Job Details
Job Location
Corporate Headquarters – Baltimore, MD
Position Type
Full Time
Education Level
4 Year Degree
Salary Range
$75,000.00 – $90,000.00 Salary/year
Travel Percentage
Up to 25%
Job Category
Legal
Description
Are you interested in working with an organization that is transforming the way America cares for and educates its children?
The Children’s Guild is currently in search of an accomplished individual to fill the pivotal role of Manager of Legal Affairs within its legal department. In this capacity, the Legal Affairs Manager will be responsible for ensuring the organization’s adherence to internal policies, bylaws, and all applicable governing laws and regulations. The position will be charged with the efficient and effective management of both internal and external legal matters, including the selection and supervision of external legal counsel. Furthermore, the Legal Affairs Manager will be responsible for delivering essential legal updates and reports to the Chief Executive Officer, Senior Leadership Team, and the Board, ensuring they are well-informed regarding the latest legal developments. The role will also encompass maintaining a high-level overview of organizational risk management. The ideal candidate will possess a high level of respect for confidentiality and a strong work ethic. They will also possess excellent written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, and organizational skills that include an ability to create and implement systems.
Summary
The Children’s Guild is a nonprofit organization serving children, families, and child-serving organizations. We provide individualized transformational experiences to ensure children, families, and communities thrive through education, behavioral health, management, and consulting services. The Children’s Guild operates the Monarch Academy public charter and contract schools, Monarch Preschool College Park, The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School, The Children’s Guild Transformation Academy, TranZed Apprenticeships, treatment foster care, and outpatient mental health clinics. We are among the most experienced child-serving organizations in the Greater Baltimore/Washington region and are expanding in regional and national programs.
Our DEI Commitment
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion are fundamental values at The Children’s Guild. We are committed to building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for all students, staff, and families at The Children’s Guild. We believe every member of our team strengthens our diversity by showing us a broad range of ways to understand, engage, care for, and educate.
All Guild employees are expected to demonstrate an awareness of, respect for, and attention to the diversity of the people with whom they interact (person served, personnel, families/caregivers, and other stakeholders) that are reflected in attitudes, organizational structure, policies, and services.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Oversight and management of organization contracts and agreements.
- Assist external counsel with reviewing and editing legal drafts to ensure factual correctness and minimize external counsel fees, such as briefs, contracts, pleadings, leases, etc.
- Judges the merits of major court cases filed against or on behalf of the organization, works with the appropriate executive(s) to define a strategic defense, and recommends settlements of disputes where warranted in consultation with external counsel.
- Oversees the selection, retention, management, and evaluation of all outside counsel.
- Attend and coordinate meetings with external counsel as and when required /directed by superiors.
- Negotiate fee structure of external counsel.
- Analyzes legal risk of the organization and provides monthly risk management reports.
- Engages in high-level risk management investigations, as needed.
- Structures and manages the company’s internal legal function and staff.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- Two to five years of relevant experience, with strong preference towards employment, transactional, education, business, or corporate law experience.
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Independent, self-starter who operates autonomously while being a collaborative team player.
- High integrity, strong work ethic and able to handle multiple, simultaneous projects with enthusiasm and attention to detail.
- Ability to identify, analyze, and make recommendations on complex legal issues. Displays sound professional judgment with the ultimate aim of protecting the legal rights of the organization.
- Ability to manage office functions economically and efficiently.
- Comfortable in a fast-paced work environment requiring flexibility and creativity in problem solving and risk assessment.
- Ability to interact and communicate effectively with diverse internal and external groups, such as external counsel, consultants, vendors, support staff, and cross-functional teams.
- Displays excellent supervisory and leadership skills.
Competencies
To perform the job successfully, an individual will retain accountability for the following Key Result Areas (KRAs).
Note: The KRAs are the measurable outcomes tied to the specific responsibilities outlined in the JD. Only designate a responsibility as a KRA if you are consistently measuring it.
Key Result Area #1:Excellent document/ file management and protection of confidentiality.
- Development and implementation of the system in Teams/SAI360 for confidential storage of and access to legal and compliance-related documents.
- Management and organization of physical legal files, including subpoenas, court orders, and document requests.
- Timely document production, including appropriate review and redaction, Bates labeling, and watermarking to protect confidentiality.
Key Result Area # 2:Evidence of initiative and organizational skills to assist with all legal matters.
- Development of a system to maintain confidential communications and meeting minutes.
- Interface with outside law firms and key stakeholders on legal matters in a manner that protects confidentiality.
Key Result Area # 3:Effective assistance with document production and coordination with outside agencies.
- Development of draft documents, such as contracts, leases, agreements, to be reviewed and edited by outside agencies with the purpose of cutting down on outside legal expenses.
- Interface and coordinate with outside attorneys on all pending TCG legal matters.
Qualifications
Supervisory Responsibilities
This position does not have any supervisory responsibilities.
Education Qualifications
Abachelor’s degree or higher is required.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations
A Paralegal certificate or degree is preferred.
Remote/Telework Eligibility
This position is telework-eligible.
Work Location and Travel Requirements
This position will be based at The Children’s Guild, at 1200 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002. This role requires occasional reporting to the home base office and occasional visits to other Guild programs. This position requires 30% travel.
Physical Demands
An employee must meet the physical demands described here to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the Manager of Legal Affairs is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear. They must frequently lift and/or move more than 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to adjust focus.
Additional Qualifications
N/A
EEOC Statement
The Children’s Guild provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.