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Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania Seeks an Executive Director

Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania Seeks an Executive Director

 Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania (LASP) seeks a new Executive Director to lead this exceptional organization forward. Elizabeth Wood Fritsch, Esq., who served as Executive Director for 20 years, is stepping down on July 31, 2018.

LASP is dedicated to the provision of high quality legal services to low income and vulnerable residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. It is the primary provider of legal assistance in the four county region, delivering its services through seven local offices and a centralized phone and online helpline system. In addition to a staff of approximately 62, it uses more than 200 volunteer attorneys from the private bar to provide pro bono legal advice and representation to those in need. It works closely with the local bar associations and other human services organizations in the region to expand access to the courts and to address the most critical legal needs of low income and vulnerable residents living within its borders.

The Executive Director is the key management leader of LASP, responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan of the organization. Other key duties include fundraising, marketing, and community outreach. The position reports directly to the Board of Directors.

LASP, and its predecessor organizations, have enjoyed 50 years of accomplishment and success in the region. The next Executive Director will join LASP at a time of stability and strength.

The Executive Director will be responsible for

  • Leading ongoing planning efforts and implementation of an articulated strategic vision to ensure the continued thoughtful development of LASP programs and policies;
  • Engaging and inspiring staff members, board members, clients and other stakeholders in development and implementation of the organizational mission, including its work to address poverty;
  • Maintaining a strategic and thoughtful balance of programmatic work between individual client assistance and systemic advocacy to address systemic problems related to poverty;
  • Ensuring the continued provision of high quality legal assistance and effective systemic advocacy, with an emphasis on excellence and creativity;
  • Hiring, supervising, evaluating, and meeting regularly with the legal management team to provide direction, advice and oversight as appropriate;
  • Ensuring compliance with funder expectations and contractual and grant requirements;
  • Protecting the organization from interference with attorney/client relationships and ensuring client interests and legal ethics are given the highest priority at all times;
  • Leading and maintaining first-rate staff hiring, development and retention programs with an emphasis on diversity;
  • Protecting and maintaining LASP’s culture as one of transparency, integrity, inclusiveness, openness and support for clients, staff, Board members and supporters;
  • Ensuring the organization’s financial health and stability by developing and maintaining sound financial planning and management systems, including preparation of budgets and oversight of financial systems and controls;
  • Ensuring the long-term sustainability of LASP through active leadership of a diversified resource development program focused on individual and law firm gifts, foundation grants, and government grants and contracts;
  • Serving as an effective ambassador for LASP’s public and key stakeholders; and
  • Maintaining and growing an effective communications program designed to continually enhance LASP’s profile in philanthropic and legal communities, including the development of high quality annual reports.

The Executive Director must

  • Be a licensed attorney in good standing;
  • Passionately advocate for the legal rights of low-income persons;
  • Possess exceptional leadership skills;
  • Have substantial management experience in a successful legal services or similar organization;
  • Demonstrate a track record of fundraising success;
  • Possess a proven ability to build new relationships and shepherd existing financial supporters;
  • Exhibit excellent communication skills and the ability to inspire the trust and confidence of the organization, public, and client communities;
  • Demonstrate experience in nonprofit budgeting, compliance, finance and fiscal controls;
  • Have experience in building a team environment, encouraging professional development of staff, and supporting staff in the program’s work; and
  • Convey vision, integrity, courage, intelligence, creativity, energy and humor equal to the challenges of this demanding position.

Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania (LASP) is an EEO employer. LASP will not discriminate in the recruitment, selection or advancement of employees on the basis of race, sex, color or national origin, creed, age, religion, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or on any other basis prohibited by law.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Screening of applicants begins immediately and will continue until the time of selection. To receive full consideration, you must submit your application materials by April 20, 2018, or sooner if possible. Please submit a letter expressing your interest in the position, your qualifications for the job, and what you hope to contribute to the organization’s future. Please include a résumé and the names and contact information for three professional references.

We aim to make a final decision in May 2018, and to have the successful candidate begin to work with the organization in June in order to facilitate a smooth transition.

Materials should be submitted electronically to ppap@mielegalaid.org in Microsoft Word or pdf format.

LASP is assisted in the search by Patricia Pap, Executive Director, Management Information Exchange, 105 Chauncy St., Fl 6, Ste 3, Boston, MA 02111, 508-737-4010, ppap@mielegalaid.org, and Catherine

Carr, Legal Aid Consultant, 215-603-0211, ccarrphila@gmail.com. Candidates with questions about the position or process are encouraged to contact them.

Salary depends on experience based on a competitive public interest salary scale. Benefits include a generous leave policy, excellent family health insurance, life and disability insurance, and a 401(k) plan.

About Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania: LASP’s mission is to provide quality legal representation to low income and vulnerable people in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, to empower them to solve problems without legal representation through legal education and increased access to the courts, and to change community practices and systems that cause or aggravate poverty. LASP provides a full range of services to our clients, including legal advice, brief service and extended representation. LASP has a total budget of about $5 million in the current fiscal year with revenues from a wide variety of public and private sources.

The Board of Directors: The Board’s membership includes both practicing attorneys and people who are financially eligible to receive services. The Board effectively governs the organization while allowing staff to manage the day-to-day operations. The Board takes seriously its governance obligations and fundraising duties.

The Leadership Team: Supporting the Executive Director, the Leadership team includes a Deputy Director/Litigation Director; a Deputy Director/Operations Director, a Fiscal Director, a Development Director and a Technology Director; as well as the Managing Attorneys for the Helpline and Local Offices.

The Staff: The staff is diverse and consists of approximately 62 full and part-time employees including approximately 30 attorneys. LASP provides legal services in the following legal areas: Family, Housing, Public Benefits, Consumer, Employment and Aging Law. LASP is committed to recruiting and retaining high quality staff and embraces its duty to cultivate a new generation of public interest advocates.

The Offices: Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s headquarters is in Norristown. It also has offices in Chester City, Media, West Chester, Pottstown, Doylestown and Bristol.