JOB OVERVIEW

Managing Attorneys are responsible for day-to-day management and supervision of local office operations and directly report to TeamChild’s Director of Legal Services. Managing Attorneys are supported by the Director of Legal Services and work with each other and with all Executive Team members. Managing Attorneys provide leadership within their local office and community to ensure high-quality services, to create a cohesive work environment including linkages to other offices, and to build strong community partnerships that advance local and statewide goals.

There is flexibility in this position for some remote work and work from our Seattle Office. TeamChild staff have mostly continued to work remotely due to the pandemic. When it is safe, we anticipate some planning and work from the office. This position involves travel in order to meet with clients and community.

TEAMCHILD

TeamChild is a nationally recognized nonprofit serving vulnerable youth across Washington State. TeamChild is best known for its legal services program reaching children in crisis in King, Pierce, Spokane, and Yakima counties. Our clients are generally 12-24 years old, and many are involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Our legal services program is designed to keep young people out of juvenile court by reconnecting them to education, healthcare, and housing supports. We work closely with public defenders, juvenile court staff and the community to positively impact the young person’s life while helping the youth to accomplish their goals and reduce further contact with the courts. The mission of TeamChild is to uphold the rights of youth involved, or at risk of involvement, in the juvenile justice system to help them secure the education, healthcare, housing and other support they need to achieve positive outcomes in their lives. In our work, we aim to move systems away from exclusion, arrest, and incarceration towards more effective strategies that have the best chance of promoting the well-being and success of our most vulnerable children.

At TeamChild we believe that racial and other social identities should be respected and affirmed. In support of this belief, we are building an equitable and inclusive organization and providing our team of staff and Board members with the tools to address institutionalized racism and other forms of oppression. All members of our team are responsible for providing and supporting an equitable and inclusive work environment that will enrich our interactions with each other and our services. This responsibility provides the foundation for shifting power to the youth and families that we serve so their needs are justly represented and their goals amply fulfilled.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervises local program staff, which includes:
• Facilitating and directly supporting the on-boarding of new staff, volunteers and interns
• Ensuring case management, support, and oversight of staff, volunteers and interns
• Co-Counsel cases with Staff Attorneys
• Supporting training and professional development needs of local office staff
• Providing leadership development opportunities for local office staff
• Facilitating trainings for staff, volunteers and interns
• Cultivating a transparent and collaborative work environment
• Learning about and applying innovative and collaborative models of management and leadership
• Assisting with performance evaluations and staff recognition
• Approving timesheets, vacation requests, and expenses
• Encouraging and modeling self-care and work-life balance
• Communicating and advocating for staff needs, concerns, and suggestions to management
• Facilitating collaborative decision processes to determine caseloads
• Maintains continuous communication with the Executive Team members about the needs of the King County team, including:
• Administrative needs, such as office space location, lease arrangements, supplies, and technology
• Human resources, including staffing needs, supervision and support needs of staff
• Program needs, such as fund development or substantive needs of the community and clients
• Communications needs, such as press inquiries, public announcements, and social media
• Budgeting, including coordination with King team and Executive Team to develop and implement a budget for the King County program
• Ensuring the local team is informed and included in these processes
• Adheres to TeamChild's anti-racism principles
• Participates in hiring, termination, promotion, special designation or assignment of employees and interns, including law students, summer clerks, and temporary employees.
• Identifies and helps develop funding opportunities that support local efforts and advocacy needs including building and maintaining local relationships and coordinates closely with the Executive Team and staff on grant proposals, individual giving, special project needs and events, fellowship opportunities, etc.
• Works with Operations and Investments/Partnerships Teams to manage local contracts and funding applications.  Collaborates to ensure contract expectations align with our work and that staff and activities are completed and documented to meet contract deliverables and deadlines
• Negotiates contracts and grant applications with county, state and other funders on behalf of the King team
• Facilitates collaborative development and implementation of outreach, training, and community engagement for local office
• Facilitates the development of local office work plan that tie into TeamChild’s mission and statewide impact goals
• Maintains a reduced client caseload dependent on the number/size of local office staff, their supervision needs, and other considerations
• Models, centers and upholds TeamChild’s shared values
• Maintains shared decision making throughout the role in the organization

QUALIFICATIONS

We are seeking candidates who are committed to undoing institutional racism and other forms of oppression and are passionate about supporting young people. Candidates should work well both independently and as a team member, enjoy creative problem solving, and value the creation of relationships and collaboration with co‐workers and the community. Additional qualifications include:

• Member in good standing of the Washington State Bar Association or eligible for reciprocity or limited admission to practice pending admission to the Washington State Bar Association
• Experience providing high-quality training, supervision and mentoring of students, volunteers, interns and attorneys.
• Exceptional legal advocacy skills, including administrative hearing and civil litigation experience, negotiation, clear and persuasive writing, and oral presentation.
• Experience in relevant areas of law (school discipline/special education, Medicaid/EPSDT, family law, delinquency, child welfare, or other areas of youth law, juvenile defense).
• Prior experience working with youth who are impacted or at risk of involvement with juvenile court or who have other complex needs, strongly preferred.
• Ability to effectively communicate, mentor, and motivate others, and to work collaboratively among diverse groups of people with varying perspectives, experience, and expertise.
• Possesses innovative leadership, creative problem-solving and thrives in a work environment that nurtures growth, and exploration.
• Strong linkages to the local community and willingness to develop relationships with county/community service providers, funders, government entities, other legal services, etc.
• Demonstrated alignment with TeamChild Values: Centering Youth, Anti-Racism, Wholeness, Accountability.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary is based on the TeamChild attorney salary scale and the candidate's years of relevant experience. The salary range is $61,800 to $92,700. For example, an attorney credited with zero years of legal experience will start at $61,800.  An attorney with seven years of experience will start at $73,461. Attorneys whose legal experience would place them below $75,000 may be credited for additional years of experience based upon the attorney’s lived experience with systems of oppression reflective of our clients’ experiences. This person will supervise three employees directly and will receive an additional $5,000 in compensation annually.

TeamChild offers full benefits including medical, dental, vision, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), generous paid time off, long- and short-term disability, and options to set up Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and 403b retirement accounts. TeamChild typically offers a $1,000 per employee annual wellbeing benefit, as well.

TO APPLY

Please email a concise letter of interest, resume, and a legal writing sample to jobs@teamchild.org using the following file naming convention: “[LastName] - Letter” and “[LastName] - Resume.” Please write "King County Managing Attorney" and your last name in the subject line. The first review of applications will be conducted on October 6, 2021. Position open until filled. Before submitting your application, please check TeamChild’s website to make sure that this position is still open.

We currently have several open positions at TeamChild. If you are interested in being considered for multiple positions, please write “Multiple Positions” and your last name in the subject line. Please indicate in your cover letter which positions you are interested in. No phone calls or email inquiries please, but please see our website for upcoming opportunities to learn more about employment at TeamChild.

All interested individuals, including persons with lived experience, people of color, women, persons with disabilities, and persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or intersex are particularly urged to apply. TeamChild is an Equal Opportunity Employer. TeamChild is committed to promoting an environment free of barriers and discriminatory practices for its clients, Board, and staff.