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Directing Attorney, Mobilehome Ownership Preservation

Position: Directing Attorney, Mobilehome Ownership Preservation

Reports to: Director of Strategic Initiatives

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Location: Remote

Term of Employment: Regular, Full-Time

Other: FLSA Exempt, Non-Union Position

California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is an anti-poverty law firm dedicated to dismantling unjust systems through community lawyering in California’s historically rural areas. For over five decades, we have partnered with communities priced out of private legal representation to uphold civil rights in housing, employment, health, and public education. Building on a radical legacy rooted in the farmworker movement and the War on Poverty, CRLA continues to fight for the rights and prosperity of rural Californians through bold advocacy, systemic change, and a vision of thriving, empowered communities. CRLA’s community-led legal services activate community power to achieve justice, ensuring our clients and partners have the tools to dismantle poverty, discrimination, and systemic inequities.

CRLA’s Mobilehome Ownership Preservation (MOP) team provides legal services to low-income mobilehome owners and park residents across California who face displacement, unlawful rent increases, park closures, and other threats to their housing stability. Mobilehome owners occupy a uniquely vulnerable position: owning their homes while renting the land beneath them. CRLA’s MOP team combines direct legal representation with systemic advocacy, community education, and coalition work to preserve mobilehome communities as a critical source of affordable housing in rural California.

The Directing Attorney of the Mobilehome Ownership Preservation team is a leadership opportunity for an experienced housing attorney committed to community-centered advocacy and systemic change. The Directing Attorney is responsible for setting the initiative’s advocacy vision, supervising a team of attorneys and support staff, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality legal services to mobilehome owners and residents. This position requires both substantive expertise in housing and mobilehome law and the leadership capacity to develop and sustain a statewide initiative. The Directing Attorney maintains an active caseload while leading the team and reports to the Director of Strategic Initiatives.

• Supervise and support a team of staff attorneys, community workers, and legal support staff, including conducting performance reviews and creating professional development plans.
• Provide mentorship, training, and regular case review to ensure high-quality, strategic legal representation.
• Ensure case handling complies with CRLA policies, Legal Services Corporation regulations, ABA Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Services, and applicable ethical obligations.
• Conduct regular staff meetings and case reviews to assess new intakes, monitor case progress, and ensure timely case closure.
• Orient, develop, and supervise law student interns, pro bono attorneys, and volunteers.

• Maintain an active caseload of complex, high-impact cases involving mobilehome residents’ rights, including matters related to the Mobilehome Residency Law, unlawful evictions, rent increases, park closures and conversions, and habitability.
• Oversee individual and systemic litigation, providing strategic legal guidance and co-counseling support to team members.
• Identify emerging trends and systemic issues affecting mobilehome owners and develop responsive legal strategies.
• Engage in impact litigation, administrative advocacy, and policy initiatives to strengthen protections for mobilehome park residents.

• Develop and execute an annualized initiative work plan that integrates direct services, systemic advocacy, and community lawyering approaches.
• In collaboration with the Director of Strategic Initiatives, assess initiative outcomes, identify opportunities for growth and replication, and contribute to CRLA’s broader strategic planning processes.
• Identify and communicate best practices and lessons learned that can be shared across CRLA programs and initiatives.

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with mobilehome resident associations, community organizations, coalitions, and government agencies to advance the rights of mobilehome owners.
• Represent CRLA in coalitions, working groups, and collaborative advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national level.
• Develop and oversee community education and outreach activities, including Know Your Rights presentations and workshops, to raise awareness of mobilehome residents’ legal rights.

• Create, monitor, and balance the MOP team’s budget.
• Work with CRLA’s Grants team to identify, evaluate, and apply for funding opportunities relevant to the MOP team.
• Monitor and deliver grant deliverables and required outcomes, including timekeeping and LSC compliance requirements.
• Assist in developing funding proposals and support grant reporting requirements.

• Minimum of three years of practicing law, with substantive experience in mobilehome law (including California’s Mobilehome Residency Law)
• Demonstrated ability to organize and supervise the casework and advocacy of a legal team, or demonstrated readiness to step into a team leadership role.
• Demonstrated ability to interact constructively with diverse populations and team members.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with low-income, marginalized, and diverse communities.
• Admitted to the California Bar, or admitted to another state bar with willingness to take the next California Bar Exam.

• Experience in landlord-tenant law and other housing-related practice areas.
• Supervisory or team leadership experience in a legal setting.
• Fluency in Spanish or another language commonly spoken in CRLA’s client communities.
• Experience with program or initiative development, including grant management and compliance.
• Proven ability to develop and implement legal strategies that address systemic issues affecting low-income communities.
• Experience building coalitions and collaborating with community organizations, resident associations, and government agencies.
• Experience in the non-profit or public interest legal sector.

California Rural Legal Assistance offers a diverse, family-friendly environment and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries. CRLA provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what is reasonably expected to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, the program’s budget availability, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Generous benefits package includes 100% employer-covered Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Short & Long-Term Disability Insurance for employees and up to 50% for dependents coverage; and a 401K Retirement plan with CRLA contribution matching effective immediately. Some professional dues are paid by CRLA (Bar Fees) and, if qualified, up to $6,000 annually for the Law School Loan Reimbursement Assistance Program (LRAP). Generous paid leave policy includes 15 days of sick leave, 15 holidays each year, and vacation (accrue 15 days for the first year of service and 20 days after one year of service at CRLA).

CRLA requires that all employees be fully vaccinated, defined as a CDC-approved COVID vaccination and one booster shot. This offer is contingent on meeting this requirement. The complete vaccination policy, including the process for reasonable allowable accommodations, is available for your review upon request.

CRLA invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice.

California Rural Legal Assistance thrives on our diversity and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, persons of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply.