Community Legal Services, Inc. (CLS) is seeking a highly driven Legal Compliance Attorney.

CLS is a nationally recognized legal services program that is dedicated to fighting poverty, challenging systems that perpetuate injustice, and changing lives though cutting-edge advocacy and exceptional legal representation. CLS helps people when they face the threat of losing their homes, incomes, health care, and even their families. CLS attorneys and other staff provide a full range of legal services, from individual representation to administrative advocacy to class action litigation, as well as community education and social work. CLS is a private, non-profit law firm dedicated to providing excellent, free legal services to low-income Philadelphians since 1966.

The Legal Compliance Attorney is a new position that will report to and support the Deputy Director of Legal Practice. The position will focus on ensuring CLS practices and procedures support advocates in meeting obligations to clients and other compliance requirements and will develop systems for and present trainings on related topics. This position will include helping CLS advocates to resolve ethics questions. The position will also review and manage potential professional liability issues. The Legal Compliance Attorney will also help develop standards for and review certain categories of minor and major contracts.  CLS has contracts with consultants, researchers and occasionally vendors. This position will be primarily remote and might be able to be a 3 or 4 days per week position, depending on the candidate’s experience and the demands of the job. 

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assists in identifying and addressing compliance and risk issues, including development of best practices and agency policy

• Assists in reviewing and drafting policies and procedures to ensure clarity, operational effectiveness, compliance and to support risk management

• Reviews and manages potential professional liability issues and claims

• Reviews and assists with resolving client grievances

• Works with CLS Legal Managers and the CLS’s Ethics Committee to respond to and resolve legal ethics questions that arise in our legal practice and with regard to potential funding and/or research opportunities

• Performs legal research and provide legal advice on important ethical, practice, contractual and compliance matters

• Reviewing contracts and working with the legal management team to draft and review contracts relating to consultants, sub-grantees, researchers and other similar issues.

• Develops and provides and/or arranges for in house trainings on ethics, practice and related issues

• Ensures CLS is compliant with state and local lobbying rules and certain other compliance requirements of non-profits and legal services agencies.

• Works with the HR team and management teams to ensure case reviews, evaluations and related efforts minimize risk are conducted adequately

• Assists with identifying tools for collecting client feedback and needs assessments

• Develops strategies for updating and organizing policies and procedures on shared network drives.

• Assist with compliance and/or fiscal audits as needed

• Other tasks as assigned by Deputy Director of Legal Practice

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Admitted to PA Bar and in good standing

• 3 + years of practice experience

• Outstanding attention to detail and deadlines

• Excellent legal research and writing skills, ability to write for different audiences

• Excellent oral communication skills, ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and present on topics for staff

• Excellent problem solving, analytical, organizational and negotiating skills

• Dedication to CLS’s mission

• Team-oriented individual with excellent interpersonal skills, and collaborative approach

• Ability to multitask and work in fast paced environment

To Apply: CLS will accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.  You can submit your application on CLS’s website online at https://clsphila.org/careers/ OR submit your application below by clicking "Apply Now"

What to Include in your application: Please include a cover letter, resume, three professional references (past or current supervisors preferred) identifying your relationship, and one brief writing sample (10 pages or less).

CLS values a diverse work environment and strongly encourages women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ, people with disabilities, people who have experienced poverty or homelessness and people who have had prior contact with the juvenile, criminal, or child welfare systems to apply. CLS invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice.

Compensation: This is a full or part-time position. The salary range for this position is $75,000- $90,000.

Benefits: CLS offers a very generous and competitive benefits package including 100% employer paid medical (including gender affirming care), life, and short/long-term disability benefits, a 403(b)-retirement plan with employer contribution, and a generous leave package, including 13 paid holidays and five personal holidays each year.

Community Legal Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. CLS does not discriminate in the selection of employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, genetics, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, CLS complies with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall and transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.    

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