Manager, Family Law, Client Services
Reports to: Chief Program Officer
Womankind uses the multidimensionality of our Asian heritage to work alongside survivors of gender-based violence as they build a path to healing. Through our programs, we offer access to a safe place to live, counseling, legal assistance, wellness activities, and so much more. Womankind is an expert in serving Asian communities, yet our services are valuable and available to all. Whether in our services or in our increasing advocacy and policy work, Womankind first centers the survivor by uplifting them to control their own lives and narratives. In addition to promoting healing and safety through service provision, Womankind promotes gender justice through research, coalition building, policy analysis, and community education and mobilization.
Womankind’s Legal Program, launched in 2011, is an integral component of our work in helping survivors gain independence and self-sufficiency, thus reducing their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation. Combining survivor-centered and culturally responsive legal work with our holistic approach to client empowerment and advocacy, Womankind’s Legal Program has represented clients in various forms of immigration relief, including VAWA, BSW, U Visas, and T Visas. Since our expansion of the Legal Program in January 2018, we have provided family law support with orders of protection, custody, visitation, child support, and uncontested divorces. We seek a compassionate, dedicated, team-oriented, and goal-oriented manager to take a lead role in supporting the family law section of our legal programming.
The Manager of our Family Law program is a position within Womankind that plays a crucial role in moving our mission forward ensuring that our client community has access to legal representation. This position, specifically, will have oversight to all family law services, provides supervision to one attorney providing family law representation to clients, as well as carrying a small caseload of clients for representation.
This role’s effectiveness is tied to strong collaboration with the rest of the legal team along with the rest of the Client Services management team. The legal program is a small but mighty team of 4, who divide up services to immigration and family law. This position will work in close collaboration with the Manager overseeing immigration law service, to enhance trauma-informed service delivery as well as ensure that the program is running efficiently.
Essential Functions:
Primary Responsibilities
- Supervise 1 full time staff attorney and support half of a legal secretary time toward family law cases
- Provide and/or coordinate training in areas of family law
- Monitor and conduct family law case assignments for the legal team
- Manage data and various reports to better understand and keep track of needs, trends, and service performance
- Develop structures and establish written protocol for various processes within the legal team
- Work in collaboration with Manager, Immigration Law to hold a team meeting that is both focused on cases as well as the program as a whole
- Develop pro bono and law student fellowship opportunities, specifically catered to family law
- Engage in educational and outreach efforts regarding holistic trauma-informed healing practices that Womankind provides
Organizational Responsibilities
- Provide and/or coordinate ongoing training to advocates to increase capacity and understanding in working with GBV survivors with immigration and family law needs
- Collect and provide best practice technical assistance to advocates and supervisors on areas that are most needed through partnerships with other Womankind programs
- Work in partnership with program team to build collaborative work environment
- Engage in outreach activities, at minimum 2 times a year to support spreading the work about Womankind’s work
- Work closely with our policy and advocacy manager to dissect legal-heavy documents such as state and federal policies
- Draft easily digestible policies that could impact our clients and work with advocates in delivering information. As needed, draft statements and responses to current events related to immigration and family law and the Asian/immigrant community.
- Represent Womankind throughout the city at the different coalitions and taskforces to ensure that the voices of our survivors are well represented in order to ensure their needs are met
- Work closely with the community education and outreach manager to ensure that workshops and training are up-to-date and consistent with Womankind’s practice and approach
Qualifications:
- Deep commitment to Womankind’s mission
- Law Degree with admission to State Bar (New York) required
- At least five years of experience providing direct representation on family law matters required
- At least 2 years of experience in a supervisory role required
- Experience and/or knowledge of non-profit social services and in working with survivors of violence preferred
- Ability to manage multiple priorities while delivering high level results, in a timely manner
- Ability to work independently and handle confidential matters
- Strong and effective verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to work with diverse populations and within a team structure, as well as develop and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers and volunteers
- Creative thinker; self-starter personality, highly preferred
- Ability to exhibit personal responsibility and commitment to work; follow-through and accountability
- Ability to problem solve and exhibit a positive attitude while dealing with challenges
- Humility and openness in approach to the work
- Individuals with a deep understanding of gender-based violence or identified as survivors of gender-based violence are encouraged to apply
- Ability to speak an Asian language a plus
- Comfort and familiarity with computers, e-mail, and word processing
Compensation Package:
Womankind offers a competitive and outstanding compensation package. Womankind currently is operating in a hybrid model. Client Services department requires staff to come into the office 3 days a week. Salary will be commensurate with experience, skill set, education, and other criteria. Annual salary range for this position is between $90,000.00 and $95,000.00. Top benefits include health/dental/vision/FSA plans, generous paid time off, holidays, 403(B) retirement plan, commuter transit program, and much more.
How to Apply:
Email resume and cover letter to careers@iamwk.org. Please include your name and position you are applying for in the subject line. No phone calls, please.
Womankind is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
