MAJOR PURPOSE OF POSITION 

The Legal Aid Society houses the largest post-conviction public defense practice in New York City, annually providing holistic, client-centered representation to over 1,000 people with misdemeanor, felony, and homicide convictions.   We represent low-income people in all five boroughs who are challenging their criminal convictions on appeal or in other post-conviction proceedings.

Case Closed, a project with Legal Aid’s post-conviction practice, has an immediate opening for an entry-level staff attorney.  Launched in October 2017, Case Closed helps New Yorkers seal their previous convictions. Through its comprehensive approach, Case Closed identifies people who are eligible to have their convictions sealed and represents them during the application process. Case Closed also passionately advocates for broader legal reform so that people do not face perpetual punishment for past convictions. Most recently, the project was a key stakeholder in the passage of the Clean Slate Act and is actively involved in overseeing the law’s implementation.

The Case Closed attorney’s primary responsibilities will include developing and overseeing a RAP sheet clean-up assistance program to help New Yorkers who have errors on their RAP sheets and screen them for eligible clearance relief (e.g., sealing, vacatur, or resentencing); and providing direct client representation on post-conviction relief motions related to sealing and resentencing. The attorney will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other Case Closed attorneys on community education events and legislative advocacy related to ending perpetual punishment. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about serving clients and learning about law reform through legislative and community advocacy.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and oversee a RAP sheet assistance program for the community, aimed at obtaining RAP sheets, connecting individuals with services, and correcting errors
• Represent clients in post-conviction litigation and advocacy, including CPL 160.59 sealing, CPL 440.46-a marijuana vacatur and re-sentencing, and CPL 720.20(5) retroactive youthful offender adjudication
• Work with attorneys across Legal Aid and with outside organizations to provide educational materials to the public and hold events on sealing and expungement
• Additional areas of focus may include engaging in advocacy on policy issues relating to record sealing and perpetual punishment, developing relationships with the Office of Court Administration and the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services staff to improve processes around case sealing, and identifying systemic issues relating to perpetual punishment that can be addressed through legislation or litigation
• Other duties as assigned

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS 

• Admission to the New York State Bar or eligibility to waive in
• Experience with criminal defense, with a preference for familiarity with the New York State criminal court system
• Experience reading New York State RAP sheets and correcting errors
• Experience drafting and filing motions, with a preference for post-conviction motions
• Experience communicating with District Attorney’s Offices, courts, other state agencies, preferably in New York State
• Experience with project management, including collaborating with multiple stakeholders to develop new initiatives, preferred
• Excellent and clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distill complex issues into clear and concise principles
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to independently manage multiple projects at once and meet competing deadlines
• Ability to work collaboratively and respectfully within a team
• Demonstrated interest and commitment to racial justice and other social justice issues
• Legislative experience is desirable, but not required
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

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: $83,844 – $147,907 

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.