Pro Bono Coordinator

The National Homelessness Law Center (Law Center) seeks a strategic, collaborative, mission-driven thought partner to serve as our non-exempt Pro Bono Coordinator. The Law Center serves as the legal arm of the national movement to end homelessness and is looking for a Pro Bono Coordinator compelled by the national housing crisis and energized by our vision of housing as a human right and dismantling structural racism as we seek to end homelessness.

ABOUT THE LAW CENTER:

Founded in 1989, the Law Center fearlessly advances federal, state, and local policies to prevent and end homelessness, while fiercely defending the rights of all unhoused persons. Our work has put unhoused children back in school, won new resources for affordable housing, prevented homelessness for renters, overturned laws that criminalize homelessness, and built support for the human right to housing, now a major component of federal domestic policy. We play a critical role in protecting, defending, and promoting the rights of unhoused persons to ensure they can lead national, state, and local efforts to end homelessness.

Our core conviction is that no one should have to go without safe, affordable housing, especially in a country as wealthy as ours. The Law Center’s work, in partnership with national, state, and local partners, is critical now more than ever as the eviction and affordable housing crises, exacerbated by the pandemic, push record numbers of people and families into homelessness. People of color, people living with disabilities, women, children, the elderly, victims of interpersonal violence, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are disproportionately and uniquely affected by homelessness, and our work consciously and affirmatively seeks to address these interrelated inequities. In April 2021, the Law Center welcomed its second Executive Director, Antonia Fasanelli, a national leader recognized for her expertise in housing and homelessness law and policy. The Law Center elevates the power and voices of persons with lived expertise in working toward systems change.

We are proud of our high-quality and committed team of 15 staff persons and our large corps of volunteer attorneys. Although headquartered in Washington, DC, Law Center staff live and work across the country. For this position, we will require the Pro Bono Coordinator to work out of the DC office at least 2-3 times per week.

For more information, read our Annual Reports (https://homelesslaw.org/resources/annual-report/) and explore our website at www.homelesslaw.org.

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW OF POSITION:

This is an ideal opportunity for someone who thrives in a values-aligned organization. The Law Center’s budget for 2024 is $2.3 million. The Law Center is financially sound and maintains a reserve.

The Pro Bono Coordinator plays an essential role expanding the impact of our Law and Policy teams by recruiting pro bono attorneys and legal staff members to support the Law Center’s work. Each year, the value of billable time donated by law firms and corporations providing pro bono support to the Law Center and its projects is more than double, and often triple, the size of the Law Center’s budget.

The Law Center hosts a “think tank” for pro bono partners who wish to make a deep investment in the work of the Law Center. The Homelessness Action Legal Team (HALT) is a national legal community serving and protecting homeless Americans and those at risk of becoming homeless. HALT members serve as core support for the National Homelessness Law Center to achieve our mission of using the power of the law to prevent and end homelessness. Through membership in HALT, the Law Center offers law firms and corporate legal departments many opportunities to leverage pro bono legal services throughout the year. HALT members have participated in the fight to end homelessness through litigating educational rights for children, challenging anti-camping laws, researching the impact of criminalization, and more.

In addition, In-HOUSING Counsel (IHC) is a pro bono program of the National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) that matches attorneys with nonprofit organizations that are working to end and prevent homelessness. IHC is overseen by the Youth Homelessness Director, with support from the Pro Bono Coordinator.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Recruitment and HALT Management: Develop and implement an annual pro bono outreach plan, with thoughtful strategies and compelling messages to replenish and expand the network of active volunteer. This includes:
o Together with the Law Center’s Development Team, arranging meetings with pro bono partners to build relationships and further engage firms/corporations;
o Representing the Law Center at important law firm and corporate information sessions and other visibility events to enhance volunteer relations;
o Coordinating HALT:
Plan, schedule and attend monthly virtual meetings of the HALT Co-Chairs
Take primary responsibility to schedule quarterly convenings of the HALT Think Tank, working with Legal and Development Teams to plan HALT Think Tank agendas, speakers, etc.;
• Placing Pro Bono Matters: Coordinate a robust pro bono case placement process, which includes:
o Identifying, frequently communicating with, and developing ongoing relationships with appropriate volunteer attorneys and pro bono contacts at premier law firms and corporations;
o Preparing and issuing Law Center “Pro Bono Alerts” on a bi-weekly basis to pro bono contacts at law firms and corporations; and
o Maintaining contact with and utilizing for placement the following: Trust Law, Paladin and the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, among other networks and resources.
• Case and Database Management: The Law Center utilizes Legal Server as its case management system. Essential duties and responsibilities include –
o Convert existing excel spreadsheet of pro bono contacts to Legal Server and maintain pro bono law firm contacts in Legal Server;
o Assign cases and pro bono projects to pro bono contacts in Legal Server, including tracking cases assigned through IHC and our many active litigation matters, typically through our Decriminalization Department;
o Ensure connection of pro bono attorneys to Law Center attorneys, receipt of engagement letters, periodic monitoring of case/project status and closing of case/project in Legal Server when concluded; and
o Track donated hours on an annual basis in Legal Server and provide data to Law Center finance team for annual audit.
• Support volunteer recognition activities, including selection of Pro Bono Award recipient at annual Human Right to Housing Awards and identification of possible board members. Prepare pro bono spotlights and victories for website.