Family Defense Practice Leader

Family Defense Practice Leader

• Still She Rises
• August 08, 2024
• Tulsa, OK

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About Still She Rises

Still She Rises, Inc. (SSR) provides free legal representation to pregnant women, mothers, and women who are caregivers of children, who have been brought into the criminal, family regulation, and housing legal systems. Founded in North Tulsa, Still She Rises is the first holistic defense office in the country dedicated exclusively to the representation of mothers in both the criminal and civil legal systems. We honor the dignity of the women we serve by championing the goals of each individual client, while also targeting systemic issues impacting the larger community.

Still She Rises takes immense pride in our role within the Tulsa and Greater Oklahoma criminal legal system where we have accomplished major wins such as a successful legal challenge to the structure of post-arrest detention in Tulsa County, and the organizations role in amending the Oklahoma fines and fees procedure laws. Still She Rises is poised to continue to drive meaningful progress in a political and social atmosphere that is ripe for change.

Learn more about Still She Rises at

The Opportunity

The Family Defense Practice Leader will provide oversight of the day-to-day operations and development of the Family Defense Practice as our team represents clients whose parental rights are challenged. Working collaboratively with the Executive Director and Legal Director, the Practice Leader will be responsible for ensuring that the Family Defense Practice is aligned with the strategic goals set out by the Executive Director. The ideal Family Defense Practice Leader will be a leader who showcases a record of investment in client-centered holistic legal advocacy and is invigorated by developing others.

The responsibilities of this position include:

Family Defense Practice Development

• Further develop and continuously elevate the standard of practice through innovative motions, arguments, and strategies.
• Collaborate with the Legal Director to develop and implement training materials for new staff as well as ongoing skill and knowledge trainings.
• Collaborate with other SSR leadership to implement policies, procedures and tools used to develop the practice area and coordinate with the interdisciplinary practice as a whole.
• Manage relationships with peer organizations and court system players to facilitate efficient and effective advocacy.

Supervision of Family Defense Practice Staff

• Supervise the day-to-day work of attorneys and paralegal including case assignments, practice priority implementation, and supervision of appearances, hearings and trials as needed.
• Support FDP staff in their professional development including providing regular feedback, coaching staff in applying best practices, and identifying appropriate resources and training events.

Culture

• Invest in the continued growth and development of all team members.
• Model thoughtfulness, responsiveness and safety to team members and clients.
• Enforce SSR’s values and commitment to those values through specific behaviors.
• Promote a culture of inclusion and belonging for our clients and team members.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have most if not all of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

Required

• J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school.
• Family defense / parent defense experience.
• Prior experience managing and developing individual team members.
• Enthusiastic alignment and commitment to SSR’s mission, vision and values.
• Ability and desire to manage multiple projects at once.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial, gender and social equity and against institutional racism.
• Desire AND experience working with or on behalf of members or marginalized communities.
• Superb communication skills.
• Sound decision-making skills and ability to set clear priorities.

Preferred

• Indigent Defense experience.
• 5+ years of progressive work experience.
• Exceptional team building and management skills.
• Experience working on collaborative, interdisciplinary legal teams.

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• Multi-cultural competence and demonstrated ability to work with people from a variety of ethnic, racial, socio-economic, educational, linguistic, and religious backgrounds, as well as people of various physical abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and generations.
• History of building and maintaining a strong staff and partnering with senior leaders to develop the culture of the organization; able to act decisively, communicate decisions transparently, and delegate to and work cooperatively with senior leaders and direct reports.
• Demonstrated ability to build capacity for the long run including building upon current internal systems, structures, and policies and/or supporting the development of staff in a way that leads to the sustainability of the organization.
• Strong learning orientation i.e. can learn from mistakes, have a desire to continuously improve and grow, and have the capacity to foster this with direct reports.
• Proven track record successfully leading end-to-end projects; able to execute effectively under pressure with attention to detail, comfortable with multi-tasking and shifting priorities strategically and with flexibility when needed, and ability to solve problems creatively.
• Empathetic and compassionate leadership style with the ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with clients, staff, partner organizations, donors, government officials, judges and court personnel, and members of local holistic human services and advocacy coalitions.
• Track record of motivating and inspiring others to achieve impact through creativity and teamwork, with the ability to foster an environment for staff that celebrates the wins along the way while keeping an eye on the long-term goals of the work.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary for this position is $120,000. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, FSA, and 401K with 4% employer contribution. Relocation support available.

Still She Rises is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring, and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, orientations, and communities to apply.

Contact & Apply

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Shelby Woods and Amber Gomes. Please submit your application, cover letter and resume, by . All inquiries are strictly confidential.

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group 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 . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group

Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the .