|
Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
Economic Justice and Community Lawyer
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern
New York (LASNNY) is a publicly funded law office with five offices providing
free civil legal services to low income individuals living in 16 counties in
northeastern New York. Our current
priorities are Support for Families, Preserving the Home, Maintaining Economic
Stability, Maintaining Safety, Stability & Health, and Serving Populations
with Special Vulnerabilities, Children's Advocacy and Delivery of Legal
Services. We seek motivated attorneys
who want to improve the community by providing free legal services to low
income people.
LASNNY is looking to hire a permanent staff attorney in our Albany
office, serving Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Columbia and Greene
Counties. LASNNY is a not-for-profit law
firm which provides civil legal services to low income clients in a 16-county
region in Northeastern New York State.
We are seeking an attorney to staff an economic justice initiative and
provide place based advocacy in low income neighborhoods in Albany. The goal of
the initiative is to ensure that low income residents of our capital region
community have sufficient income to maintain their housing and the essentials
of daily living and that those in need are served by systems that are just, fair and responsive. Through the
legal work of the staff attorney, households will access and secure financial
supports necessary to meet basic human needs (public assistance, including
emergency assistance and temporary housing assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, child
care assistance, unemployment insurance benefits, SSI). Through working with the individuals and
families served by this project, the attorney will also identify and secure
changes needed in the delivery of income supports and related human services so
that the systems serving low income residents of the capital region respond as
the law requires and in a manner that supports and develops human potential.
The attorney, while providing a full range of legal services, will be
expected to implement creative strategies for providing legal services,
engaging the people served by the initiative and collaborating with or
challenging the service systems that impact the economic lives of low income
community members
The attorney will assist in the design, coordination and implementation
of place based advocacy in West Hill, Arbor Hill and South End Neighborhoods in
Albany, to address community identified needs, and to work with other LAS staff
to assess and address the legal needs of their clients. The attorney will do intake
and provide a spectrum of legal services to the low income residents of these
neighborhoods. Services will range from legal information and to full legal
representation and could include legal education workshops, ask a lawyer
appointments, the development and distribution of legal information, self-help
information and tools, advocate trainings, technical assistance and support to
community agency staff and advocates, legal support for groups and organizing
efforts, negotiation and litigation to address and resolve underling systemic
problems in each of the communities they
seek to serve.
Requirements: Admission to New York State Bar. Five to seven years' experience. Applicants who have passed the NYS Bar exam
and are awaiting admission, and out-of-state attorneys who are eligible under
New York's pro hac vice rule will also be considered. Applicants must demonstrate a strong
commitment to helping poor and disadvantaged people overcome institutional barriers
to access employment, safety, housing and income supports. Must be intelligent, hardworking, careful, reliable,
have good judgment, attention to detail and a demonstrated commitment and
sensitivity to the low-income community. Must be able to communicate
effectively with clients and staff, work independently and efficiently and be
able to problem solve and work collaboratively with community partner agency
staff. Training or experience in
community lawyering or community organizing, and demonstrated strong listening
and relationship building skills, experience, creativity and willingness to use
varied legal and non-legal advocacy tools to advance community identified
initiatives preferred. Must be willing
to travel throughout the 16 county service area, and have a car and a clean
valid New York driver's license. Strong computer, administrative, reporting and data
entry skills required. Ability to
speak Spanish a plus.
Salary: $46,307 - $61,839 DOE. We are a unionized program and our fringe
benefits are excellent.
Application Deadline: June 10, 2019
Any applications
that do not have a cover letter, resume and writing sample will not be
considered.
To apply, please go to www.lasnny.org
OR
1) Complete the Application linked here, or the mobile-friendly application linked here
2) Complete the Demographic Survey linked here
We are Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.
Minorities, women, the elderly, LGBTQ persons, Protected Veterans and
people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
|
