Legal Services Compliance Director

• Provide comprehensive legal oversight for the organization, offering counsel to Leadership, Department Directors, and the Board on matters involving nonprofit governance, employment issues, contracts, policies, privacy, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain and update policies and protocols that support ethical practice, legal compliance, and organizational accountability.
• Ensure that all service areas, particularly immigration, workers’ rights, and housing, operate in accordance with relevant laws, professional standards, and agency expectations.
• Support the legal programs through substantive expertise and quality control.
• Review complex casework, provide feedback on legal strategies, and assist departments in developing practices that ensure consistent, high-quality representation.
• Lead and support internal audits and quality-assurance initiatives and oversee the review of legal documents and filings when needed.
• Contribute to litigation strategies across the organization, including the impact of litigation, class actions, administrative proceedings, and other system-changing legal efforts. This may include co-counseling, advising case development, collaborating with partner organizations, or coordinating with external counsel to advance major litigation initiatives.
• Ensure that all litigation activities adhere to professional responsibility rules and align with the organization’s broader mission and priorities.
• Provide staff development and mentorship guidance to the Department Director, Managing Director, Supervising Attorney, and Staff Attorneys to help them navigate complex legal questions, ethical issues, and emerging legal developments.
• Provide training, facilitating learning opportunities, and fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, and accountability across the legal teams.
• Manage the organization’s contracting and risk-management needs. This includes reviewing and negotiating contracts, memorandum of understanding, settlement agreements, and vendor or consultant agreements, as well as ensuring compliance with grant and government-contract requirements.

• JD and an active membership in the California State Bar in good standing.
• At least ten years of relevant legal experience with substantial experience in immigration, workers’ rights, housing, civil rights, or related public-interest fields.
• Demonstrated experience supervising attorneys or managing legal teams, as well as a solid understanding of nonprofit law, compliance, and governance.
• Strong analytical abilities, excellent communication and writing skills, and a deep commitment to the organization’s mission and values are essential.
• Experience in working in a nonprofit legal services setting, experience with impact or federal litigation, and multilingual abilities, particularly Spanish and English, spoken by immigrant communities served by the organization.
• Experience designing or implementing quality control systems.
• Must have experience working with underserved and diverse populations.

• Project, team, or organizational management experience plus.
• Experience working at a non-profit organization.

• Ability to maintain positive working relationships with staff, members, and allies.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure with last-minute deadlines.
• Experience collaborating with community organizations in the local geographic area.
• Highly self-motivated, creative, takes initiative, can learn quickly, flexible, and able to work as part of an interdisciplinary team of legal staff.
• Must be able to work efficiently and manage multiple projects at once, which may be at different stages of design and execution.
• Self-motivated – proven ability to work independently and open to being innovative and creative
• Dedication and ability to work flexible hours.
• Ability to plan and prioritize work activities, meet deadlines, and follow up on assignments with minimal direction.
• Excellent problem-solving and follow-through skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Strong commitment to CHIRLA’s mission of empowering low-income community groups and immigrants.
• Support CHIRLA’s fundraising goals, including the annual fundraising drive and GALA activities

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