Executive Director

Three Rivers Legal Services (TRLS) is seeking an Executive Director to lead this nonprofit legal services corporation dedicated to providing quality legal assistance to the poor, abused, disabled and elderly, and to their empowerment through preventive legal education. TRLS provides free civil legal help in northern Florida, serving seventeen counties from offices in Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Lake City.

High Priority Roles and Responsibilities for the Next Executive Director:

• Vision: Implementing the TRLS strategic plan which envisions increasing the capacity for impactful work; unifying operations into one law firm; anticipating the needs of the organization, staff, and clients; planning for changes in financial resources and obligations; strengthening resource development and fundraising; and implementing case and outreach priorities, goals, and objectives for 2020-2022.

• Management:  Demonstrating a full understanding of the organization’s mission and structure with the ability to analyze strengths and weaknesses; formulating enhancements such as training or cross-training; building a staff that feels like family.
• Team member:  Heading the staff of attorneys and non-attorneys and working with them all in a manner that earns respect and loyalty and shows them that they are members of a team; setting organizational standards and enforcing and modifying as needed; willingness to trust and rely on the team.
• Communication:  Becoming the public face of TRLS in the community; maintaining transparency and open communications with the Board of Directors and staff members; enjoying working with and doing for others.

• Increasing services: Increasing services to clients and increasing collaboration with the private bar, other regional legal aid partners, public and private law schools, and other agencies that work with the same client population.

• Resource development:  Spearheading efforts to develop new and expanded community financial support for the program’s mission.

Qualifications of the Next Executive Director:

• Commitment to advancing the legal rights of low-income individuals and families in TRLS’s seventeen county service area.
• Successful leadership in a multi-million dollar, multi-site organization, preferably a legal aid organization.
• JD and a license to practice law in Florida currently or the ability to become licensed.
• A minimum of ten years of practice, with at least five years of legal services experience or equivalent preferred.
• A minimum of five years of management experience involving staff supervision, financial oversight and reporting, budget development, and compliance with grant and contract requirements.
• Successful experience in resource development, including grant writing and private fundraising.
• Demonstrated experience working successfully with organizations and individuals with diverse perspectives, including staff, the Board of Directors, community, the private bar, elected and appointed officials, and clients.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills, including the ability to motivate, inspire, and resolve conflict.
• Experience working with a Board of Directors in the successful performance of its duties.
• Personal attributes such as the ability to engender confidence and trust, honesty, integrity, a strong work ethic, good listening skills, decisiveness, and profound empathy for the disadvantaged and vulnerable client population of Three Rivers Legal Services.
• Knowledge of Legal Services Corporation regulations and compliance preferred.