Managing Attorney for Wealth and Land Protection and Restoration Program - Tulsa, United States - Justice for Greenwood Foundation

Description

Job Description

Who We Are­­­

Justice for Greenwood (JFG) is a nationally recognized Civil Rights, 501(c)(3) advocacy organization founded in April 2020 as an outgrowth of our founder and executive director's 25+ years of work fighting for justice and reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre ). The goals of our organization are to secure economic justice, racial justice, and reparations for those who built Greenwood and were impacted by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and its continuing harm. Our current work focuses on public education, advocacy, direct services, and impact litigation through our three core programs:

1. We Are Greenwood | Oral History and Genealogy Project. Documents the lineage of every individual and entity that experienced the Massacre and its immediate aftermath and collects the stories and amplify the history the Massacre and the lived and inherited experiences of those impacted.
2. Fight for Our Rights and Dignity | Legal and Policy Advocacy. Identify and fight for policies and laws that restore the wealth, property and 'rights and dignity' of the founders of Greenwood and the victims of the Massacre
3. BTW Initiative | Education and Truth Telling. Through education and truth telling, we ensure that the history, stories, and truth about Greenwood, Black Wall Street, the Tulsa Race Massacre, and its continuing harm is preserved, accessible and told.

What We Are looking For

JFG seeks our founding Wealth and Land Protection and Restoration Program (WLPR) Managing Attorney. The revolutionary WLPR Program will remove substantial barriers that prevents many Tulsa Race Massacre Descendants and North Tulsa families from securing financing for necessary upkeep and improvements to their homes, accessing equity lines of credit, creating and passing down generational wealth, and living in well-kept neighborhoods.

The WLPR Managing Attorney is responsible for overseeing the WLPR Program including supervision, mentorship, training and technical assistance for the WLPR legal team, providing direct legal representation, ensuring budget and grant compliance and reporting, contributing to the vision and direction of the team, representing JFG in community initiatives, conducting community education, and being an active member of the JFG's management team.

Key Responsibilities

Direct Service Legal Services

• Provide and/or coordinate direct legal representation to Massacre descendants and/or elderly North Tulsa residents who need simple estate plans, uncontested probates, or Nuisance related legal services.

Program Management

• In consultation with JFG senior staff, hire and supervise staff and contract attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants, investigators, videographers, photographers, e-learning curriculum consultants, and law clerks.
• Responsible for software/database maintenance, documentation and record keeping of Program client cases and other agency reporting requirements.
• Manage program staff by overseeing caseloads, reviewing consultations, conducting case reviews, providing technical assistance, conducting technical review of cases in a timely manner, and ensuring high-quality work in compliance with program processes and procedures.
• Ensure continuity of representation for clients by handling or assigning cases as needed.
• Assists with legal education efforts, including planning workshops, producing legal education materials, and collaborating with community partners to conduct "Know Your Rights" presentations and participate in outreach events.
• Stays current on applicable laws and policies and assures program contract or regulatory compliance.
• Ensure maintenance, documentation and record keeping of WLPR client cases and other agency reporting requirements.
• Participates with development staff in grant management, data collection, compliance and reporting.
• Assists in determining appropriate case stories for use in reports, advocacy materials, and public education and providing expert testimony to media and policy makers related to the wealth or land of North Tulsa, Black Tulsans, and/or Descendants.
• Assists in determining appropriate marketing materials, campaigns, and platforms in collaboration with JFG communications and senior staff.

Program Development

• Contributes to the setting of strategy, goals, vision and direction for the program to expand access to services while ensuring sustainability of the program.
• Represents JFG at relevant meetings, forums and events related to the Tulsa Race Massacre, North Tulsa, and/or the Tulsa Black community.
• Collaborates with other JFG programs as appropriate to ensure integrated, client-centered service.

Minimum Qualifications

• More than three (3) years of experience practicing law or working in the legal field.
• J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school.
• Membership in good standing to the Oklahoma bar or eligibility for admission to the Oklahoma Bar.
• Ability to litigate and confidently engage in skillful negotiations with judges, prosecutors, and other actors within the systems our clients navigate.
• Excellent research, writing and courtroom advocacy skills.
• Ability and desire to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated knowledge of media, civic engagement, and narrative change work.
• Experience and interest in working in, on behalf of, and/or with racially and socioeconomically oppressed communities.
• Passionate about combating White Supremacy and anti-Black racism.
• Passionate about creating racial, social, and economic justice and equity.
• Effective convener and communicator.
• Attention to detail, deadline-oriented and keen ability to problem solve.
• Strong communication, listening, and influencing skills.
• Ability to prioritize actions to align with strategic priorities.
• Valid Oklahoma Driver's License and insurance verification.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) years of senior level management experience
• Experience supervising attorneys
• Five (5) or more years practicing law or working in the legal field.
• Demonstrative Experience in Wills, Trust, and Probate Law
• Bi-lingual (Spanish)

Applicants, if hired, must:

• Be licensed by the Oklahoma Bar at the time of hire or submit the appropriate materials necessary for waiver within 45 days of hire.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, or requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. This description does not constitute a contract of employment and Justice for Greenwood may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

Job Status: Full-time, Exempt

Compensation: Salary range for this position is $75,000-$100,000. Pay for this position is commensurate with experience and responsibilities.

Comprehensive Benefits includes:

• 100% employee medical, dental, vision insurance
• Retirement Savings Account (Simple IRA) with up to 3% match upon eligibility
• Up to 18 PTO days during first year of service
• $1,000 Annual CLE and Program Development budget for expenses ($250 can roll over each year)
• 12 Paid Holidays including Juneteenth, as well as a winter holiday for the last week of the year
• JFG pays employee's dues to the Oklahoma Bar Association
• Employer pays for Malpractice Insurance

Justice for Greenwood is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or any other basis made unlawful by applicable federal, state, or local laws or regulations.