Legal Consultant

Casey Family Programs, an Equal Opportunity Employer, is the nation’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care and building Communities of Hope for children and families across America.  Founded in 1966, Casey Family Programs works in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, two territories, and tribal nations to influence long-lasting improvements to the safety and success of children, families and the communities where they live. Casey Family Programs values diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, anti-discrimination, and respect for individuals in the workplace. We encourage candidates with diverse lived experience and perspectives to apply.

Job Summary:

This position provides expert consultation to judicial systems, including judicial officers, attorneys, court administrators, and Court Improvement Program directors. The Consultant delivers deep content expertise in court best practices and collective impact strategies, partnering with child protection systems to achieve Casey Family Programs’ organizational objectives.

Essential Responsibilities: 

Strategic Consultation & Leadership 

• Deliver Practice Consultation: Provide effective legal practice consultation in select jurisdictions to safely reduce the number of children in foster care.
• Influence Systems Leadership: Offer expertise to and influence judicial, attorney, court administration, and Court Improvement leadership regarding essential safe-reduction practices and community collaboratives.
• Drive Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration: Lead efforts to ensure strong collaboration between courts, child welfare agencies, and multi-disciplinary site teams. This includes fostering a commitment to shared values, developing protocols, and facilitating multi-disciplinary committees.
• Internal Coordination: Partner with other Casey Family Programs units and external experts to deliver comprehensive practice and policy technical assistance to child welfare legal systems.

Program Development & Management 

• Project Administration: Develop and administer legal practice projects, including budget management, contractor/vendor controls, continuous quality improvement (CQI), and documenting return on investment (ROI) and impact measurements.
• National Partnerships: Partner with national organizations to develop strategies and pilot programs that improve the quality of legal representation for all parties and advance judicial best practices.
• Educational Curricula: Assist in developing judicial, attorney, and multi-disciplinary educational curricula aimed at improving legal representation and judicial practices.
• Strategic Planning: Establish work priorities and safe-reduction goals in collaboration with the Managing Director, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
• Event leadership:  Plan and coordinate events at off-site locations for consulting and influencing legal community stakeholders.  This includes site-identification, agenda planning, logistics, and coordinating vendors, with support of administrative staff.

Data, Research, & Operations

• Data Analysis: Ensure the accurate delivery and translation of child welfare data analysis for collaborative partners and stakeholders.
• Coaching & Fidelity: Provide peer-to-peer coaching to ensure fidelity to judicial engagement principles alongside effective, trauma-informed, and evidence-based practices.
• Knowledge Maintenance: Maintain deep familiarity with current research and statutory or court-determined legal developments to spread best practices and influence their implementation.
• Reporting & Administrative Duties: Document site and national judicial engagement activities, maintain progress analysis toward reduction goals, and participate in internal team and national partner meetings.

Qualifications:

 Education & Experience

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and a current, active license to practice law.
• Minimum of 10 years of legal representation experience in child welfare cases.
• Demonstrated leadership and commitment at the local, state, and national levels to advancing best practices that ensure positive outcomes for families.
• Extensive experience as legal education faculty or a presenter, demonstrating working knowledge of current issues in child welfare law.

 Knowledge, Skills, & Certifications

• Expert knowledge of effective litigation, client engagement, trauma-informed, and culturally humble practices.
• Systems Knowledge: Working knowledge of current child welfare funding structures and finance reform proposals.
• Collaborative Skills: Proven ability to work collaboratively with all members and stakeholders of the child protection system.
• Certifications & Networks (Preferred):
• Specialty certification in child welfare law is preferred.
• Experience as a member of a multi-system child protection collaborative is preferred.
• Membership in a national network of child law practitioners is preferred.

 Core Competencies & Physical Requirements

• Resilience & Self-Care: Ability to perform effectively in high-pressure environments, manage work-related stress, and practice effective self-care.
• Confidentiality: Ability to protect sensitive information by adhering to all relevant policies, protocols, and sound judgment in information sharing.
• Travel: Ability to travel out of town as required.
• Driving Requirement: Driving on company business may require the use of a personal vehicle; adherence to vehicle safety guidelines and qualifying for insurance coverage is required.
• Physical Demands: Ability to lift and reach for light objects; ability to type and work at a computer for extended periods as a primary job function.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Compensation for this role will be determined by the candidate’s location and the applicable market zone as well as other factors including knowledge, skills, and experience.

Casey Family Programs uses internally defined market zones based on geographical regions.
Market zone 1 – $133,085 - $180,056

Market zone 2 – $140,913 - $190,647

Market zone 3 – $148,742 - $201,239

Market zone 4 – $156,570 - $211,830

Market zone 5 – $164,399 - $222,422

Market zone 6 – $172,227 - $233,013

Casey Family Programs offers comprehensive benefits including medical, dental and vision coverage, accrual of 12 days of annual leave, 12 days of sick leave,10 paid holidays per year, and each employee receives one personal holiday to use each calendar year. Employees that meet certain tenure qualifiers are eligible for up to eight weeks of parental leave for the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care. After the completion of 10 years of continuous, full-time regular employment, employees in good standing are permitted for a three-month sabbatical with pay. CFP also offers many opportunities for continued learning, training, and development.

This position will remain open until the needs are met and is subject to closure at any time without notice. It is to your advantage to file your application early as you will not be able to apply once the position has closed.