Director, Legal Services Fund

United States·New YorkFull Timeexecutive

OtherDirector

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Overview

Job Code125 Department NameLegal Fund Admin Reports ToExecutive Director FLSA StatusExempt Union CodeN/A ManagementYes

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awsazuresnowflakesqlmentoringperformance-management

Building Services 32BJ Benefit Funds (“the Funds”) is the umbrella organization responsible for administering Health, Pension, Retirement Savings, Training, and Legal Services benefits to over 185,000 SEIU 32BJ members. Our mission is to make significant contributions to the lives of our members by providing high quality benefits and services. Through our commitment, we embody five core values: Flexibility, Initiative, Respect, Sustainability, and Teamwork (FIRST). By following our core values, employees are open to different and new ways of doing things, take active steps to improve the organization, create an environment of trust and respect, approach their work with the intent of a positive outcome, and work collaboratively with colleagues.

The Funds oversees and manages $11 billion of dollars in assets, which are made up of many, varied and complex funds. The dollars come from a number of sources, including the property owners who pay into the funds on behalf of their employees, and as such, requires those who oversee and manage the money to be highly skilled financial management people.

32BJ Benefit Funds will continue to drive innovation, equity, and technology insights to further help the lives of our hard-working members and their families. We use cutting edge technology such as: M365, Dynamics 365 CRM, Dynamics 365 F&O, Azure, AWS, SQL, Snowflake, QlikView, and more.

Please take a moment to watch our video to learn more about our culture and contributions to our members: youtu.be/hYNdMGLn19A

Job Summary:

The Building Service 32BJ Legal Services Fund supports a large, and geographically diverse membership base of approximately 100,000 active members annually. While not all eligible members access legal services each year, the Fund is responsible for ensuring access, coverage, and compliance for this population across multiple jurisdictions and areas of law. The Fund provides coverage across a broad range of legal matters, with Immigration matters representing the largest share of cases, followed by Matrimonial and Family Law matters. These legal services are provided by Staff Attorneys, who are directly employed by the Fund and primarily handle matters arising in New York City, and Cooperating Attorneys (CA), who are external counsel retained and paid by the Fund to handle cases outside New York City, matters involving conflict of interest, or cases requiring geographic reach beyond the Fund's in-house capacity. The Legal Services Fund is supported by a team of 58 professionals, consisting of 16 staff attorneys, 10 paralegals, 10 intake specialists, 4 legal assistants, 7 operations staff, and 11 management staff members.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Director, Legal Services Fund is responsible for the administration of the Building Service 32BJ Legal Services Fund, ensuring that the Fund provides high-quality legal services that meet the changing needs of the members while making the most efficient use of the funds available through bargaining. This role has enterprise-wide oversight responsibility for all Legal Fund activities, leadership, governance, legal policy, budgetary control, and escalation management for complex, novel legal matters. The Director, Legal Services Fund works across member-facing and operational departments to ensure appropriate utilization and effective delivery of Legal Fund benefits, and also serves as a strategic advocate for systemic improvements in the courts and legal oversight bodies — advancing reforms that enhance justice, streamline legal processes, and expand protections for Fund members.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Governance
- Works with the Executive Director to develop the goals, mission and strategic direction of the Fund
- Reports to the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Board and implements the decisions of the Board
- Identifies opportunities for program expansion, pilot initiatives, or service redesign aligned with Fund resources
- Works with Executive and Senior Staff of the Funds to promote the goals of the Benefit Funds as an organization
- Represents the Fund externally with unions, policymakers, community partners, and professional organizations as appropriate
- Drives modernization initiatives including technology upgrades, data and reporting enhancements, and improved data governance practices
- Develops and updates legal policies, operational guidelines, and compliance framework across internal and external service channels.

Legal Oversight & Legal Standards Management
- Ensures that the quality of legal services meets industry standards and is in compliance with the rules of the Appellate Division as well as the Code of Professional Conduct
- Serves as attorney-of-record accountability point for the Appellate Division, including oversight of staff attorney licensing requirements and direct supervision of IOLA accounts and member escrow funds
- Provides legal guidance and mentorship to supervisors, staff attorneys, and paralegals on substantive law, procedure, and state statutes
- Establishes and maintains a Quality Assurance program to ensure that the Fund is operated efficiently and consistently to meet the needs of the members and to keep up with changes in the law
- Personally handle all complex Criminal matters and oversee Cooperating Attorney case processing
- Maintain expertise in all cases handled by Fund
- Accountable for all Legal Fund matters across jurisdictions, ensure quality, consistency, compliance, and alignment with Fund policies and governing law
- Serve as escalation authority for complex, novel legal criminal cases

Operational Systems, Technology & Service Delivery
- Directs the day to day operations of the Legal Fund, directly and through delegated authority
- Provides strategic leadership over legal technology, case management systems, data governance, and operational modernization initiatives
- Uses data and outcome measures to assess service impact and continuously improve member experience
- Responsible for recruitment of Cooperating Attorneys and monitoring of program
- Leads governance of the Cooperating Attorney network, including onboarding, performance monitoring, rate-setting, and invoice review.
- Manage multi-jurisdictional service delivery models and adapts services to evolving member geographic patterns, including retirees.
- Establishes, monitors and maintains the Department’s budget and the short and long-term fiscal health of the Fund
- Oversee expenditures and billing structures to ensure fiscal stewardship and cost control

Staff Leadership, Member Education & Advocacy
- Leads the recruitment, training, professional development, performance management, and succession planning of Fund staff, including attorneys, paralegals, and administrative personnel
- Advocates for systemic improvements within the courts and legal oversight bodies to strengthen the protection, recognition, and administration of the Legal Fund benefits for members
- Engages in policy and systems-level advocacy with courts, judicial administrators, and legal regulatory entities to address structural barriers and improve member access to justice
- Collaborates with Member Engagement, Communications, Training Fund, and other internal partners to ensure coordinated service delivery.
- Designs and collaborates on member education programs to promote understanding and appropriate utilization of legal benefits.
- Develop and oversee outreach and training program to educated members on legal rights and benefits
- Performs other functions as necessary or as assigned

Qualifications (Competencies):

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school required; Master of Laws (LLM) or equivalent advanced legal degree a plus

Admission to the New York State Bar and active membership in good standing required

Significant experience in relevant legal practice and/or senior-level management within a legal services, nonprofit, governmental, or comparable organization required

Relevant legal experience in any of the following areas is desirable: Immigration, Matrimonial, Family, Estate, Civil, Real Property and Criminal Trial and Appellate work

Exposure engaging in systemic advocacy or legal reform efforts aimed at improving court systems, legal processes, or access to justice

Knowledge of legal developments and practice trends in areas aligned with the Fund's services and member needs

Well organized and able to manage major projects with competing priorities and deadlines

Ability to apply technological tools, such as spreadsheet and database, to identify trends and solve administrative problems and support data-driven decision-making

Soft Skills (Interpersonal Skills):

Excellent written and verbal skills required to communicate the organization’s goals and mission

Demonstrated sound judgement, discretion, and decision making skills

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate challenges and evaluate options

Ability to adapt to evolving priorities, changing legal landscapes, and emerging organizational needs

Skilled in diplomacy and relationship-building

Capacity to serve as a though leader on court modernization, legal system reform, and access-to-justice issues, influencing broader legal discourse.

Ability to lead and inspire the department as a whole and to advance strategic goals and priorities of the Fund

Ability to work successfully and collaboratively with internal and external constituencies, including the Executive Director, the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee, senior staff of the Benefit Funds, union and industry leaders, Fund co-counsel, consultants and others

Education:

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school required; Master of Laws (LLM) or equivalent advanced legal degree a plus

Reasoning Ability:

High

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

Admission to the New York State Bar and active membership in good standing required

Admission to the Federal Bar (e.g., SDNY/EDNY) or another US District Court required, admission in New Jersey is a plus

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

Under 1/3 of the time: Standing, Walking, Climbing or Balancing, Stooping, Kneeling, Crouching, or Crawling
Over 2/3 of the time: Talking or Hearing
100% of the time: Using Hands

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.