The Legal Aid Society, the nation’s oldest and largest social justice legal services organization, has immediate openings for dedicated, passionate Discovery Attorneys in each of the borough trial division offices of the Criminal Defense Practice as part of the Discovery Unit. This role will be a critical resource for attorneys, offering guidance on cases, testing new eDiscovery software platforms, and participating in policy advocacy at the local and state level related to Discovery.

With the implementation of new discovery reforms across New York State, we are committed to supporting trial attorneys in their discovery litigation. To strengthen this effort, we have expanded our office with a new class of litigation assistants dedicated to reviewing discovery materials. In addition, we are launching a new eDiscovery platform, NICE, designed to provide attorneys with advanced tools for more efficient discovery review. The Discovery Unit was created to help Legal Aid succeed in meeting these new discovery challenges and to help assess, test, and implement new technological changes as the eDiscovery field advances.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist attorneys, litigation assistants, and paralegals in reviewing discovery
• Assist in testing and assessing new eDiscovery software, especially in the emerging field of artificial intelligence
• Assist attorneys in all aspects of discovery litigation, including writing motions, and conducting discovery conferences in court
• Train attorneys, litigation assistants, and paralegals on how to use our eDiscovery platform, NICE, as well as other software
• Advocate on policy issues related to discovery
• Mentor litigation assistants in best practices for reviewing discovery
• Train attorneys, litigation assistants, and paralegals in discovery law
• Create and teach CLE classes on discovery-related issues
• Develop new methods for cataloging and organizing discovery
• Partner with attorneys to identify and analyze emerging discovery trends across the city and borough and develop litigation strategies
• Experience in coding desirable but not required
• Foster and encourage teamwork and communication
• Use discretion and sound judgment to help troubleshoot issues and resolve non-routine matters
• Other duties as assigned

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Admission to the New York State Bar
• Three years of criminal defense trial-level practice
• Felony certification under the standards of the First Department
• Demonstrated expertise in reviewing discovery on a wide variety of cases
• Demonstrated experience in assisting other attorneys with their discovery
• Extensive experience litigating discovery issues in Criminal and Supreme Court
• Deep knowledge of New York State discovery-related statutes and case law
• Expert in computer, electronic data and file sharing software, word processing skills, Outlook, MS 365, and Windows
• Ability to learn new software quickly and demonstrated proficiency in intuitively understanding technology
• Experience in and/or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people and non-citizens
• Extensive trial experience and a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the criminal justice system
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team
• Familiarity with the Criminal Practice LawManager System or other Case Management System
• Must be able to work independently and initiate, design, and implement new procedures
• Ability to respond quickly and calmly to emergencies and problem situations
• Ability to work with managers, attorneys, and staff
• Ability to balance and prioritize a challenging workload
• Excellent oral and written advocacy skills
• Excellent ability to provide training and support assistance for the Criminal Defense Practice
• Proficiency in a language other than English is desirable

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.

• Cover Letter
• Resume

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range/ Salary: $83,844 – $147,907

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if an offer is made.

Click here to read more about the benefits of working at The Legal Aid Society 

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 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The leadership of 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, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.

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. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jo**************@le*******.org.

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.