Pro Bono Nonprofit Senior Attorney

Job Details

The Pro Bono Nonprofit Sr. Attorney plays an important role in supporting the firm’s Pro Bono Initiative, which supports a diverse array of charitable missions that strengthen the communities in which we live and work. By providing legal support to nonprofit organizations, the firm helps drive positive change and fosters innovation in the nonprofit sector. This work also creates meaningful opportunities for Goodwin attorneys to apply their legal skills to organizations and causes that are meaningful to them, supporting a culture of service, professional growth, and personal fulfillment.

Nonprofit pro bono work expands transactional pro bono opportunities, encourages broad attorney engagement, and strengthens the firm’s ties to the communities it serves. Because much of the Firm’s pro bono work falls substantively under the aegis of the Tax Exempt Organizations (TEO) sub‑group of the T&E/TEO Business Law Department (BLD) Legal Specialty Group, the Sr. Attorney will report to that group for substantive purposes, with the Pro Bono Committee having an oversight function with respect to the aspects of the role related to the development and expansion of pro bono opportunities for business law attorneys.

• Provide hands‑on legal support for complex nonprofit, tax‑exempt matters requiring specialized expertise.
• Balance direct client service with mentoring and oversight, dedicating the majority of time to supporting other attorneys.

• Lead onboarding for new nonprofit pro bono clients, including screening requests, scoping calls, and preparing engagement letters.
• Oversee risk management throughout the lifecycle of pro bono matters, including intake, matter opening, staffing transitions, and case closures.
• Design and implement staffing risk management policies and procedures in collaboration with the Pro Bono Team, the Pro Bono Committee, and other stakeholders.

• Engage, mentor, and oversee corporate attorneys working on nonprofit pro bono matters, offering substantive guidance, training, and support.
• Supervise pro bono matters for nonprofit, tax‑exempt organizations to ensure excellent client outcomes and meaningful attorney development.
• Collaborate on and facilitate training programs, clinics, and events to build corporate and transactional skills and promote broad attorney participation.
• Serve as a resource for attorneys on engagement letters, co‑counseling agreements, client management, and legal ethics.
• Offer "Office Hours" weekly for firm attorneys.

• Build and maintain relationships across corporate practice groups and with legal service organizations, in collaboration with the Pro Bono team, to promote pro bono engagement and participation in pro bono initiatives across offices and practice groups.
• Maintain and enhance knowledge management resources, forms, precedents, and databases for pro bono practice areas.

• Encourage attorney engagement in pro bono representation of tax‑exempt clients.
• Track progress and outcomes of transactional pro bono matters to ensure timely completion and professional development.
• Support associates’ growth by developing and facilitating nonprofit‑related training programs and collaborating with the Pro Bono and Learning + Professional Development teams.

• Develop, facilitate, and deliver trainings on nonprofit law, entity formation, and corporate governance.
• Monitor legal developments and update attorneys as needed.
• Participate in tax‑exempt group meetings and maintain membership in relevant bar groups.

• Foster relationships with legal services organizations to develop a pipeline of potential nonprofit pro bono clients.
• Attend industry conferences and events to develop opportunities for additional nonprofit pro bono work for Goodwin attorneys.

• Perform other duties as assigned to support the goals of the Pro Bono Program.