Project Director - SAS-CLINEW042717

Location: Baltimore City

About the role

Maryland Legal Aid’s Community Lawyering Initiative (CLI) is a groundbreaking initiative that provides civil legal services to eligible clients in the neighborhoods where they live. Services are delivered through legal clinics at local library branches, job placement centers, places of worship, and other community institutions. The Project Director will lead this effort, emphasizing partnerships with established local entities to mobilize community resources and address client needs holistically.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal information, brief advice, and counsel in priority areas such as housing, consumer, public benefits, and family law.
• Represent clients in criminal record expungements and make referrals for extended representation in other areas of law.
• Deliver community education presentations.
• Supervise CLI staff, including staff attorneys and paralegals, and oversee all case representation, including case reviews, closures, and audit preparation.
• Build relationships with grassroots community groups to identify needs and, where warranted, provide group representation.
• Raise Maryland Legal Aid’s visibility in the communities served.
• Recruit and train pro bono attorneys and volunteers to assist in delivering legal services.
• Handle grant writing to secure current and future funding for the CLI.
• Think creatively, interact frequently with community partners, and foster relationships between statewide partners and local Maryland Legal Aid offices.

Requirements

• Admission to the Maryland Bar or another state bar, with eligibility and willingness to take the first available Maryland Bar examination.
• At least five years of legal experience, preferably in delivering civil legal services to low-income clients.
• Ability to travel statewide.
• Flexibility in work hours, including evenings and weekends.

Qualifications

• Spanish language proficiency is desirable.