Position Announcement
Position Title: Supervising Attorney (202403-289)
Position Location: The Child’s Advocate, North Carolina
Mission and Vision: The Child’s Advocate is a project of Legal Aid of North Carolina. We represent children in highly contentious child custody cases. We are appointed to represent children by judges in Wake and Durham family courts in cases that involve one or more of the following: domestic violence, substance abuse, child abuse/mistreatment, mental instability of a parent, relocation, a child whose gender identity or sexual orientation is at issue or a child with special needs. Once appointed by the Court, we protect our clients’ interests and ensure their voices are heard. We are trained in the dynamics of domestic violence and child abuse. In close collaboration with mental health providers, we convey to the Court, parents and their attorneys the child’s preferences, feelings, perspective, and concerns. We settle many of our cases consistent with our clients’ wishes and objectives. We are prepared and go to trial when necessary.
Position Summary: Legal Aid of North Carolina – The Child’s Advocate seeks a committed full-time Supervising Attorney. The ideal candidate is passionate about working for The Child’s Advocate and serving children, is a creative problem solver, is motivated and has proven team leadership ability. The position requires the ability to multitask, handle an individual caseload, supervise and review the work of staff attorneys and paralegals, and participate in recruiting and training pro bono attorneys.
Job Description: The Supervising Attorney will:
- Provide direct legal services to child clients between the ages of 7 and 17.
- Collaborate with mental health providers to improve outcomes for children in family court.
- Travel and meet with clients outside of traditional business hours if needed.
- Continue developing excellent trial advocacy skills.
- Recruit, train and mentor pro bono attorneys on how to represent a child in a custody case.
- Handle a broad variety of tasks that facilitate The Child’s Advocate’s mission of effective, high quality legal work for child clients that comply with LANC priorities and meet funding targets.
- Supervise, mentor, train, and direct staff members.
- Collaborate to provide education to judges and community partners about The Child’s Advocate’s model of representation.
- Represent The Child’s Advocate by engaging with the local legal community and seeking membership in professional associations that allow for collaboration with the legal community.
- Participate in The Child’s Advocate expansion and development opportunities.
Qualifications: Candidates applying for this position should have the following qualifications:
- Demonstrated passion to serve children.
- Interest in improving how children fare in child custody disputes.
- Demonstrated commitment to upholding children’s rights including prior support of or work with TCA.
- Juris doctorate and a license to practice law in the State of North Carolina.
- Strong ability to clearly communicate effectively and competently in writing and orally.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a small team.
- Demonstrated leadership/supervisory skills.
- Ability to teach, train and mentor others.
- Spirit of collaboration with both internal and external partners.
- Self-motivated, with proven ability to set goals and meet self-imposed and external deadlines.
- Three years of litigation experience in areas of domestic violence or child custody is preferred.
- Able to exercise good judgment.
- Honest, trustworthy, reliable, and open to feedback
- Attention to detail.
- Commitment to the mission and values of Legal Aid of North Carolina.
- Commitment to, appreciation for, and understanding of organizational values around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Driver’s license and transportation.
- No pending North Carolina State Bar disciplinary proceedings.
Salary and Employee Benefits: The salary range for this position is competitive and will be commensurate with the candidate’s competencies and experience. Legal Aid of North Carolina provides excellent health, retirement, disability, and leave benefits. Employee medical, vision, dental, and life insurance premiums are covered at 100% by the employer. Discretionary 401(k) contributions with no match required. Paid leave includes 1.75 days per month (21 leave days in the first two years; 30 days in subsequent years), 12 paid holidays, 2 floating holidays, and other paid leave.
Are you the next Supervising Attorney for The Child’s Advocate? To apply for this position, submit a cover letter, resume, references, and any other materials that you wish to be considered to the Managing Attorney and Project Director of The Child’s Advocate, Atiya Mosley at Atiyam@legalaidnc.org.
Legal Aid of North Carolina is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All are welcome to apply. Selection will be based on relevant qualifications and will be made without discrimination because of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, genetic information, disability, marital status, familial status, service in the military or any other legally protected category. We thrive when we are diverse and inclusive therefore, we prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organizational culture and hiring. We highly encourage candidates with lived experience in the communities that we serve to apply.