Justice Project Executive Director

KING COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION Housing Justice Project Executive Director MISSION

The King County Bar Association promotes and supports a diverse and collegial membership; works with the judiciary to achieve excellence, equity, and accessibility in the administration of justice; and benefits the community through public service and engagement in public policy.

The Housing Justice Project ("HJP") is a homelessness prevention program of the King County Bar Association ("KCBA"), providing accessible legal services to low-income, residential tenants facing eviction, primarily in King and Spokane County. Legal assistance is provided through counsel and advice, settlement negotiation, and representation at show cause hearings, trials, and appeals. HJP also engages in systemic reform through public policy advocacy on both local and state levels.

HJP has grown rapidly in the last few years, after Washington State adopted a Right-To-Counsel law intended to provide legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction. As a result of that growth, the King County Bar Association and HJP decided that HJP should become an independent nonprofit organization with 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. The application for 501(c)3 status was filed, and confirmation of tax-exempt status was provided to HJP by the Internal Revenue Service, on March 18, 2026.

As we proceed on this path to independence, we seek a dynamic, experienced leader to become the Executive Director of HJP, initially as an employee of KCBA, then as ED of the independent nonprofit. HJP currently has a 3-member Board of Trustees who are focused on implementing a smooth transition; we anticipate that under the leadership of a new Executive Director, new Board members will be recruited.

HJP currently has a staff of 42 people, of whom 30 are attorneys and 12 are legal assistants/staff, etc. HJP operates legal clinics in the downtown Seattle Courthouse and the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, and in community-based locations in Spokane. HJP is currently overseen by three managing attorneys.

• Sustain and grow strategic partnerships and networks as HJP’s public face and serve as ambassador to the organization’s stakeholders including funders, government officials and policymakers, and the community.
• Implement anti-racist, pro-equity practices and procedures that eliminate bias and assure an organization that is anti-racist in all its operations and functions.
• Foster and maintain positive relationships with the union representing HJP’s employees; represent management in collective bargaining efforts.
• Lead the recruitment of additional Board members and, as appropriate, volunteer committee members who have a variety of experiences, talents and backgrounds, and who are committed to HJP’s mission and able to steer the organization.
• Provide fiscal oversight, financial planning, and risk management of HJP, including annual and multi-year budget development and implementation of audit preparation activities that ensure financial health.
• Oversee resource development, including stewarding relationships with funders and developing a robust resource development program. The ED will also engage in significant fundraising, including the planning and oversight of grant applications and relationships with individual donors.
• Spearhead recruiting, hiring, retention, succession planning, and performance management systems that promote professional development and personal growth in staff and volunteers.
• Serve as the chief spokesperson to the public and media.
• Promote access to justice for vulnerable, marginalized, and historically underserved client communities as part of the statewide Alliance for Equal Justice.
• Act as primary liaison with the organization’s various constituencies, including donors, staff, board members, coalition and other community partners.

• Experience in the legal arena, J.D. preferred.
• Five years’ experience in management or administration, including management of staff, budget development and fiscal responsibilities.
• Experience in all phases of development, including foundation and…