Posted on February 8, 2013

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Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Overview: Established by Congress in 1974, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is the country’s single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans. LSC currently funds 134 independent, non-profit legal aid organizations with more than 800 offices throughout the nation. LSC’s mission is to promote equal access to justice and provide grants for high-quality civil legal assistance. LSC currently has approximately 125 employees, all at a single location in Washington, DC. Approximately 70 positions are represented by Local 135 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE). The board of directors of LSC is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

Under the general supervision of the President, the Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary (General Counsel) is responsible for actively managing all aspects of legal affairs for LSC, including supervising the staff and operations of the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA); providing legal advice to LSC’s management; managing and resolving litigation; overseeing rulemaking activities; and ensuring compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Government in the Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act), the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act, the Legal Services Corporation Act (LSC Act) and its implementing regulations, appropriations legislation, and LSC’s articles of incorporation and bylaws. The General Counsel also actively manages the negotiation and drafting of legal instruments and the issuance of advisory opinions interpreting LSC’s appropriations measures, the LSC Act and implementing regulations. The General Counsel is responsible for providing legal advice to LSC’s Board of Directors and its committees; for coordinating all Board and committee activities, including compliance with and the updating of governance documents, drafting Board resolutions, and preparing minutes; and for advising on best practices in corporate governance.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Serves as the legal advisor to LSC’s management, Board of Directors, and Board committees; develops solid working relationships with these groups; and provides timely legal updates and advice and counsel on all legal matters.
2. Establishes corporate policies, procedures, and programs for managing legal risk and monitoring and ensuring compliance with applicable laws, policies, regulations, and governance documents.
3. Manages litigation and other disputes through negotiation and drafting of necessary filings and responses and supervising the work of outside counsel.
4. Builds, motivates, and retains a strong, professional, innovative, service-driven, productive, effective, results-oriented Office of Legal Affairs that is proactive, operationally excellent, and is -- and is perceived to be ethical, collaborative, and fair.
5. Provides top-quality Corporate Secretary service to LSC’s Board of Directors and its committees regarding processes, governance, roles, functions, and best practices, and works with LSC management to ensure the production of minutes and appropriate board and committee materials. As appropriate, makes recommendations and presentations to LSC’s Board of Directors.
6. Provides leadership, strategic direction, and oversight of the day-to-day operations of OLA and the Corporate Secretary, including active supervision of staff to ensure appropriate development and growth and the timely production of high quality work product.
7. Understands the complexities of the LSC Act, the federal appropriations process, and regulations affecting LSC, including the FOIA, the Sunshine Act, the federal LDA, and the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act.
8. Supervises rulemaking activities.
9. Serves as the Chief FOIA Officer and supervises and ensures timely and complete compliance with all FOIA reporting requirements.
10. Leads negotiations and the drafting of a variety of legal instruments, reports and memoranda, including advisory opinions interpreting LSC’s appropriations measures and the LSC Act and implementing regulations.
11. Evaluates job performance of OLA staff, sets annual goals and objectives, and identifies and provides appropriate training.
12. Develops and manages the OLA and Corporate Secretary budgets to effectively support operations, including salaries and benefits for OLA employees.
13. Participates in collective bargaining negotiations and promotes harmonious and productive labor-management relations.
14. Keeps abreast of all federal and local laws related to the work of LSC, including non-profit management, the various statutory and regulatory requirements and restrictions applicable to LSC grantees, as well as those applicable to labor and employment, employee benefits, contracts, insurance, appropriations law, administrative law/matters, and other general corporate counsel issues.
15. Performs additional duties as assigned.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

Outstanding leadership and management skill with demonstrated ability to lead a high-functioning, collaborative team that is committed to – and delivers - excellence. Unimpeachable integrity and adherence to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. Excellent written communication skills with demonstrated ability to produce professional, clear, well-written work product; excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to reach different audiences and manage conflicts. Ability to function in a discreet, diplomatic, and confidential matter. Must possess sound judgment and be conscientious, disciplined, versatile, and highly motivated. Strong commitment to diversity. High degree of flexibility, capacity for self-management, and attentive to detail. Strong organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities. Understanding of and commitment to organizational mission and goals; ability to influence, motivate, ch allenge, and inspire confidence among others.

Technical/Specialized Skills and Experience:

A law degree from an accredited law school; District of Columbia bar admission strongly preferred. Must be in good legal standing and never have been disciplined, disbarred, or suspended from the practice of law in any jurisdiction. Must have at least ten (10) years of experience in the practice of law, including experienced managing legal affairs. Strong preference for significant experience in contract negotiations, administrative law and rulemaking, labor and employment law, federal appropriations law, tax-exempt organization law and governance, FOIA, the Sunshine Act, and the LDA.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

Salary Range: $145,000 - $163,704 (including Locality Pay), dependent upon qualifications and experience. Excellent benefits package.

Application Instructions

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Submit a résumé, cover letter, and salary history to:

Legal Services Corporation
Office of Human Resources (#1261)
3333 K Street, NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20007-3522
Fax: (202)337-6383
E-mail: jobs@lsc.gov

Note: Electronic applications are preferred. If applying by e-mail, please include the job title in the subject line. If reasonable accommodation in the application process is required, please notify OHR at 202-295-1571.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT:

LSC embraces diversity as a core value. We recognize that our success as a corporation depends upon creating and maintaining a diverse team of talented professionals, and we are committed to a workplace that reflects and supports diverse individual backgrounds and perspectives. Our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and non-discrimination includes race, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, personal appearance, genetic information, political affiliation, marital status, family responsibilities, disability and status as a veteran, and any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws or regulation. We strive to have a workplace that is comfortable and welcoming for everyone.