Chief Legal Officer

About the role

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) seeks a Chief Legal Officer to lead the organization's impact advocacy and litigation strategy. Reporting to the President & CEO, the CLO will shape, lead, and manage a strategic, innovative litigation docket at the federal, state, and regional levels.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic thought partnership on legal objectives, strategies, and priorities to the President and CEO, the Executive Team, the Board, the Legal Department’s leadership team, and other members of the organization.
• Participate in organization-wide strategic planning, including leading the development and expansion of new strategies, resources, and policy work.
• Shaping, guiding, and managing the SPLC’s litigation strategy while supervising the effective and impactful operations of the Legal Department, including:
• Managing and supporting the litigation strategies across the various practice groups.
• Ensuring the Legal Department provides the highest quality legal representation in support of and consistent with the organization’s mission, strategic framework, and values.
• Developing and overseeing any needed structural changes in the Department, including areas of practice, new projects, and the size and locations of the legal staff.
• Reviewing financial reports and develop and oversee the annual department budgets in compliance with the SPLC’s administrative and financial management policies and practices.
• Recruiting, hiring, coaching, developing, mentoring, training, and motivating a team of highly skilled and collaborative litigation professionals, including attorneys and non-attorney professionals.
• Working with the organization’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team to assess outcomes and impact of the Legal Department.

Requirements

• This leadership position requires an accomplished attorney with a distinguished professional record in pursuing justice and strengthening civil rights. The successful candidate will exhibit a longstanding passion for, and commitment to, the work of the organization and for contributing in a meaningful way to its strategy, long-term goals, and impact.
• Candidates must be able to see the big picture in determining and driving a unified litigation strategy consistent with, and in support of, SPLC’s mission, vision, and values.
• The Chief Legal Officer must be a practical problem solver with strong organizational skills and business acumen. They will thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, innovative, collaborative, and high-energy environment.
• Balancing strategic vision with operational excellence, they will be a trusted and approachable advisor, cultivating strong, collaborative relationships across all programs, operations, and other leadership functions to advance the organization’s evolving agenda and impact.
• With strong communication and relationship-building skills, the Chief Legal Officer will also serve as a compelling external spokesperson and partner to other justice-seeking organizations and stakeholders across the nation.

Qualifications and Professional Experiences

• A JD from an accredited national law school and admission to any state bar in the United States.
• A minimum of 15 years of experience actively litigating and managing a broad range of large, complex federal and state litigation. Strong preference will be given to those with foundational litigation training through experience gained in government, a private law firm or an in-house legal department; substantial social justice/civil rights litigation experience; and/or leadership experience in a non-profit legal organization.
• Significant managerial and leadership experience, guiding and developing a high-performing legal team, including direct supervision of litigators.
• Demonstrated organizational acumen (looking beyond the legal team) with the ability to recognize the broader consequences of a course of action and its impact on the organization and the communities it serves.

Location

Montgomery, AL, Atlanta, GA or Washington, DC.

Compensation

SPLC offers competitive compensation, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. For this position, the base salary range is $275,000 to $320,000. Internal equity considerations and the average salary of the peer range will be reviewed before making a final offer.

Disclaimer

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the employee in this position. These statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of a person in this position.