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 the Legal Department, providing strategic thought partnership on legal objectives, strategies, and priorities.

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.
• Manage and support the litigation strategies across the various practice groups.
• Ensure the Legal Department provides the highest quality legal representation in support of and consistent with the organization’s mission, strategic framework, and values.
• Develop and oversee any needed structural changes in the Department, including areas of practice, new projects, and the size and locations of the legal staff.
• Review financial reports and develop and oversee the annual department budgets in compliance with the SPLC’s administrative and financial management policies and practices.
• Recruit, hire, coach, develop, mentor, train, and motivate a team of highly skilled and collaborative litigation professionals, including attorneys and non-attorney professionals.
• Work with the organization’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team to assess outcomes and impact of the Legal Department.
• Actively participate in work to promote justice and equity, and incorporate a DEIA lens on the Legal Department’s internal and external work.
• Serve as an enterprise leader, bringing an organization-wide perspective to legal strategy and decision-making, and ensuring alignment of litigation priorities with the organization’s broader strategic, policy, and communications objectives.
• Build relationships and reinforce existing partnerships internally and externally, to further organizational objectives and maximize impact, including, other human rights and social justice organizations, stakeholders and supporters, and outside pro bono counsel.

Requirements

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; experience working in a unionized environment is a plus. Significant managerial and leadership experience, guiding and developing a high-performing legal team, including direct supervision of litigators.

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited national law school and admission to any state bar in the United States.
• Exceptional legal expertise and excellent leadership and management skills.
• Strategic mindset and approach to litigation in the context of a broader organizational strategy.
• Organizational acumen with the ability to recognize the broader consequences of a course of action and its impact on the organization and the communities it serves.

Skills

Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to serve as a compelling external spokesperson and partner to other justice-seeking organizations and stakeholders across the nation.

Benefits

Competitive compensation, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. 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.

Pay

$275,000 to $320,000

Schedule

Full-time

Location

Montgomery, AL, Atlanta, GA or Washington, DC

Equal Opportunity Employer

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we consider applicants equally without regard to age, caregiver status, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, national origin, on the basis of genetic information, political affiliation, pregnancy, or veteran status.