Job Description:

LegalHealth, a division of the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), is hiring a paralegal with a demonstrated commitment to public interest work and working with the City’s immigrant community. Applicants must be prepared to handle a high volume of matters and to interact with a diverse client population in a sensitive and professional manner. The successful candidate will work closely with LegalHealth’s attorneys and will receive both on-the-job and more formal training. LegalHealth partners with medical professionals in 32 hospitals and community organizations in New York City to address the non-medical needs of low-income people with serious health problems. LegalHealth complements healthcare with legal care—providing free legal services in medical facilities and training healthcare professionals to understand the legal issues their patients may encounter.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

The general paralegal will assist LegalHealth attorneys in a variety of legal matters, including housing, public benefits, disability, immigration, family and advance planning matters.

 

Qualifications:

LegalHealth seeks applicants who: demonstrate a strong commitment to public service; are proficient in spoken and written Spanish; have community service experience and possess excellent organizational, oral, written, and analytic abilities. We seek an applicant who is a college graduate and can commit to the position for at least two years. 

 

Applicants are asked to address the following job requirements in their cover letter:

• Demonstrated interest in working with low-income, disabled, and/or disadvantaged clients;
• Spanish language proficiency;
• Any relevant prior experience.

 

Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience. 

 

Benefits: Excellent benefits.

 

Start date: [ ], 2021

 

Education/ Admittance required: College Degree.

 

Languages needed: Spanish-speakers are preferred.

 

Level of Language Proficiency needed: Proficient.

 

About NYLAG:

LegalHealth, a division of NYLAG, partners with medical professionals in 32 hospitals and community organizations in New York City to address the non-medical needs of low-income people with serious health problems. LegalHealth complements healthcare with legal care—providing free legal services in medical facilities and training healthcare professionals to understand the legal issues their patients may encounter.

 

Founded in 1990, the New York Legal Assistance Group provides free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers. The organization serves immigrants, seniors, the homebound, families facing foreclosure, renters facing eviction, low-income consumers, those in need of government assistance, children in need of special education, domestic violence victims, persons with disabilities, patients with chronic illness or disease, low-wage workers, low-income members of the LGBTQ community, Holocaust survivors, and others in need. The organization’s annual operating budget is over $27 million. Serving more than 75,000 New Yorkers annually, New York Legal Assistance Group maintains a paid staff of approximately 280, supported by 2,200 pro bono attorneys and other volunteers and interns. For more information, applicants are encouraged to visit www.nylag.org.

 

Mission:

The New York Legal Assistance Group uses the power of the law to help New Yorkers in need combat social and economic injustice. We address emerging and urgent legal needs with comprehensive, free civil legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community education. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving clients, whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality.

 

Values that guide us:

• We reduce the effects of poverty by providing high quality, effective civil legal services. 
• We partner with our clients to help them transform their lives and strengthen their communities.
• We address our clients’ multiple legal needs by collaborating across our practice areas.
• We are at the forefront of identifying and understanding New Yorkers’ most pressing legal needs, rapidly adapting to meet these needs with innovative programs and partnerships.
• We assess need broadly, recognizing that need is not a function of income alone.
• We collaborate with community organizations and engage pro bono attorneys and volunteers to serve a greater number of people with unmet civil legal needs.
• We achieve systemic change through class actions, impact litigation and by advocating for just laws and policies.
• We work to create a welcoming and inclusive work environment that reflects the communities we serve.
• We teach and train the next generation of legal service professionals.

 

NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.