Chief Executive Officer | SMRLS

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) seeks a Chief Executive Officer to lead and advance the mission of this renowned non‑profit civil legal aid organization. SMRLS was formed in 1909 and currently provides free civil legal aid to low‑income clients in counties in the southern third of Minnesota and to migrant farm workers in Minnesota and North Dakota. SMRLS is funded primarily through state and federal grants, including funding from the Legal Services Corporation. SMRLS currently has a budget of slightly under $18 million and serves, annually, over 12,000 clients in nearly 10,000 legal matters. SMRLS has approximately 67 attorneys and 59 non‑attorney staff. SMRLS also utilizes the services of many volunteer attorneys who annually provide over 1,000 hours of legal service to eligible clients. SMRLS has its primary office in St. Paul, Minnesota, and additional offices in seven other cities in its coverage area, and deploys attorneys and staff to hospitals and community clinics.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the principal leader, representative, and spokesperson for the organization. The CEO is hired by the Board of Directors and serves at the direction of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is primarily responsible for defining the mission of SMRLS and adopting policies consistent with that mission. The CEO is responsible for carrying out the mission of SMRLS consistent with the Board’s policies.

The mission of SMRLS is to provide a full range of high quality legal services to low income persons and eligible client groups in civil matters, in a respectful manner which enables clients to (1) enforce their legal rights (2) obtain effective access to the courts, administrative agencies and other forums which constitute our system of justice, (3) maintain freedom from hunger, homelessness, sickness, and abuse and (4) empower persons and assure equal opportunity thus helping people to help themselves and become economically self‑reliant, to the extent their individual abilities and circumstances permit.

In advancing this mission, the CEO is supported by an Executive Team, which currently consists of the following positions, all of which report directly to the CEO : Director of Litigation and Advocacy, Director of Business Administration, Director of Finance, Director of Human Resources, and Director of Philanthropy. Acting through this Executive Team and through all the attorneys and staff employed by SMRLS, the CEO has the following duties and responsibilities :

• Engage, inspire, and lead the attorneys and staff to realize SMRLS’ mission, and organize the operations of SMRLS so that it can effectively carry out its mission
• Propose to the Board the substantive legal areas that shall be deemed priorities, how eligible clients shall be determined, and propose changes in the delivery of legal services to meet new challenges and opportunities
• Ensure SMRLS’ financial health and stability with oversight of its financial management systems, practices, and budget, and assist in fundraising
• Ensure the development of a long‑term plan, including both short and long‑range goals and the strategies to achieve those goals, and regularly assess and report to the Board on progress towards those goals
• Promote diversity and inclusion in all aspects of program activities, including bringing a racial justice lens to the delivery of legal services, hiring, retention, and leadership development
• Oversee all human resource matters including recruitment, selection, and evaluation of attorneys and support staff, establish wages and benefits for employees of SMRLS, establish the compensation to be paid to consultants, engage in collective bargaining, and establish employment policies
• Ensure that SMRLS has the facilities and systems in place to advance its mission, including embracing and promoting innovation in technology that will serve SMRLS’ mission
• Maintain and enhance SMRLS’ relationships with other legal aid organizations in the state and throughout the nation, as well as other poverty advocacy organizations
• Serve as an effective ambassador for SMRLS and its clients by nurturing collaborative relationships with the LSC and other funders, legislators, judicial leaders, volunteer attorneys, private donors, and business and civic leaders
• Serve as an effective advocate on behalf of SMRLS and the Legal Aid community by engaging with individual lawmakers, lawmaking bodies, legislators and lobbyists to influence the creation, amendment or repeal of laws that affect low‑income individuals and vulnerable communities. This legislative advocacy includes but is not limited to advocating for policies that expand access to legal services, improve public benefits and address system inequities.

Experience, attributes, and qualifications that SMRLS is looking for :

To apply for this position :

SMRLS is assisted in its search for an Executive Director by Patricia Pap, Consultant, Management Information Exchange, 508‑737‑4010 cell, ppap@mielegalaid.org, www.mielegalaid.org. Materials should be submitted electronically to ppap@mielegalaid.org in Microsoft Word or PDF format. Candidates with questions about the position, listed qualifications, or the search process are encouraged to contact her directly.

To receive full consideration, applicants are encouraged to submit application materials by May 27, 2025. Submit the following :

Salary depends on experience based on a competitive public interest salary scale. The expected annual salary range is $150,000 to $200,000. The compensation for this position will ultimately depend upon the level of relevant experience possessed by the successful candidate. SMRLS’ excellent benefits package includes health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, life / AD&DD insurance, paid sick and vacation time, long‑term disability, 403(b), paid holidays as well as paid license, bar association fees and CLEs. SMRLS offers a collegial and inclusive work environment.

SMRLS is committed to equal employment opportunities for all workers, regardless of race, gender, disability or other protected class status. SMRLS is committed to compliance with all federal, state, and local anti‑discrimination laws and regulations. All interested applicants are encouraged to apply.

#J-18808-Ljbffr