Team Manager | Environmental Justice

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is hiring a Team Manager for the Environmental Justice Team in Laredo, TX. The role involves leading legal advocacy initiatives for low-income communities affected by environmental issues, supervising legal work, coordinating outreach, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Responsibilities include case management, team communication, and community education. The position focuses on enhancing health and safety through effective legal representation and policy implementation.
About the position

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) is seeking an attorney to serve as the Team Manager for the Environmental Justice Team. This position presents a unique opportunity to lead initiatives aimed at representing low-income communities that are adversely affected by environmental issues. The primary goal of this role is to enhance the health and safety of these communities through effective legal advocacy, education, and outreach efforts. The Environmental Justice Team is dedicated to various activities that support these communities, including representing clients before administrative agencies that oversee polluting industries, prosecuting citizen suits to enforce federal environmental laws, and addressing nuisances such as odors, dust, or noise that impact TRLA clients. Additionally, the team promotes the enforcement of environmental laws in low-income minority communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution. The Team Manager will be responsible for overseeing the direction and smooth functioning of the Environmental Justice Team. This includes supervising legal work, performing spot checks and case reviews, scheduling and assigning tasks to ensure continuous intake review and case disposition, and regularly reviewing intake disposition decisions to ensure equitable treatment and consistency with TRLA policies. The Team Manager will also be responsible for approving Tier Approval Litigation Requests and litigation expenses up to $500 per case, ensuring the quality and timeliness of legal work through regular case reviews, and enforcing compliance with funding regulations and program policies. In addition to supervision and case management, the Team Manager will maintain communication among team members regarding case developments and legal updates, coordinate continuing legal education and community outreach activities, and implement policies and procedures from the Board of Directors and Executive Director. The role also involves preparing and submitting annual reports of team activities, participating in recruitment and hiring processes, addressing client grievances and team member complaints, and maintaining public relations with the bar, community, and client organizations. The Team Manager will take necessary actions to leverage team resources effectively for client legal issues.

Responsibilities
• Supervise legal work and perform spot checks and case reviews.
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• Schedule and assign Duty Attorney tasks to ensure continuous intake review and case disposition.
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• Regularly review intake disposition decisions for equitable treatment and consistency with TRLA policies.
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• Approve Tier Approval Litigation Requests and litigation expenses up to $500 per case.
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• Ensure quality and timeliness of legal work through regular case reviews.
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• Enforce compliance with funding regulations and program policies.
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• Maintain communication among team members on case developments and legal updates.
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• Coordinate continuing legal education and community outreach activities.
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• Identify cases and clients that may not access the intake system easily, ensuring equal access to program resources.
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• Develop and implement improvements to the client tracking system.
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• Monitor and review changes in laws, coordinating forums for review.
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• Prepare and submit annual reports of team activities.
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• Implement policies and procedures from the Board of Directors and Executive Director.
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• Approve leave requests and coordinate with branch managers.
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• Participate in recruitment, hiring, disciplining, and terminating team members as needed.
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• Address client grievances and team member complaints.
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• Approve training and travel requests related to casework.
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• Maintain public relations with the bar, community, and client organizations, representing TRLA appropriately.
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• Take necessary actions to leverage team resources effectively for client legal issues.

Requirements
• Licensed to practice law in Texas.
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• Experience in environmental law.
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• Strong organizational skills, including system implementation to ensure the team complies with various requirements and meets case deadlines.
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• Demonstrated commitment to social justice; knowledge of the TRLA service delivery is preferred.

Nice-to-haves
• Experience in project management, staff management, or other supervisory roles.
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• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.

Benefits
• Salary is commensurate with experience.
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• Excellent fringe benefits package including law school loan repayment.
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• Generous paid leave.
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• Healthcare insurance.
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• Retirement plan.
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• Training and travel stipends.