The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking an experienced and talented lawyer with a deep commitment to public interest practice and policy to join a dedicated, city-wide team of managers, staff attorneys, social workers, supervisors, and support personnel as Supervising Attorney of the Government Benefits and Disability Advocacy Project (“DAP”) Unit for the Harlem Community Law Office.

The Government Benefits and DAP Unit provides representation, legal assistance, legal advocacy, and education to clients who need income and related supports from city, state, and federal programs including but not limited to cash assistance, supplemental nutrition assistance (food stamps), and federal disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.

The Supervising Attorney will be primarily responsible for the smooth and effective running of the Government Benefits and DAP Unit in the Harlem Neighborhood Office. The Supervising Attorney will coordinate and report on some grant projects, mentor and supervise staff attorneys and paralegal case handlers, manage intake, and provide legal leadership in working with other staff to prioritize legal issues. The Supervising Attorney will participate in city-wide initiatives related to all government benefits and in state-wide activities related to our DAP work. The Supervising Attorney participates in Practice-wide management discussions and decision-making and is responsible for maintaining relationships with other stakeholders in the legal, court, and service communities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervise, mentor, and train staff attorneys, paralegals, and volunteers
• Represent clients in State and federal administrative and court proceedings
• Monitor and maintain a high standard of representation and client service
• Maintain a reasonable individual caseload
• Develop impact and/or affirmative litigation
• Assist with the fundraising for and development, implementation, and reporting of programs
• Coordinate intake
• Respond to client, community, and staff concerns
• Identify office needs and resources needed for the Harlem Community Law Office and participate in management team responsibilities to meet those needs
• Analyze legal issues, develop legal strategy, and supervise the implementation of legal strategies
• Prepare and submit necessary grant reporting paperwork
• Assist with planning and conducting city-wide and statewide coalition meetings and task forces
• Foster and encourage teamwork and communication
• Reinforce and maintain staff accountability
• Evaluate conflicting demands and prioritize workload
• Develop and maintain support and relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials, and courts
• Represent the Civil Practice and Legal Aid in the community
• Conduct off-site intake, including during evening hours as needed
• Other duties as assigned

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Admission to the NYS Bar and federal district courts in New York
• Minimum of three years of legal practice
• Experience litigating in various forums, including State and federal courts
• Ability to work in many different forums
• Excellent litigation skills
• Excellent oral and written advocacy skills
• Demonstrated commitment to and experience in public interest law, civil legal services, policy advocacy, administrative reform, and addressing fundamental issues of poverty and justice within a comprehensive civil legal services model of representation
• Supervisory, management and/or academic teaching experience preferred
• Demonstrated leadership ability
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills
• Commitment to exploring alternative approaches for legal practice
• Ability to work in a collaborative team model
• Pro bono, government, public service, and/or academic experience
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

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

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Writing Sample

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: $99,444 – $163,507

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.