Managing Attorney Farm Worker Rights Division

Organization Overview

Colorado Legal Services (CLS) is Colorados statewide nonprofit legal aid program with thirteen offices providing civil legalassistanceto low-income Coloradans throughout the state. CLS provides free legalassistancein a broad variety of legal areas including family law public benefits eviction defense consumer protection services to survivors of serious crime and human trafficking and many others.

CLS has strengthened lives assistedfamilies and supported communitiesone person at a time for over 100 years. We are committed to providing high-quality free legal advice and representation to eligible individuals throughout Colorado. We have a long history of successful impact and advocacy. CLS strives to bring about substantive transformationalchangein the lives of those we serve.

At CLS we value representation. We value and respect our staffs wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We ensure representation of our client communities in our staff Board of Directorsand leadership teams. We also envision afair just trusted and harm reductionist legal systemthatemphasizes access to and implementation of true justice for every Coloradan.

JobDescription

The Managing Attorney for the Farm Worker Rights Division(FWRD)leads legal advocacy for migrant and seasonal agricultural workers focusing on employmentandcivil rightslaw. FWRDalso sometimesrepresents agricultural workers who have endured labor trafficking and other severe crimes in obtaining humanitarian visas for themselves and their derivatives.The Managing Attorney oversees a team conductingbothlitigationandoutreachwork. The role requires litigationexpertise community partnership and management skills to ensure the program provides impactfulandexcellentadvocacyfor Colorados most exploited and vulnerable agricultural workers.

All ofour managers have theresponsibility of working with staff to meet CLS statewide organizational professional and community goalswhich emphasizeproviding high-quality civil legal services to low-income Coloradans and achieving thebest possible outcomes for our clients.They areguided by all four of our CLS values:excellent advocacy;empowermentcollaboration andcourage.Theyare responsible forbeing leaders mentors counselors role models hiring managers teachers administratorstime managers culture creators community engagers crisis managers andperformance expectation setters.Managing Attorneysalso practice law and manage their own caseloads in addition to their other duties.Our managers alsocontinually work towards developing and growing competencies in the following areas:adaptive & collaborative management; coaching & empowering people; communication & active listening; community engagement; empathetic and trauma-informed leadership; and practice areaexpertise.While the responsibilities of amanagerat CLS are wide-ranging and challenging carrying them out successfully is vital to the success of the organization and toserveour client communities.

Job Duties

• Provides the oversightassistance guidance and supervision necessary to ensure the effective administration operation and management ofFWRD.

• Cultivates a culture that supports staff while holdingstaff tohigh expectationsof performanceby modelingpatience empathy and soundjudgment.

• Providessupervision and guidance forFWRDs attorneysparalegal outreach coordinator and interns including periodically reviewing their legal work and providing training professional development employee coaching and performance evaluation.

• Oversees staff workloads client relationsexternal partner relationsand interpersonalteam dynamics andworks withSenior Leadershiponaddressing personnel issuesconsistent withourCollective Bargaining Agreement.

• Leads theFWRD teaminrepresentingagriculturalworker clients before federal and state courts and administrative agenciesin the following areas:

• • Employmentlaw(wagetheft working conditions discrimination human traffickingandcivil rights);

• • Humanitarian visas and naturalizationfor agricultural workerswho have survived labor trafficking and other severe crimesandthose workersderivatives.

• Maintains an active but reduced caseloadwhich includesdelivering sound legal counsel and exceptional advocacy that aligns with program objectives; clearly and transparently communicating with clients;performing client and witness interviews; carrying out case investigations; drafting pleadings and documents; ensuring comprehensive and up-to-dateclientcase notes;andstaying current inemploymentlawandaspects ofimmigration lawrelevant to agricultural workers such as humanitarian (T & U) visasand naturalization.

• Working with theFWRDoutreach coordinator conducts and oversees extensive outreach public educationtrainingand community relations withagricultural workers;service providerspromotorasandotherkey partners across the state;anda Summer Outreach Program consisting of internsproviding legal information to agricultural workers across rural Colorado.

• Working with the FWRD outreachcoordinatorensures that FWRD maintains and nurtures relationships throughout the state with trusted partnersandpromotoranetworkstomaintaintrust and credibility with the Coloradoagriculturalworker population.

• Ensures compliance withpolicies of CLS the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and other funders including those related to theassistancewe provide toall individualseligiblefor our services.

• Whereconsistent with LSC regulationsengagesin policy work related to the rights of agricultural workers.

• Overseesand continually improves the dedicated FWRD intake system including reviewingrequests forassistanceand makingdeterminationsas toeligibility and the extent of servicesFWRDis able toprovide including referral advice and counsel brief services and litigation.

• Facilitates case acceptance meetings and trains staffonidentifyingthe legal needs ofagriculturalworker clients whileprovidingconstructive feedback to staff on cases discussed.

• Developsa strategicadvocacy plan and case acceptance priorities in line with FWRDs mission.

• Timely reviews and closes all unit casesin compliance with LSC regulations.

• Attendsmanagement meetingsparticipatesin statewide substantive task forces and working groups andis available tooffercase support to other CLScasehandlersseekingassistancerelated tothe work of FWRD.

• Assistswith grant management activitiesincludingcommunicating with grantors gathering dataforand completing grant reports and working with Senior Leadership to apply for grant funding.

• Handles other administrative and supervisory tasks for the Unit.

Qualifications

We are looking to hire an empathetic and trauma-informed attorney who is energetic excited about leadershipexperienced withoutreachand passionate about our mission. This individual must excel as a supervisor attorney and representative of Colorado Legal Services in the community. They must also have:

• An active license to practice law inColorado orthe abilityto obtain a Colorado license as soon aspracticable.

• Fluency in oral and written Spanish.

• Experience in direct client representationin employment and/or civil rights law.

• Excellentinterpersonalskills includingabilityto treat clients and staff with courtesy and respect.
• Excellentwritten and verbal communication skills.
• Strong critical thinkinganalytical and organizationalskills and strong workethic.
• Ability and willingness to travel to visit client populationsthroughout Colorado especially during the summer months.
• Comfort and efficiency with Microsoft 365.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferably experience in immigration law related to agricultural worker and humanitarian visa programs.
• Prior personal or professional experience with the agricultural worker community.
• Experiencewithleading outreach and/or community engagement initiatives.
• Demonstrated commitment to providing effectiveand trauma-informedlegal services toagricultural workers includingcommunicating through translators and interpreters with clients who speak Indigenous languages other than English and Spanish.
  

How to Apply

To apply please use the Apply for This Job link on ourcareers pageand submit your resume cover letter and legal writing sample no later than May 15. Please note that we will review applications on a rolling basis and begin our interview process in early May. In your cover letter please tell us aboutyour commitment to the workof this unit yourmanagement styleandyour approach to building a strong working team.Pleasereach out to Karen Vilner our Director of People & Culture atif you have any questions about the position.

Compensation and Benefits

Salaries are commensurate with years of experience. We offer a generous plan that includes 100% employer paid premiums for employee health dental vision life and long-term disability insurance as well as partial employer paid premiums for spouses/dependents based on a sliding scale. We also offer Dependent Care and Medical Flexible spending accounts and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). CLS contributes $200/month to each employees 403(b) retirement account and matches 100% of employee contributions up to 3% of employee salary; vesting occurs gradually will full vesting after 3 years of employment. Additionally CLS offers generous paid time-off and 13 paid holidays per year.

CLS values its employees commitment to working hard for the population it serves and recognizes the importance of work/life promote and foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically safe work environment striving to be a Best Place to Work in Colorado.

Required Experience:

IC