Program Attorney

General Description

Responsible for (1) planning continuing legal education (CLE) seminars and webcasts for lawyers, (2) direct supervision of two program coordinators, and (3) motivating, directing, and monitoring approximately 400 volunteer attorneys who help design, moderate, speak and write for the seminars and webcasts. Works under the supervision of the Director of Program Planning. Note: The duties of this job do not include the actual teaching of the CLE seminars.

Primary Functions

1. Uses legal knowledge to analyze the legal profession and the intensively competitive Texas CLE market to identify new live programs and webcasts and to assure that current offerings remain up-to-date.2. Motivates, directs, instructs, and fosters relationships with about 400 course planning committee members, course directors, speakers, and authors who volunteer each year to develop course content and extensive, reference-quality course materials. Directly supervises two program coordinators. Uses legal knowledge to recruit speakers and find legal articles on point for course topics.3. After consultations with business and other managers, plans an assigned portfolio of live or webcast CLE programs that, when converted to additional formats, generates approximately $4 million in gross revenue annually.4. Consults in the design, review, and distribution of course brochures and other marketing pieces. Writes promotional copy for eblasts and social media posts. Creates marketing lists targeted to a carefully considered group of working lawyers and ensures that legal terms are correctly used in all promotional pieces.5. Works through project management systems built on complex, overlapping timetables and uses leadership and persuasion skills to assure that program development staff and volunteer attorneys honor hard deadlines necessary for successful course development and presentation.6. Travels to program sites to supervise registration and program presentation and to help coordinate room setup and food & beverage requirements.7. Creates curated bundles aimed to provide lawyers of each main practice area with their yearly accreditation needs with the Director of Program Planning. 8. Reviews and negotiates contracts with the Assistant Director of TexasBarCLE and the Meetings & Sponsorship Manager.9. Provides initial assessment of legal questions confronting the department--e.g., MCLE and TBLS accreditation, intellectual property issues--or otherwise assists State Bar executive director, general counsel, or others on such matters, as needed. Consults at the management level in creating protocols and policies used throughout the Department.10. Serves, as needed, as liaison to other State Bar departments (e.g., Executive, Sections, Legal Access Department, Annual Meeting, and Governmental Affairs) and committees (e.g., Law Practice Management, CLE/Board PDP, and Professionalism) to carry out inter-department initiatives and develop relevant reports. 11. Makes presentations to staff, committees, sections, and other State Bar groups, as well as to professional organizations related to work responsibilities.12. Performs other responsibilities as required.

Position Requirements

A licensed attorney with at least three years relevant experience, evidence of leadership skills, excellent oral and written communication skills, demonstrated capability to collaborate and work harmoniously with a variety of knowledgeable colleagues towards multiple goals defined by precise timetables, excellent customer service skills, familiarity with office technology, and availability to travel approximately seven days per month. Preferences: (1) demonstrated capability to advise, persuade and dissuade experienced attorneys regarding institutional objectives, (2) experience in curriculum design and adult education; (3) experience in the marketing and sale of professional education; (5) experience working with volunteers.