About Volunteer Lawyers Project
The Volunteer Lawyers Project has been dedicated to serving low-income families and individuals in the Greater Boston area since 1977. We strive to give equal access to justice to our clients by delivering high-quality pro bono civil legal services to eligible clients through our court clinics, lawyer-for-the day programs, and referring full representation cases to pro bono attorneys. Our efforts are propelled by a strong team of volunteers, including licensed attorneys, law graduates, and law students from all segments of the legal community. These vital volunteers work together with our entire dedicated staff.
We currently operate with a staff team of approximately 35 individuals, including lawyers, paralegals, and non-legal team members, and a budget of approximately $4.5M, including funding from the Legal Services Corporation and support from a variety of corporate, foundation, and individual donors.
Our Programs and Impact
Our services have been established by clearly identifying unmet legal needs in the community. We provide a range of crucial civil legal assistance, from information and advice to referrals and court clinics and full representation in trials and appeals. Our programs include a wide range of civil legal problems, including housing, eviction, foreclosure, child support, bankruptcy, wills, guardianship, unpaid wages, and unemployment benefits. Attorneys volunteer at courthouse projects to provide advice and representation, and our Senior Partners for Justice handles complex cases and mentors less-experienced attorneys. We also operate Eastern Region Legal Intake, which provides a free intake line for Greater Boston Legal Services, Volunteer Lawyers Project, and Metro West Legal Services.
In 2024, we served 8004 clients, including legal cases and individuals served with information and referral, and participating volunteers donated approximately 6,200 pro bono hours.
To learn more about Volunteer Lawyers Project, please visit www.vlpnet.org.
The Opportunity
Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) is seeking a mission-driven individual with strong legal services and leadership experience to serve as its next Executive Director. They will be responsible for the overall management and operations of VLP, leading and empowering staff and volunteers to provide high-quality services to its clients by ensuring a strong understanding of and responsiveness to clients’ needs. They will leverage a commitment to VLP’s mission and values, as well as outstanding relationship-building skills, to continue to grow the organization’s visibility and support in the legal and judicial communities and with current and prospective funders. They will also bring strong organizational management acumen, with the ability to build, motivate, and lead teams, secure and allocate resources, and drive impact and continuous improvement in a safe, inclusive culture that supports professional growth.
Key Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with the Board and staff to determine organizational priorities and develop and implement strategic plans that align VLP’s mission, values, and operations.
- Cultivate relationships within the Boston-area legal and judicial communities, including attorneys, law firms, judges, and clerks, raising VLP’s visibility among current and potential volunteers, partners, and donors.
- Lead VLP’s relationship with the Legal Services Corporation and other funders, maintaining compliance with all oversight agency and grantor requirements.
- Supervise and coach VLP’s Directors, ensuring effective management and leadership of their teams through clear performance expectations and communication.
- Partner with the Director of Advocacy and Pro Bono to maintain program quality and act upon opportunities to expand or deepen VLP programs.
- Establish strong rapport with the VLP Client Caucus and maximize the opportunities for Client Caucus members to advise and inform program development and quality improvement.
- Maintain a regular presence in VLP’s programs, including legal clinics, call center, and full representation cases; provide supervision to VLP legal staff and volunteers on an as-needed basis.
- Partner with the Director of Finance to ensure the development and management of VLP’s budget, financial reporting, and compliance.
- Build an inclusive culture that balances results-orientation with providing support and professional growth for a highly diverse, multi-generational staff.
- Regularly report to the Board on organizational performance and engage with the Board on strategic questions. Support Board member recruitment, onboarding, and success.
Candidate Profile
We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. As a strong candidate for the Executive Director role, you will demonstrate many – though perhaps not all – of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
- You are passionate about the importance of accessible and high-quality legal services and operate with a deep level of understanding of and empathy for clients served by organizations like VLP.
- You bring legal expertise that you will apply to overseeing VLP’s services from a strategic direction, with the ability to work hands-on when needed. Familiarity with the civil legal areas VLP supports is highly preferred.
- You hold a JD and are either already licensed to practice law in Massachusetts or are licensed in another state and able to promptly secure licensure in Massachusetts.
- You bring substantial organizational leadership experience, with past success in managing teams and budgets. Experience leading cross-functional teams of legal and non-legal staff is highly preferred.
- You are a highly skilled relationship-builder, able to relate to and foster connections with a highly diverse range of internal and external constituents.
- You ideally come to this role with established relationships within the legal and judicial communities in Greater Boston and are a confident networker, ready to champion VLP’s mission with current and potential supporters and funders.
- You are familiar with Legal Services Corporation, the primary funding source for VLP currently, and bring prior experience overseeing compliance with highly complex funding and regulatory requirements.
- You are committed to diversifying VLP’s funding base, with the strong relationship-building and persuasive communication skills needed to engage funders and donors. Prior experience in fundraising is a plus.
- You are adaptable and able to thrive in a dynamic environment. You can effectively prioritize multiple and competing demands while attending to relationships.
Location
The Executive Director will be based out of the Volunteer Lawyers Project office in Boston and maintain a regular presence at off-site programs and community events. There may be some flexibility for a hybrid schedule.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $185,000 - $215,000 with a generous benefits package.
Contact
DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Cassie Scarano and Andy Tarsy. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential.
DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
VLP is committed to an inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Our ideal candidates are respectful of an inclusive work environment. VLP encourages applicants from a broad spectrum of backgrounds to apply for positions. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity and expression, pregnancy, national origin, veteran status, and military status or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.
To be considered, candidates applying for permanent positions must be authorized for permanent employment in the United States.