Brooklyn Legal Services (BLS) seeks a temporary supervising attorney, for a position of at least one year, in its Neighborhood Economic Justice Project (NEJP). The temporary supervising attorney will report to the Director of NEJP.

BLS is the Brooklyn branch of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the nation’s largest civil legal services provider. Our mission is to fight poverty and seek racial, social, and economic justice, and our citywide force of over 500 staff helps more than 110,000 low-income New Yorkers annually. BLS, LSNYC’s largest program, stops evictions, preserves affordable housing and homeownership, helps people access essential public benefits, identifies and redresses abusive lending and discrimination in housing, mortgage lending, student loans, and other consumer practices, protects borrowers from abusive and illegal collection tactics, empowers victims of domestic violence, represents students in disciplinary proceedings and ensures access to educational supports, assists Brooklyn residents who are LGBTQ or HIV+ in gaining access to the services they need, supports community groups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, and promotes the rights of immigrants, veterans, the disabled, and the elderly.

The NEJP is a statewide leader in litigation and advocacy around fair lending, responsible lending, and financial justice issues. We use complex federal and state litigation, anti-discrimination enforcement, policy advocacy, and community education to assist low-income neighborhoods at increased risk of foreclosure due to predatory lending and abusive loan servicing by the nation’s largest banks; property tax arrears and other debts; and deed theft scams. The NEJP also represents low-income New Yorkers who have defaulted on or are having trouble repaying their student loans, suing both government agencies and private debt collectors to redress lending and collection abuses and deceptive practices. The NEJP’s community and economic development (CED) program aims to create more inclusive economies and protect the diversity of New York City’s neighborhoods by working to preserve and expand affordable housing, promote entrepreneurship, support small businesses, increase employment and economic security, strengthen community control and self determination, and create alternatives to traditional ownership and banking such as community land trusts and public banking.

LSNYC and BLS pride themselves on their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) efforts. As a social justice organization, we are committed to fighting for a workplace that is as diverse, equitable, and inclusive as possible for everyone. Our DEIB committee and numerous affinity groups work to foster collegial relationships among staff and allow staff to explore and advocate for racial justice and anti-oppression growth within our organization and through our legal work. All employees are expected to learn about, seek to understand, and work to realize our DEIB goals. Every supervisor is expected to actively engage in learning and become increasingly skilled in supervision that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion. The supervising attorney’s duties will include actively working to advance LSNYC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals.

Role & Responsibilities:

The supervising attorney will work primarily on community economic development (CED) assignments, maintaining a caseload that includes assisting not-for-profit organizations with corporate formation and other contractual matters, representing low-income property owners on transactional matters that preserve existing affordable housing stock, and advising and assisting small businesses with a broad range of activities that ensure their survival and growth. Our CED program is small, and therefore this position requires passion, initiative, and self-direction. The position also offers opportunities to shape the future of our CED program and engage in a broad range of exciting and creative advocacy. The supervising attorney will work with the NEJP’s leadership to develop and implement a strategic vision for the CED program, including ways to build out the practice. Participation in coalition meetings, collaboration with community partners, elected officials and government agencies, policy advocacy, meaningful outreach, and fundraising are an essential part of the work. The supervising attorney will also work on CED-related grant and administrative responsibilities. The supervising attorney will also provide supervision to attorneys and paralegals in the NEJP on CED matters, including through regular case meetings and by assisting with case investigation and assessment and other related duties as determined by the Director of NEJP.

Requirements:

• Admission to the New York State Bar;
• A demonstrated passion for social justice and commitment to working with low-income communities and communities of color to advance racial and economic equity;
• A demonstrated interest in transactional work and minimum of three years relevant transactional experience, including assisting not-for-profit organizations with corporate formation, representing small businesses, or conducting due diligence in real estate transactions;
• Strong interest in client work;
• Supervisory experience and leadership skills;
• Strong interest in meeting with and collaborating with community groups;
• Strong interest in conducting community education and outreach;
• Excellent organizational, analytical, writing, communication, and advocacy skills; • Strong interpersonal skills, empathy, and sense of teamwork; and
• Fluency in a language spoken in the communities we serve.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with policy and legislative advocacy;
• Experience with fundraising and grant management; and
• Strong ties to Brooklyn’s low-income communities.

Vaccine Mandate:

Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, LSNYC requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

How to Apply:

Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and two writing samples to Shabnam Faruki, the Director of NEJP, at sfaruki@lsnyc.org. Please use the subject line “Supervising Attorney.” Decisions will be made on a rolling basis, and we recommend that you apply early.

Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone calls, please.

BLS offers excellent benefits, including health, dental, and vision plans; contributions to a 403(b) plan; and generous leave time. BLS offers a highly competitive public interest salary commensurate with experience.

Brooklyn Legal Services is an equal opportunity employer: people of color; women; people with disabilities; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people; and people over the age of 40 are welcome and encouraged to apply. We are committed to race, gender, and economic justice in our work and within our workplace. Staff members who are not managers are members of the LSSA/NOLSW UAW Local 2320.

Salary Range: $95,522 - $143,283

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