Nonprofit Attorney
Start Date: August 15, 2023
Location: Candidate must live in Washington State for this position. Communities Rise is currently
working remotely. When Communities Rise returns to in-person work, this position may require regular
presence at the office. The position requires occasional in-person meetings and events in the Seattle
metro area.
Classification: Full-time exempt position
Reports To: Co-Executive Director, Legal Services
Salary: $80,000-$100,000 annually, depending on level of experience
Benefits: Paid medical, vision, and dental insurance; 12 paid holidays plus week-long office closures in
July and December; 12 vacation days and 12 Sick and Safe Time days in the first year; 100% of Paid
Family and Medical Leave premiums paid by employer, 401K retirement plan and access to free
personalized retirement planning advisors; monthly stipends for remote work and personal phone
expenses; and paid Washington State bar licensing fee and professional development expenses.
About Communities Rise
Communities Rise’s mission is to foster movements to build power in communities impacted by systemic
oppression. To create a more equitable system, we pursue cross-sector collaborations and provide
capacity building and legal services for community organizations and small businesses.
● Cross-Sector Collaborations: We team up with funders, community organizations and
community leaders to co-design, implement, and elevate initiatives for equity, diversity, and
inclusion.
● Capacity Building: We help community organizations working in communities impacted by
systemic oppression build their capacity through our nonprofit cohort program, grant writing,
and fundraising clinics.
● Legal Services and Trainings: We provide legal support to nonprofit organizations and small
businesses on their business legal needs through direct representation, legal clinics, and legal
trainings.
About the Role
Communities Rise seeks an attorney committed to social justice and skilled in nonprofit law to help
advance our bold mission to build community power. Under our nonprofit program, the Nonprofit
Attorney will provide transactional legal assistance to nonprofit organizations, primarily those led by and
serving BIPOC and other marginalized communities, in order to help their nonprofits -- and their
communities – thrive. Related tasks toward this goal will include creating written educational and
training materials and collaborating with community partners to leverage additional resources for
nonprofits. The Nonprofit Attorney will also occasionally provide similar legal assistance to small
businesses. Our nonprofit program services are particularly needed now as the pandemic has severely
impacted nonprofits similar to how the pandemic devastated small businesses. The current economic
downturn could result in an estimated 40% of nonprofits nationally being forced to shut down. Small BIPOC-led and serving nonprofits are particularly vulnerable due to barriers nonprofits face – including
lack of access to affordable legal help. Communities Rise’s nonprofit program fills that gap with free
transactional legal assistance.
Key values guiding CR’s legal and capacity building work that we expect the candidate to embrace are: a
relationship-building and client centered approach to working with our clients from BIPOC and other
marginalized communities; a strong commitment to race equity and racial justice; and a commitment to
collaboration and flexibility. Candidates who are drawn towards community lawyering and transactional
lawyering for nonprofits and small businesses as a way to promote social justice are prime candidates for
this position.
Responsibilities
Legal Support for Nonprofits (50%)
● Provide transactional legal assistance to nonprofits, or place cases with our volunteer attorney
network. Client matters may include entity formation, contracts, intellectual property,
employment, and regulatory compliance. Provide similar legal assistance to small businesses on
occasion
● Review and approve applications for legal services. Collaborate with the Legal Team on client
intake
● Build relationships with volunteer attorneys and communicate regularly regarding matter
placement
● Staff monthly nonprofit legal clinics and phone consultations
● Coordinate legal services under government contracts and under the Cohort program of the
Capacity Building Team
● Enter case data into Salesforce database for recordkeeping and funder reporting
Community Education & Legal Trainings (20%)
● Create written legal resources and facilitate community education trainings, CLEs, and
workshops
● Present about CR legal services at community meetings and conferences
Relationship Building and Collaboration (10%)
● Engage in authentic relationship building with nonprofit clients
● Collaborate with the Capacity Building Team and its Cohort program in building relationships
with nonprofits in that program
● Develop and maintain relationships with partner organizations and other stakeholders
Supervision (8%)
● The Nonprofit Attorney will participate in the hiring process for the Nonprofit Resource Manager
in Fall 2023.
● Supervise Nonprofit Resource Manager in their duties, including case management, Salesforce
data entry, communication and relationship building with nonprofit clients and volunteer
attorneys, and assisting with development of written legal resources
Program Development & Strategic Planning (5%)
● Provide support in continuing to develop the nonprofit legal program
● Receive supervision from the Legal Co-Executive Director in managing and developing the
nonprofit legal program
● Participate actively in strategic planning processes of legal team and whole organization
● Assist with reimagining and leading our attorney mentorship Nonprofit Advocates Program
In-house Counsel for Communities Rise (2%)
● Assist Legal Co-Executive Director as needed in providing legal counsel to CR on a variety of
issues including contract review, ethics, IP, employment, and nonprofit compliance
Other Duties As Assigned (5%)
● This may include such work as assisting with communications, fundraising, and administrative
work, or other responsibilities as assigned by the Co-Executive Director, Legal Services
Required Qualifications
We understand there may be stellar candidates who possess some, but not all, of the required and
preferred qualifications listed below. We welcome candidates with any relevant personal and
professional experience to apply.
● At least 2 years of experience in nonprofit, corporate, contract, intellectual property or
employment law
● Candidate must be licensed in Washington State or be able to waive in to the Washington State
bar (requirements are 3 years of practice as barred attorney in another state plus currently
active and in good standing, see more information here)
● Candidate must live in Washington State for this position. Communities Rise is currently working
remotely. When Communities Rise returns to in-person work, this position may require regular
presence at the office.
● This position requires occasional in-person meetings and events in the Seattle-metro area
● Alignment with Communities Rise’s mission and commitment to racial equity and centering our
work around communities of color and communities impacted by structural oppression
Preferred Qualifications
● Experience in counseling nonprofits or similar experience
● Excellent writing and oral communication skills, including both technical legal information and
broader public communication
● Ability and interest to work collaboratively with a team as well as independently
● Experience with: Google Workspace, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Salesforce, Zoom, and
Mailchimp
● Interest in working collaboratively as a team, as well as independently
Instructions to Apply
The preferred application deadline is June 2, 2023. Applications received by this date will receive
prioritized review. The final application deadline is June 16, 2023. To apply, please email
jobs@communities-rise.org with your resume and a cover letter describing:
● Why you as an attorney are specifically interested in working at an organization that has a
mission to build community power in communities impacted by systemic oppression
● Your commitment to social and racial justice and your experience working with BIPOC and other
communities impacted by systemic oppression
● Your professional or personal experience which make you a strong fit for this role
Please include “Application for Nonprofit Attorney Position” in the subject line and note where you
learned about this position. Candidates selected for an interview will be asked to provide 3 references.
All interviews will be conducted over the phone and Zoom.
Communities Rise is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment
without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity,
disability, veteran status, or any other class protected by law. We encourage people from communities
of color, people with disabilities, indigenous, refugee, immigrant, working class, and/or LGBTQIA+
communities to apply for this position. Communities Rise will provide, excepting any undue hardship,
reasonable accommodations for candidates taking part in all aspects of the hiring process. To request
assistance or accommodations, please contact jobs@communities-rise.org.
