Paralegal (Matrimonial Project)

About NYLAG:

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

Job Description:

New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks a Paralegal for the Matrimonial Project within its Domestic Violence Law Unit (DVLU). DVLU is an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and paralegals advocating on behalf of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in New York City. DVLU provides safety planning, advocacy, advice, and representation to survivors in matrimonial and family law matters (including order of protection, custody/visitation, contested divorce, uncontested divorce, child/spousal support proceedings, and related appellate proceedings), and domestic violence-based immigration applications (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U visa, T visas, adjustment of status, and related applications).

DVLU’s Matrimonial Project focuses on providing matrimonial services to low-income survivors of domestic violence including contested and uncontested divorce, ancillary divorce issues (including equitable distribution, maintenance, child/spousal support, custody/visitation, paternity), order of protection matters, domestic violence-based immigration matters, and appeals. DVLU believes that access to trauma-informed, client-centered representation is crucial for our clients’ paths towards self-determination, safety, and security, and we are seeking a Paralegal that shares and models these values.

The Paralegal will conduct comprehensive family, matrimonial, and immigration law intakes with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and other clients referred for assistance. The position also requires providing litigation support to attorneys in their representation of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in family and contested matrimonial litigation cases (including orders of protection, contested and custody, visitation, child and spousal support), uncontested divorces, and domestic and gender-based violence based immigration matters (including VAWA self-petitions, and battered spouse waivers), and compensation claims based on survivors’ victimization.

The person in this role will collaborate internally across projects and externally with community-based partners, courts, volunteers, and pro bono attorneys, and will work to expand access to services for communities who face disparate obstacles to accessing assistance.

The Paralegal reports to the Matrimonial Project Director in DVLU.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive matrimonial, family law, and domestic violence-based immigration intakes with survivors of domestic/intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and other clients referred for assistance;
• Conduct safety planning;
• Assist clients and callers in identifying and obtaining appropriate referrals for legal and non-legal needs;
• Provide litigation support to attorneys in their matrimonial client and immigration representation, including but not limited to, client interviewing, performing research, drafting documents and forms, obtaining documents and evidence, reviewing discovery, and court accompaniment;
• Investigate, prepare, and file compensation claims for crime victims;
• Assist unit attorneys and case handlers with document translation and verbal interpretation;
• Engage with internal and external colleagues to ensure access to services for clients within the communities that we serve;
• Assist in program administration including file and case maintenance, assisting with grant reporting, and other administrative tasks as assigned by Project Director, Unit Director, and supervising staff;
• Assist with coordinating pro bono, internal, and community clinics;
• Manage data entry in internal and external data management systems and assist with generating reports;
• Other duties as needed.

Qualifications:

• College degree, paralegal certificate, or 1-2 years in legal assistant or paralegal experience preferred;
• Prior experience in matrimonial law preferred;
• Strong organizational and adminhistrative skills are required;
• Experience working with survivors of trauma, people experiencing poverty, and underserved communities is preferred;
• Fluency in a second language, particularly Spanish, Russian, Chinese, or Arabic, is strongly preferred;
• Demonstrated commitment to commitment to working with survivors of trauma and advancing gender, racial, and social justice, and other public interest work;
• Ability to work collaboratively, communicate effectively, manage multiple tasks, and creatively problem solve;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Excellent computer skills (Word, Excel, internet research); and
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently.

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.

Employment type:

☒ Full-time

Professional Level:

☒ Entry Level

Salary Range: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current annual salary range for this position is between $65,500 and $68,770.

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.

Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter on one pdf.

Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.