Managing Director

Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, LLP is pleased to work with DRG to conduct this search.

BACKGROUND

The Organization

NSBHF, a boutique civil rights law firm, is the national leader in civil rights litigation. Our development of now widely acknowledged legal theories in countless civil wrongful conviction lawsuits around the country has led to substantial recoveries for the firm’s wrongful conviction clients and others.

By using civil discovery to gain insight into the misconduct behind wrongful convictions, founding partners Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld (together with late partner Johnnie Cochran) were pioneers in this field. Building on this knowledge, partners Nick Brustin, Anna Benvenutti Hoffmann, Emma Freudenberger and Amelia Green lead the nation’s premier civil rights trial practice. NSBHF has brought in record-setting wins across the country, as well as important policy changes as a result of our work.

We represent individual clients in high-stakes civil rights cases in jurisdictions around the county. Through this work, we are committed to collaborating with our clients and lawyers nationwide to fix systemic problems and reduce the risk of future injustices. We have forced crime labs and police internal affairs units to agree to independent audits, police departments to videotape interrogations, and police recruits to hear from victims of police misconduct in the classroom.

NSBHF focuses on a small number of important cases, staffs each case with a team of talented lawyers, and commits enough resources to win against any defendant, in any case. And we get outstanding results:

• Some of the largest wrongful conviction settlements and verdicts in U.S. history.
• Record civil rights verdicts and settlements in states nationwide.
• Named civil rights Super Lawyers year after year.
• Highest civil rights settlements against NYPD year after year.
• Delivered a win at every trial taken to a jury for the last fourteen years.

The Position

The Managing Director will serve as the operational leader of NSBHF's nationally recognized civil rights practice, overseeing the complex business operations that support our high-stakes wrongful conviction and police misconduct litigation. This role requires managing the unique challenges of a contingency-based practice where individual cases require substantial upfront investment and multi-year commitments, while ensuring our team of lawyers and staff can focus on delivering exceptional results for clients who have suffered profound injustices. The Managing Director will be responsible for building and optimizing systems that support both our rigorous legal work and our mission-driven culture.

The successful candidate will bridge operational excellence with deep commitment to civil rights, serving as both a strategic business leader and empathetic people manager. This position requires someone who can thrive in our intellectually demanding, fast-paced environment while fostering a supportive culture for all staff and ensuring team members who identify as people of color and LGBTQ+ feel welcomed and valued. The Managing Director will play a crucial role in building NSBHF's future by developing robust talent pipelines through our competitive fellowship program and implementing retention strategies that support our commitment to a high performing and sustainable working environment.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a bridge between partners and staff, advocating for employee needs while supporting firm objectives.
• Drive implementation of internal firm initiatives, collaborate with partners to translate strategy into concrete organizational priorities with actionable plans.
• Develop and implement policies and procedures that create consistency and fairness in workplace practices while also maintaining a high standard of work.
• Foster a high-performance, positive, and cohesive team culture that produces high quality work and readily embraces challenge.
• Serve as primary HR resource, handling employee relations, conflict resolution, and all HR processes and practices.
• Directly supervise the office manager and administrative assistant, ensure the office runs smoothly and effectively.

Recruitment and Retention

• Develop and lead the recruitment process for NSBHF’s competitive fellowship and paralegal programs, with a particular focus on ensuring an equitable hiring process and attracting diverse candidates.
• Develop and maintain relationships with law schools, public interest organizations, and diverse professional communities to build robust talent pipelines.
• Create and implement retention strategies to address the firm’s demanding work environment and support staff development.
• Manage the onboarding and offboarding process for fellows, paralegals, and staff attorneys. Implement strategies to support new staff members as they transition into a fast-paced environment.

Business and Firm Operations

• Build and maximize operational efficiencies, implement streamlined systems to support the firm’s internal infrastructure, and position it for continued effectiveness.
• Manage relationships with accountants and bookkeepers, providing strategic financial oversight including management of external accountants to monitor case expenses and business account balances and ensure partners have all relevant financial information for sound decision making.
• Manage relationships with external vendors, negotiate all vendor contracts to ensure thoughtfully crafted agreements for the firm, including building vendor agreements, employee health insurance benefits, and retirement plans.
• Responsible for all risk management.
• Oversee firm infrastructure, including IT and facilities.
• Support partners in ensuring optimal and equitable case management and staffing.
• Support business development efforts and strategic planning initiatives.

Additional Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience, preferably in a senior operations role in a public interest organization.
• Strong advocate with a willingness to stand by their convictions amidst spirited debate while driving towards consensus.
• Proven track record of working effectively in high-performing, high-impact environments with exacting standards.
• Demonstrated success in building organizational systems and processes.
• Experience in HR management, talent acquisition, and employee engagement.
• Familiar with financial reporting, able to quickly understand complex financial information.
• Legal or advocacy sector experience strongly preferred, with a focus on public interest and/or social justice issues.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with an ability to manage both up and down the organization.
• Highly organized, fast processing speed, and comfortable making decisions quickly.

WHO WE ARE

Work Environment

NSBHF prioritizes an in-office environment and requires this position to be in the office 5 days a week.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

NSBHF is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), actual or perceived gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances. NSBHF’s management is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, assignments, promotion, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, access to facilities and programs and general treatment during employment.

NSBHF will not allow any form of retaliation against individuals who raise issues of equal employment opportunity. To ensure our workplace is free of artificial barriers, violation of this policy including any improper retaliatory conduct will lead to discipline, up to and including discharge. All employees must cooperate with all investigations conducted pursuant to this policy.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary: $200,000-$220,000

Benefits

• Paid, comprehensive health and dental insurance for the employee.
• 20 paid vacation days and 5 paid personal days.
• Both incentive savings plan (401k) and cash balance plan offered.
• Annual discretionary bonus opportunity based on firm performance.
• 50 hours of paid volunteer time
• Wellness benefit: $50/month for a gym membership, fitness program, or nutritional program.

TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS

All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application.

We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply even if you do not meet all of the qualifications outlined above. If you are selected to move forward for an initial screening call, we expect you to hear from us by July.