Associate Director, Legal Services

Job Title:              Associate Director, Legal Services

Location:             Chicago, IL

Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Job Type:             Regular Full-Time

Union:                  No

Classification:    Exempt

Department:      U.S. Programs, Marjorie Kovler Center

Reports To:         Co-Executive Director

About Heartland Alliance International & Marjorie Kovler Center: Heartland Alliance International (HAI) is a global human rights organization advancing the health and human rights of marginalized communities. HAI provides trauma-informed mental health care, access to justice for survivors of rights abuses, and stigma-free health services. Through innovative, equity-driven approaches, HAI promotes human rights protections and gender equality across its global and U.S.-based programs.

HAI's Marjorie Kovler Center (MKC), based in Chicago, is a nationally recognized treatment center for survivors of torture and severe trauma and their families. Serving individuals from more than 60 countries, MKC provides trauma-informed, culturally responsive mental health, medical, and social services. The center also advocates for the end of torture worldwide and for the rights of immigrant and refugee communities.

Summary: The Associate Director, Legal Services plays a critical role in ensuring timely access to high-quality legal support for survivors of torture and severe human rights violations at the Marjorie Kovler Center. This senior in-house attorney will strengthen, coordinate, and expand trauma-informed legal services within an integrated model of care that includes mental health, medical, and case management teams. The role combines direct legal services in urgent cases with program leadership, capacity building, and collaboration with external legal partners across Chicago. The Associate Director, Legal Services will help build the legal services team and will lead the design and implementation of MKC’s legal pro bono program.

Duties & Responsibilities: 

Direct Legal Services & Detention Response

• Coordinate urgent detention response for participants who are detained or at imminent risk of detention.


• Consult on complex cases (approximately 4-5 per month).


• Compile documentation and support advocacy efforts for immigration needs, release, or relief.

Internal & External Leadership

• Supervise and manage legal services team as the program grows.


• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and community-based partners to support comprehensive legal services and advocacy for survivors of torture and human rights violations.


• Cultivate and strengthen external legal partnerships, including conducting trainings and maintaining active membership in relevant communities of practice.

Program Development & Legal Infrastructure

• Develop standardized protocols to bring routine legal services in-house.


• Build and strengthen internal systems for legal intake, triage, and referrals.


• Ensure compliance with ethical standards and best practices, including trauma-informed care.

Legal Information, Education & Know Your Rights

• Oversee culturally and linguistically responsive Know Your Rights workshops quarterly.


• Lead regular staff education sessions on immigration policy changes and advocacy opportunities.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position will supervise specialized legal positions as the program grows, along with pro bono attorneys and legal volunteers using a mentorship model.

Education and Experience:

• Juris Doctorate (JD) degree and licensed to practice law in any U.S. state (Illinois strongly preferred).


• Minimum 5 years of immigration law experience; supervisory experience preferred.


• Experience with detained docket.


• Commitment to trauma-informed, culturally responsive advocacy.


• Strong collaboration and communication skills.


• Fluency in English required with a second language strongly preferred (French, Spanish, or other languages commonly spoken by program participants).

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (K/S/A):

• Proficiency in Microsoft 365


• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and solution-oriented in high-pressure or crisis situations.


• Commitment to ethical practice, confidentiality standards, and professional development.

Competencies:

• Legal Skills: Demonstrated experience analyzing the impact of laws on vulnerable populations and advocating for improved laws and policies. Strong legal research, writing, and debate skills.


• Communication Skills: Excellent writing and analytical abilities. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in both legal and non-legal settings with diverse individuals and organizations.


• Reasoning Ability: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to address practical challenges and adapt to situations with limited standardization. Capacity to interpret and apply a variety of instructions delivered in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form.

Work Environment:

HAI has a dynamic and collaborative work environment. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The noise level in the work environment at the Marjorie Kovler Center is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing 


• Sit, reach with arms and work with hands to operate computers or equipment


• Stand, walk, climb stairs, and may need to kneel or crouch to access workspace equipment


• May occasionally need to lift or move items up to 10 pounds 

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

Heartland Alliance International makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September 1987.