Co-Legal Director

DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF) is rooted in the conviction that income should never be a barrier to justice. Founded in 2015 to help close access to justice gaps in the District of Columbia, DCALF serves an expansive range of hardworking DC residents unable to afford market-based legal services, including modest-income residents whose household incomes put them just beyond the limits of traditional legal aid and low-income residents navigating unmet legal needs. Through innovative programming and a commitment to equity, DCALF delivers overwhelmingly free legal services in family law, probate, estate planning, and immigration, bridging the gaps in DC’s civil justice system and delivering transformative legal services that empower DC residents to thrive.   

Across the past decade, DCALF has solidified its role as a mainstay DC legal services organization with a staff of 30 and a strong network of institutional partners and pro bono volunteers. DCALF serves more than 500 clients annually, reaching hundreds more through community education and outreach across DC. DCALF’s award-winning annual fellowship programs play an essential role in expanding access to justice, empowering recent law graduates to become skilled public interest attorneys and lifelong champions for justice.  

Since its founding in 2015, DCALF has launched the careers of over 60 passionate, diverse public interest attorneys through its Signature LL.M. Fellowship Program, thanks to enduring partnerships with Georgetown University Law Center and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, and continues to create and expand legal fellowship opportunities through new partnerships to build a more equitable future.

Position Overview

DCALF seeks a Co-Legal Director who will contribute to the leadership of the legal program, with particular focus on overseeing the firm’s immigration legal services, partnerships, and outreach. This new position reflects DCALF’s shared leadership model; two Co-Legal Directors will serve as equal partners in shaping the strategy, culture, and service delivery. They will lead, manage, and provide overall vision for the work of our 20-person legal team that provides legal services ranging from immigration, probate/estate planning, and family law services.

The Co-Legal Directors serve as senior leaders who both report to the Executive Director. Together, they work in collaboration and partnership to steward organizational equity initiatives and advance innovative approaches to strengthen the impact and evolution of our work. The incoming Co-Legal Director’s counterpart will have a particular focus on DCALF’s family law services, training, and pro bono programming. Both Co-Legal Directors, in partnership with the Executive Director, oversee the firm’s probate and estate planning work and each practice’s managing attorneys, with shared responsibility and collaboration across all practice areas.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in immigration law, strong managerial and supervisory experience, and a demonstrated commitment to advancing equity while leading high-quality, client-centered legal services. We seek candidates who are invested in a long-term future with DCALF and are motivated to help shape and sustain the organization’s continued growth and evolution.

Specific areas of responsibility include:

Practice Area Leadership

• Oversee DCALF’s immigration practice, including providing support to the Immigration Law Managing Attorney, fostering community partnerships in the DC immigration landscape, and identifying holistic challenges confronting DCALF’s immigration client community.  
• With the Co-Legal Director, oversee probate and estate planning services and provide support to the Probate and Estate Planning Managing Attorney, ensuring ethical, high-quality representation by all attorneys in the practice.
• Collaborate with Co-Legal Director and Pro Bono Litigation Director on family law matters, as necessary. 
• Review and provide feedback on legal filings, training and outreach materials and other written work product, particularly in the spheres of immigration and civil litigation. Assist Managing Attorneys and Supervisors in preparing staff for litigation, including through moot and other practical training exercises.  
• Ensure consistent application of legal standards, ethics, best practices, and DCALF’s core values within the practice areas.
• Monitor emerging legal needs and develop strategies to expand and improve services and service delivery, both internally within DCALF and externally through partnerships, pro bono engagement, and/or systemic advocacy.

Program Management

• Collaborate with the Co-Legal Director, Managing Attorneys, and Executive Director to set programmatic goals, priorities, and growth strategies across the legal program.
• Strengthen and monitor compliance with case management expectations, data entry requirements, and outcome reporting.
• Review, analyze, and interpret data to evaluate program performance and identify improvement.
• Draft, update, and implement legal program policies, protocols, and best practices that support greater efficiency and capacity.
• Support organizational readiness for audits, grant applications, and grant reporting.

Team Management

• Directly manage up to 5 direct reports, including but not limited to 1-2 managing attorneys, 2-3 legal assistants, and a staff attorney. 
• With Co-Legal Director, foster a collaborative, equitable, and inclusive culture across the legal team.
• Provide ongoing supervision, coaching, and professional development to legal program staff, including but not limited to those with supervisory responsibilities. 
• Co-lead annual and ongoing training opportunities.
• Conduct performance evaluations and support confidential personnel matters, in collaboration with the Executive Director and Leadership Team.
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, and offboarding of legal program staff.

Organizational Leadership

• Participate as an active member of DCALF’s Leadership Team to ensure mission alignment, operational excellence, and strategic prioritization.
• Cultivate strong relationships with clients, community organizations, judges, government agencies, law firms, law school partner institutions, board members, and legal services partners, especially local connections in the immigration space.
• Represent DCALF in stakeholder meetings, community engagement opportunities, and collaborative initiatives, and fundraising opportunities, especially those in the immigration space.
• With the Development Director, assist in grant applications and grant reporting.
• Coordinate outreach strategies to expand access to services for underserved communities.
• Play a central role in identifying and augmenting DCALF’s contributions to systemic policy reform initiatives.

Qualifications

The position of Co-Legal Director will be a challenging and rewarding opportunity that requires diverse skills and experiences. While we understand that no single candidate can possess every qualification listed below, the following are considered priority areas:

• Membership in the District of Columbia Bar.
• 10+ years of legal practice experience.
• At least 5 years of legal supervisory experience, including coaching leaders, developing high-performing teams, and setting an inclusive, positive workplace culture. 
• Substantial legal experience in civil legal services, civil litigation, or other public interest practice, with expertise and connections in immigration law.
• Substantial litigation experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice, and diversity, equity and inclusion. 
• Excellent legal, organizational, interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Excellent project management, creative and strategic thinking, judgment, and leadership skills.
• Ability to build strong collaborative relationships with clients, colleagues, partner organizations, and other constituents.
• Willingness to foster a learning environment, provide and reflect upon constructive feedback, and support the professional development of DCALF’s staff.
• Ability to make and implement difficult decisions.
• Flexibility in adjusting to new or unexpected circumstances and leading change management. 
• DCALF uses Microsoft 365, including Outlook and SharePoint, and Clio and NetDocuments for Legal Services, and as such, the willingness to adopt and, if necessary, learn these and other core DCALF tech systems are required to be successful in this role.   

Considered desirable:

• Experience in policy/legislative advocacy. 
• Experience in probate and/or estate planning.
• Experience in family law practice.
• Spanish proficiency.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time salaried, exempt position. To uphold organizational pay equity standards, an annualized flat salary of $120,000 has been budgeted for the first year of employment.

DCALF offers the following benefits:

• 401(k) retirement plan with 3% employer match.
• Medical insurance and elective dental and vision insurance options.
• Generous paid leave, including vacation, sick, and personal days, winter break closure (Christmas Day to New Year’s Day), Thanksgiving break, and all Federal and local DC holidays.
• Paid parental/family leave through the DC Paid Family Leave Program.
• Ongoing training opportunities.

In addition, this position is eligible for DCALF’s Spanish Language stipend of $2,500 annually for a candidate with a demonstrated proficiency in spoken and written Spanish.   

Work Environment

DCALF is currently working in a hybrid remote/in-person model. Due to the responsibilities of this position, it is paramount that the candidate come into the office, DC Superior Court, immigration court, and/or other DC-area locations with ease and regularity, approximately two days per week, consistent with DCALF policies and client or work demands. The ideal candidate for this position must maintain full-time residence in the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia to facilitate ease of access to DCALF’s physical office.

Application Process

DCALF has retained Good Insight, a national executive search firm serving nonprofits, to conduct this search. Interested applicants should submit a PDF resume and detailed cover letter to www.good-insight.org/careers. Send confidential inquiries to DCALF@good-insight.org.  

Resume reviews begin immediately. For best consideration, please apply by late January 2026. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search.

Equal Employment Opportunity

DC Affordable Law Firm is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. DCALF strictly prohibits and does not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants, or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship, sex (specifically including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, unhoused status, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation political affiliation, tobacco use, credit information, status as unemployed, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.