Staff Attorney

The Children's Law Center (CLC) is a non-profit organization that represents children in custody, visitation, guardianship, paternity, family offense, and related child protective (abuse or neglect) proceedings in the Family Courts and the Integrated Domestic Violence Parts of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, and in appeals therefrom. CLC represents over 5,000 children annually in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, providing holistic and zealous representation and support in the Court, the community and the legislature.

The mission of CLC is to provide children with a strong and effective voice in legal proceedings through providing outstanding legal and social work services.  

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Conduct interviews with clients and other individuals;
• Handle court appearances;
• Subpoena or otherwise obtain all necessary documentation in order to prepare cases;
• Maintain comprehensive and well-organized case files on case management system;
• Regularly handle intake, comprehensively prepare cases for conference, negotiation or trial;
• Analyze legal issues, develop legal strategy and facilitate its implementation;
• Properly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a case;
• Explore alternatives to litigation and negotiate the best possible resolution for clients;
• Collaborate with the Writing, Social Work, Paralegal and Client Services teams to best represent CLC clients;
• Communicate with other disciplines in a timely manner, as necessary;
• With supervisory support, evaluate conflicting demands and prioritize workload;
• Regularly and appropriately respond to client, community and staff concerns;
• Attend training sessions pertinent to practice; and
• Perform other duties as requested.

Key Qualifications and Competencies

• Admitted to practice law in New York State
• Demonstrated skills in advocacy, cultural competence, mediation and interviewing
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest and policy
• Knowledge of family court, custody, domestic violence and child welfare
• Demonstrated experience teaming with colleagues to find solutions to complex situations
• Superb interpersonal skills, effective communication skills (written and verbal), time management, and organizational skills
• Curiosity and eagerness to continue learning new skills and grow professionally and take an optimistic approach to new challenges
• Proven ability to work independently with excellent judgment, diplomacy, professionalism and able to prioritize requests, track and manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and meet deadlines;
• Demonstrated ability to exercise complete discretion when working with confidential and sensitive information;
• Desire to work in a busy organization that represents children.

Salary Range & Union Membership

The expected salary range for this position ranges from $80,082.50 - $96,100 annually. Salary offers, pursuant to the CLC Collective Bargaining Agreement,  are based on the number of years employed in a legal position including performed work analogous to the practice of law.

Hybrid Schedule

This position currently requires the individual’s physical presence in court at the discretion of the presiding Jurist and a minimum of two days per week in person at CLC’s offices in New York City.