DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Services

• Conduct legal consultations, provide appropriate referrals or advice and counsel when appropriate;
• Provide full legal representation in a variety of legal matters, such as family law, housing, immigration, public benefits, name change, employment (CCHR, NYS OHR, EEOC), probate/advanced directives, and crime victim’s rights advocacy;
• Prepare all aspects of your clients’ cases (assess viability of case, prepare and file court pleadings and responsive papers, complete legal research, prepare client and witnesses for court appearances, appear with your client and advocate during trial, interview or motion practice);
• Provide trainings and outreach to community members and other professionals;
• Provide legal trainings to other legal services organizations;
• Participate in external coalitions with other advocacy groups to advance the rights of LGBTQ survivors of violence;
• Provide holistic legal representation, coordinating with departments at AVP and referring clients to AVP’s Client Services (CS) and Community Organizing and Public Advocacy (COPA) services and programs as appropriate;
• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory (Senior Staff Attorney Position Only)

• Mentor and supervise less experienced staff attorneys in your areas of expertise;
• Attend court and administrative hearings, client preparation meetings, and other meetings with more junior attorneys and staff; provide feedback and support;
• Review written work of and provide feedback attorneys with less experience;
• Assist with case conferences and legal strategy meetings;
• Report any staffing, performance, or personnel issues to the Deputy Director and Director of Legal Services;
• Supervise law student interns or Pro Bono Scholars as directed by supervisors.

Administrative

• Comply with all internal policies and procedures of the legal department and AVP, including, but not limited to:
• Maintaining complete and organized case files;
• Entering all data accurately and in a timely manner into the Legal Department database;
• Adhering to all funding reporting requirements and meeting deliverables;
• Assisting with grant data collection and reporting as directed by the Deputy Director of Legal Services and the Director of Legal Services;
• Maintain a license to practice law in good standing in the State of New York;
• Register with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in order to represent clients before the Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals; and
• Follow and adhere to the New York Rules of Professional Conduct.

Program-Related

• Attend weekly supervision with your supervisor;
• Attend weekly Legal Department meetings;
• Actively participate in AVP’s requirements related to Anti-Oppression work and actively advance anti-oppressive goals at AVP;
• Attend full-Staff Meetings and Staff Discussions;
• Attend in-service trainings and external trainings/seminars as appropriate;
• Attend external coalition meetings as assigned; and
• Assist with and attend AVP signature events.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Legal license to practice law in the State of New York (must have taken and passed the Bar exam in February 2023 or earlier);
• Demonstrated experience and aptitude working with low-income, diverse communities, especially transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer individuals, people living with HIV/AIDS, and survivors of violence (e.g., identity-based hate violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, state/institutional violence, stalking, bias, and discrimination);
• 5+ years demonstrated expertise in providing legal services that benefit the public interest, with preference for experience in family law and/or immigration (specifically humanitarian forms of relief), but will be expected to practice in all AVPs legal services as detailed above;
• Supervision experience preferred, or progressively demonstrated more responsibility;
• Fluency or strong proficiency in Spanish or another language preferred; and
• Commitment to social justice and advancing anti-racism and anti-oppression in a work setting.

SALARY & BENEFIT

Salary range:Staff attorney with 2-4 YOE: $67,500 – $70,000. Senior staff attorney with 5+ YOE: $70,000 – $75,000. This is a full-time, at will, exempt position. Multilingual applicants who use more than one language at work are eligible to receive a $1,500 salary enhancement in addition to their base salary.

Hours are generally 10am – 6pm, Monday through Thursday and 10-2pm on Friday. This position may require some work during the evening and/or weekend to support AVP programming. This position is based in the AVP office in Manhattan and will require a hybrid of both remote and in-person work.

Competitive benefits package and an excellent and dynamic work environment, including flexible 32-hour week, over 4 weeks off, office closure between Christmas and New Years, generous sick time, medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, 403(b) retirement investment plan (employee contribution only), flexible spending accounts for medical and transit costs, pooled sick leave, paid family leave, and flexible/remote work options.