Job Title: Supervising Attorney, Housing Justice – Group Advocacy

Job Description
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 team of managers and staff of attorneys, supervisors, and support personnel as the Supervising Attorney of our Housing Justice – Group Advocacy Program in the Queens Neighborhood Office.

 

The Housing Justice - Group Advocacy Program is a city-wide anti-displacement and tenant protection project focusing on supporting low-income tenant communities facing rapid gentrification in the five boroughs of New York City.

 

The Supervising Attorney will be responsible for the smooth and effective day-to-day operations of the Housing Justice Program in the assigned office. The Supervising Attorney will also coordinate some grant projects, mentor and supervise staff, provide legal leadership, and prioritize legal issues. 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

• Train and supervise staff attorneys, paralegals, interns/externs, and volunteers
• Monitor and maintain a high standard of representation and client service
• Collaborate and work closely with the Director of Housing Justice-Group Advocacy and the housing, benefits and grants management teams on all aspects of the citywide housing practice
• Maintain a limited caseload
• Develop impact and/or affirmative litigation
• Assist with the implementation and reporting of programs
• Coordinate intake
• Provide oversight of pro bono initiatives within the program
• Respond to client, community, and staff concerns
• 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 citywide and statewide coalition meetings and task forces
• Develop and maintain community support and relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials, and the courts
• Represent the Civil Practice and Legal Aid in the community
• Conduct community education, organizing, training, and outreach and promote the work of the program, office, the Housing Practice, the Civil Practice, and Legal Aid generally
• Implement and support the organizing, expanding, and maintaining of tenant associations, block associations, resident groups, and/or other housing related groups
• Oversee group tenant representation and affirmation litigation to enforce tenant rights and work with community and housing organizers
• Implement and supervise regular intake with community-based organizations, in Housing Court, at Single Stop, or at other community sites and oversee the formation of tenant associations
• Conduct off-site intake, including during evening or weekend hours as needed
• Supervision of Tenant Defense may be required
• Other duties as assigned

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

Location: Queens - Civil Practice Neighborhood Office

Requirements

• Admission to the New York State Bar
• Minimum of three years of legal practice preferred
• Excellent litigation skills. Experience litigating individual and group cases in various forums desirable
• Demonstrated commitment to addressing fundamental issues of poverty and justice within a comprehensive civil legal services model of representation
• Knowledge in various practice areas within civil legal services practice
• Excellent oral and written advocacy skills
• Demonstrated experience in public interest law and civil legal services
• Experience in policy advocacy and administrative reform
• Experience working with vulnerable populations
• Supervisory, training, mentoring, and management experience preferred
• Demonstrated leadership ability
• Grant-writing and fundraising experience is a plus
• 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 academic experience will be considered
• Proficiency in languages other than English is highly desirable

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

$85,290 - $141,730

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.

 

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.

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 jobpostquestions@legal-aid.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.

 

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