The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice has one opening for a Mitigation Specialist in the Brooklyn office of the Adolescent Intervention and Diversion Program. The Adolescent Intervention and Diversion Program specializes in working with adolescents who are charged as adults in criminal and Supreme court matters. These client’s range in age from 13 to 18 years old and often have experienced a multitude of traumas including childhood neglect and abuse, long term poverty, educational disruptions, mental illness, substance abuse, physical illness, and developmental and intellectual disabilities. These experiences impact their functioning level and provide mitigating circumstances that must be incorporated in the defense advocacy. The Mitigation Specialist works directly with an assigned AID attorney to strategize a plan that incorporates both legal and therapeutic approaches to mitigate the court case and meet the individualized needs of the adolescent client. The Mitigation Specialist will interact with the client, family members, friends, school personnel, service providers, and community members, among others. The Mitigation Specialist is also an integral part of the process in advocating for removal to family court.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Interview clients, and complete psychosocial and risk assessments using validated instruments
• Provide crisis intervention, brief treatment, or short-term counseling to adolescents and their families
• Identify and interview collateral sources of Collateral interviews are done with family members, friends,teachers, social workers, community members, and others connected to the client
• Assess a client’s readiness for treatment and/or programming and make appropriate referrals for mental health, family interventions, ATIs (Alternative to Incarceration), drug programs, violence interrupters, etc.
• Develop relationships with school partners to support in educational advocacy efforts comprised of records request/review, IEP planning meetings, suspension hearings, school transfers, alternative education programs, etc.
• Provide written and/or oral support for the following: EC Motions in support of removal of cases to family court, pre-pleading and pre-sentencing memoranda for presentation to court and the prosecution, and bail applications
• Help clients, families and caregivers navigate the child welfare system (Administration for Children’s Services) and the New York City Department of Education
• Make home visits and attend meetings at schools, jails, and detention centers
• Testify in court
• Gather and analyze the data to evaluate the impact of social work services with our client population
• Conduct training for LAS staff, social work interns, treatment providers, and criminal justice personnel
• Participate in the development and ongoing practice of specialty court parts
• Act as an expert social work consultant to the stakeholders in the criminal justice system and community providers regarding court advocacy, law reform, and re-entry
• Other duties as assigned

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Required qualifications: MSW degree and New York State (NYS) license in social work (LMSW or LCSW) preferred OR the ability to obtain LMSW licensure within 6 months of hire
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience
• Strong interest in and experience working with adolescent clients and family members with the following special needs: mental illness and chemical addiction, intellectual and other developmental disabilities, histories of family fracture and trauma, etc.
• Familiarity with residential treatment centers, day treatment programs, and specialized schools that serve adolescents
• Ability to interface with Judges, District Attorneys, and Correctional Personnel
• Ability to negotiate with community-based organizations with the goal of increasing access for our clients to receive supportive services
• Excellent written and oral communications skills
• Excellent organizational and time management skills. Candidate must be able to manage a diverse caseload and prioritize tasks
• Proficient in using Microsoft 365
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $81,195 – $120,690

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Click here to read more about benefits.

Higher Education and Loan Forgiveness

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.

studentaid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

HOW TO APPLY


All applications must be completed online via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jo**************@le*******.org.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.