Assistant Litigation Director

Responsibilities

• Lead and guide ILA’s statewide litigation efforts in state and federal courts, including the review and approval of legal filings
• Collaborate with and guide attorneys and paralegals in trial-level litigation and strategy, including co-counseling, drafting pleadings, conducting depositions, negotiating settlements, and trial procedures and advocacy
• Assist in the provision of substantive legal, procedural and skills expertise to staff through various means to promote continuous learning and the development of best practices
• Participate in and help manage ILA’s substantive law workgroups
• Serve as the point person for client trust account issues and management in conjunction with ILA’s Finance team
• Support strong supervision practices and adherence to case handling standards, funder requirements and professional obligations
• Share in the supervision of managing attorneys and/or special projects, as requested
• Assist with grant writing, compliance and reporting, as well as the preparation of any reports for internal and external stakeholders, as directed

Qualifications

• Applicants must be licensed to practice law in Iowa or eligible to waive in by motion; admission to federal court or ability to be admitted is a plus
• A minimum of eight years of experience practicing law with a proven record of complex, creative and/or novel civil litigation as lead counsel is required
• The ability to lead others, think strategically, show a high degree of initiative and manage a caseload are required, along with excellent legal research, writing and communication skills
• Applicants must possess a demonstrated interest in and knowledge of poverty law and a strong commitment to providing a full range of legal services to low-income people
• Applicants must demonstrate a working knowledge of civil procedure rules and professional regulations
• Applicants must be willing and able to travel to Iowa Legal Aid’s 10 regional offices and county and federal courthouses as needed

Submit a letter of application, resume, three professional references and a recent representative writing sample to:

Arlys Kness
Iowa Legal Aid
606 Walnut Street, 25th Floor
Des Moines, IA 50309
[email protected]