympia, Kennewick, Yakima, and Wenatchee, Washington (Hybrid)

Columbia Legal Services is a nonprofit civil legal aid organization that focuses on advancing social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty. We are seeking a Litigation Director to lead our statewide litigation work in dismantling systems that perpetuate poverty, racism, and other injustices in Washington. This is a full-time position that may be based in any of our office locations: Seattle, Olympia, Kennewick, Yakima, and Wenatchee. The ideal candidate will align with our organizational values of community, race equity, and justice and have a strong understanding of and commitment to dismantling and transforming the mass incarceration and immigration systems. This position requires some physical presence at the office, as well as an ability to attend required meetings at the office and in the community.

Responsibilities:

- Coordinate and align all litigation across CLS, with a focus on high-level advocacy and centering organizational strategic goals and values of community, race equity, and justice.
- Engage in litigation for coverage, support, and training purposes.
- Serve as final decision maker for litigation-related policies and procedures, in collaboration with other organizational leaders.
- Coordinate with CLS directors and departments to ensure strategic alignment and messaging, and aligned commitment to community engagement.
- Provide leadership, thought partnership, and problem-solving for advocates, including litigation practices, ethics advice and counsel, and other expertise.
- Assist with resource development for litigation efforts and manage litigation-related budgeting processes.
- Coordinate with the Litigation Support Specialist to maintain litigation-related infrastructure.
- Provide regular communication updates to CLS staff and Board about litigation.
- Co-manage the Advocacy Team and the Advocacy Coordination Team, which includes employees working on litigation, policy, and/or community engagement.
- Supervise Deputy Directors of Advocacy and the Litigation Support Specialist.
- Champion and lead equitable supervision and professional development within the Advocacy Team.
- Support and mentor litigation team leaders.
- Collaborate with and provide thought partnership to other Directors, including on organization-wide projects and priorities.
- Train and lead, centering community lawyering and movement lawyering theory and skills.
- Support excellence in legal writing, oral argument, and other legal tools.
- Organize 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.
- Strengthen external partnerships with organizations in the Alliance for Equal Justice and other affiliated organizations nationally.
- Create and nurture relationships with the private bar to support CLS’s litigation efforts and implement processes to ensure that joint advocacy efforts reflect organizational values.

Qualifications:

- Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to dismantling and transforming the mass incarceration and immigration systems.
- 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.

Compensation:

This full-time, non-exempt position is a confidential role and is not eligible for representation by Washington Legal Workers, our in-house labor union. Columbia Legal Services is committed to providing an equitable work environment, including a commitment to pay equity. The current annual salary range for an experienced Litigation Director with 5-10 years of directly relevant experience is $91,806 - $101,744. The range increases with years of experience.

Benefits:

- 14 paid holidays annually
- Winter Break office closure between Christmas and New Year’s Day
- 12 sick days annually
- 15-21 paid vacation days annually (based on years of experience)
- 3-5 personal days annually (based on years of experience)
- Paid parental and family medical leave benefits
- Paid sabbatical every 7 years
- Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program (for employees with less than 10 years’ experience)
- 100% of employee premiums for excellent health, vision, and dental benefits, plus 50% of the maximum out-of-pocket deductible, and offer heavily subsidized family premiums.
- 403(b) retirement benefit with employer contribution and a match
- Disability and life insurance, a subsidized transit pass, and an employee wellness program
- Home office setup for working remotely, time off for vaccinations or illness related to COVID-19, and an additional small stipend for miscellaneous costs.

To Apply:

Please submit an application with a cover letter and resume in PDF format through our application portal in BambooHR. We accept and review applications on a

to apply


please submit an application with a cover letter and resume in pdf format through our application portal in bamboohr. we will remove the position from our website once it is filled. if you need a reasonable accommodation for the application process, please email the human resources team at careers(at)columbialegal(dot)org. we are committed to an environment of mutual respect, collaboration, and equal opportunity for all employees, and strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, people who have been affected by mass incarceration, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. apply for this position
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