irector Access to Justice Institute

FLSA Status: Exempt

Months Per Year: 12

Employment Status: Full-Time

Seattle University will be one of the most innovative and progressive Jesuit and Catholic universities in the world, educating with excellence at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. We embrace an intersectional framework for defining diversity in its broadest sense, including differences in gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, generational history, culture, socioeconomic class, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship status, political perspectives, geographic origin and physical ability. Seattle University strives to be a welcome, open and safe campus climate for all who learn, live and work at Seattle University.

Position Description

The Director will lead the Access to Justice Institute (ATJI) team to accomplish the goal of inspiring law students to make a lifelong commitment to equal justice for marginalized and/or underserved communities.  The Director reports to the Dean of the School of Law. 

Seattle University School of Law educates ethical lawyers who distinguish themselves through their outstanding professional skills and their dedication to law in the service of justice. Faculty, students, and staff form a vibrant, diverse, and collaborative community that promotes leadership for a just and humane world. The Law School’s commitment to academic distinction is grounded in its Jesuit Catholic tradition, one that encourages open inquiry, thoughtful reflection and concern for personal growth. Innovation, creativity and technological sophistication characterize our rigorous educational program, which prepares lawyers for a wide range of successful and rewarding careers in law, business and public service.

ATJI serves as the law school’s social justice and DEI hub, inspiring, promoting and supporting: transformative and active community engagement by the law school community in the service of justice for marginalized and underserved communities; bridge- building between academics and action to help eliminate unfair and oppressive systems and practices; community-building with those individuals and community groups who share a commitment to justice for all; and leadership development and capacity building of the next generation of social justice lawyers.

Leading the ATJI team, the Director is a vital team member who will strive to accomplish the goal of inspiring law students, wherever their career paths take them, to make a lifelong commitment to equal justice for marginalized or underserved communities. 

In collaboration with the Dean of the School of Law, develop a strategic plan and oversee activities and trainings that drive the mission to provide community engagement opportunities for students.

Communicate social justice opportunities to law students:

• Respond to inquiries by legal services providers, pro bono counsel, community agencies, courts, government agencies, faculty, SU Law Clinic or any other public interest entity by assisting them with communication to students about existing opportunities.
• Conduct outreach so that students know about the opportunities (e.g., ensure opportunities are published in ATJI communications, and encourage Center for Professional Development and relevant faculty members to share opportunities with their students).
• Follow up with students who take advantage of the opportunities to find out about their experience.
• Engage in community outreach with legal service providers to maintain and build new relationships, keep abreast of strategic advocacy focus areas, and assess the current legal climate.

Develop and oversee Partnership Projects (ongoing volunteer social justice opportunities facilitated by ATJI in partnership with an organization) by collaborating with legal services providers, pro bono counsel, community agencies, courts, government agencies, faculty, SU Law Clinic, Incubator Program, or any other public interest entity. Development and oversight involves:

• Reaching out to potential partners and identifying how law students could help them.
• Designing opportunities for student participation, in collaboration with the partner organization and, when appropriate, law student organizations with a goal of providing opportunities requiring varied commitment levels for student participation.
• Recruiting student leaders and volunteers.
• Organizing any necessary trainings.
• Providing oversight and guided reflection to ensure quality work by students and quality experiences for the students.
• Supervise the Moderate Means Program.

Mentor and supervise students and student organization leaders who engage in social justice projects by providing technical support (i.e., legal expertise, ethics), guidance (i.e., connections to community, how to collaborate trainings), and capacity to build leadership skills.  This includes:

• Work with the Public Interest Law Foundation to host several events including but not limited to the Evening with Equal Justice and the annual spring auction. This work will include extensive event planning and procurement tasks.
• Track student hours for the Pro Bono Pledge and ensure accurate reporting to the Dean’s Office for graduation. Promote the Pro Bono Pledge and encourage participation by all students.
• Organize, oversee, and/or support ongoing social justice events, trainings, symposia, and series.  Develop new programming that serves the primary mission of ATJI.

Collaborate with law school departments to advance the law school mission. Some examples include: Lifelong Commitment to Social Justice, work with Center for Professional Development by cross- referring and meeting with students to connect them to volunteer and networking opportunities.  Collaborate on programming, including public interest career road-mapping and post- graduate fellowship outreach.

Bridging Academics to Action: work with faculty to identify and develop service-learning opportunities, connecting them to the equal justice community and the work of ATJI.

Development Opportunities for Active Engagement: work with the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality and the Ronald A Peterson Law Clinic on collaborative projects to advance respective goals and to provide more opportunities for students to engage the justice community.

Building Law Student Community and Leaders for Justice, work with Office of Admission to assist with cultivating public interest minded applicants and selecting the Scholars for Justice.  Work with the Office of Alumni Relations to encourage pro bono among alumni.

Collaborate with external law school public interest administrators and faculty and equal justice and pro bono organizations, groups, and alliances to advance the mutual equal justice mission.  Some examples of these groups include Access to Justice Board’s Law School Relations Committee, WSBA Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee, and the Seattle Area Pro Bono Group.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• The position requires a J.D. with three to five years of public interest legal experience as an attorney.
• Candidates must have a demonstrated commitment to social justice.
• Candidates must have a demonstrated commitment to inclusion, diversity and cross-difference competence as a justice imperative, and a commitment to the university’s mission, vision, and values.
• Candidates must be able to work collaboratively and work both in teams and independently.
• Candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills, and the ability to comfortably speak in front of large and small groups.
• Candidates must have competency with Microsoft Office products and some familiarity and experience with social media tools.
• Candidates must be system-thinkers, be well organized, able to work on multiple projects at the same time, be able to prioritize and manage work projects, and enjoy a team oriented approach to projects.
• Candidates must have a License to practice law, preferably in Washington.
• Experience working at a law school or with law students, including having first-hand knowledge of working in a law school setting as well as having experience supervising law students in their legal work is preferred.
• Experience with developing or participating in professional leadership development programming is preferred.
• Experience with event and/or training/CLE planning and oversight is preferred.
• Candidates must be creative, enjoy working with a diverse community, and have a sense of humor.

Application Instructions

Please attach a cover letter with your resume when applying. Job postings are open until filled, unless otherwise specified.

Compensation at a Glance:

Salary Range:  $82,000 to $88,000

Seattle University has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, and not based on a candidate’s gender or any other protected status.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. Seattle University provides generous leave, health plans, and retirement contributions that add to your total compensation package.

Benefits at a Glance

Consistent with its fundamental Jesuit values, Seattle University offers a wide range of benefits designed to care for the whole person. Choose from three different medical plans, a dental, and vision insurance programs. Protect your income with life, short & long-term disability coverage. Plan for your future with up to a 10% employer contribution for retirement benefits, comprised of a 5% nonelective employer contribution and an additional dollar-for-dollar match of your voluntary contributions up to a maximum of 5%. You may also take advantage of 100% paid tuition benefits for the employee and dependents, a subsidized transportation benefit, a wellness program with free access to an onsite fitness facility, and a wide variety of campus events. Enjoy a generous holiday schedule, including a paid Holiday break closure in December, vacation and paid sick leave, and paid community service leave. For more information explore the Benefits website at: https://www.seattleu.edu/hr/benefits/