The Legal Aid Society's Civil Practice has an opening for a Staff Attorney in the Family/DV Unit and Legal Hand of the Brooklyn Neighborhood Office. The Family Project provides comprehensive direct legal assistance to low income litigants and survivors of domestic violence in a broad range of civil matters, including orders of protection, divorces, custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, property rights, consumer matters and immigration. The Family/DV Staff Attorney is expected to represent clients in Brooklyn but may occasionally handle matters in any of the five boroughs primarily in family law and matrimonial matters, including contested matrimonials, custody, visitation, orders of protection, child and spousal support matters and uncontested divorces, and represent clients in multiple venues, including Supreme, Family, and the Integrated Domestic Violence courts. As part of the Family/DV Practice, the Staff Attorney will also work in conjunction with several community-based organizations that are our partners in this citywide collaboration to provide reciprocal referrals, training, back up case consultation, clinics, outreach and joint community education on various issues affecting survivors of domestic violence. The Legal Hand initiative was created by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman. Co-located in the Brownsville Community Justice Center, Legal Hand creates neighborhood storefronts staffed by trained community volunteers who provide free legal information, assistance, and referrals to help resolve issues in areas such as housing, family law, benefits, employment law, and consumer law and prevent problems from turning into legal actions. The Staff Attorney will provide back-up training and assistance to the community volunteers assisting residents with legal information at the Legal Hand office in Brownsville. The Staff Attorney will also be required to provide outreach to various off-site locations. The Staff Attorney will also actively participate in city- and statewide committees and task forces regarding DV and family law issues.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

* Represent clients in administrative hearings, city, state and federal court proceedings, and affirmative litigation, and advocate with local, state and federal agencies

* Train and engage in community outreach and education for individuals, local community-based organizations and advocates

* Conduct policy advocacy on behalf of clients

* Coordinate and collaborate with other groups and organizations

* Work with Legal Hand volunteers and pro bono lawyers at their storefront office location

* Work with pro bono lawyers

* Conduct off-site intake, including during evening hours

Location

Brooklyn - Civil Practice Neighborhood Office

Requirements

* Admission to the New York State Bar

* 2+ years' experience in public interest law

* Experience with Family Law is desirable

* Excellent written and oral advocacy skills are required

* Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team and manage a high volume of cases

* Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations

* Experience with conducting Know Your Rights or similar trainings for community organizations

* Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations

* Excellent organizational skills

* Ability to work with pro bono lawyers

* Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis so applicants are encouraged to apply early.

Only PDF documents will be accepted. If your document is not a PDF, your application will not be processed. Applications submitted without all the required materials will not be processed.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY 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.

The Legal Aid Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer -- women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ communities, veterans, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org opens an email client application .