Senior Civil Rights Attorney

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), a community-driven civil rights organization, seeks a full-time Senior Civil Rights Attorney (Health & Immigration).

About the Role

The Senior Civil Rights Attorney (Health & Immigration) will play an important role in advancing NYLPI’s Health Justice (HJ) civil rights litigation docket. This position is a senior, litigation-focused role centered on developing and leading impact litigation and systemic advocacy at the intersection of immigration status, race, and access to health care. The Senior Civil Rights Attorney will collaborate with and support NYLPI’s immigration attorneys.

The attorney will work within NYLPI’s multidisciplinary model which involves collaborating with advocates, organizers, and communications staff, and values partnership with pro bono law firms to advance strategic litigation aligned with HJ campaign priorities.

The ideal candidate combines legal expertise with strong interpersonal skills to thrive in a mixed reporting structure where the attorney will be working collaboratively under the leadership of a non-lawyer on program operations, direction, and goals and under the supervision of the Litigation Director on legal matters.

The Health Justice (HJ) program brings a racial justice and immigrant rights focus to healthcare advocacy in New York City and State. In partnership with individuals and community-based organizations, we use a wide range of advocacy tools – including community organizing, coalition-building, individual representation, impact litigation, and legislative advocacy – to advance four broad goals: (1) combat the human rights crisis in immigration detention; (2) promote immigrant access to healthcare; (3) eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination and systemic and institutional barriers that limit New Yorkers access to healthcare; and (4) address the social determinants of health so that all New Yorkers can live a healthy life.

Core duties include:

Civil Rights Litigation & Campaign Advocacy

• Lead civil rights litigation in federal and state courts, including cases involving immigration detention, health care discrimination, transplant equity, immigrant patient dumping, and medical deportation.
• Draft pleadings, briefs, and motions; conduct discovery; and handle hearings and trials.
• Partner with pro bono counsel to develop litigation strategies and manage cases.
• Litigate habeas claims for detained immigrants with serious medical needs.
• Collaborate with immigration attorneys on complex and emerging legal matters arising within NYLPI’s immigration docket.

Strategic Case Development & Program Integration

• Identify and develop impact litigation opportunities aligned with HJ campaigns.
• Integrate individual cases into broader systemic advocacy.
• Collaborate across legal, organizing, communications, and policy teams.

Public Education & External Engagement

• Develop and deliver know-your-rights materials and presentations.
• Support media engagement connected to issue areas and litigation.
• Participate in coalition advocacy and public testimony.
• Participate in drafting and reviewing policy reports.

Organizational Contribution

• Participate in urgent response efforts for client needs.
• Supervise interns and non-legal staff.
• Support collaboration across the Health Justice team and NYLPI.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Admission to the New York Bar or eligibility for admission at the time of hiring.
• Significant civil rights litigation experience, including complex discovery and motion practice.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise disciplined strategic judgment to evaluate risks and benefits, and confidently execute bold, innovative litigation strategies when warranted.
• Ability to relate to and communicate effectively with a diverse group of clients, community partners, and staff, as well as nonprofit, government, judicial, and business communities.
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Preferred

• 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience litigating habeas corpus cases.
• Admission to federal district courts.
• Spanish language proficiency is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated recent experience in detained immigration representation.
• Experience working with individuals with serious medical conditions or disabilities.

About NYLPI

For 50 years, NYLPI has been a leading civil rights advocate for New Yorkers

marginalized by race, immigration status, poverty, neighborhood pollution, and disabilities.

NYLPI pioneered the practice of community lawyering in the five boroughs of New York City.

These communities shape our priorities, and their struggles for justice demand innovative

solutions. Our interdisciplinary teams of advocates use every tool available – community

organizing, impact litigation and individual representation, policy advocacy, media, pro bono

partnerships, and public education – to solve seemingly intractable problems, develop leaders,

and build collective power to achieve justice. We strive to create equal access to health care,

achieve equality of opportunity and self-determination for people with disabilities, ensure

immigrant opportunity, strengthen local nonprofits, and secure environmental justice for low-income communities of color. Our unique model of partnership with and support from the

private bar provides opportunities across all of our program areas to maximize impact. To learn

more about NYLPI, visit www.nylpi.org.

NYLPI offers comprehensive employer-paid benefits, including health insurance, short- and long-term disability and life insurance, an outstanding retirement savings plan (after 12 months, NYLPI contributes 5% of an employee’s annual salary and will match up to an additional 2½%), paid family and sick leave, fifteen (15) days of vacation during the first year of employment (increasing to 24 in the third year) and five personal days, eleven (11) official office holidays, and a holiday swapping policy to allow for the observation of holidays of your choice, as well as extensive voluntary benefits and support for ongoing professional development.

This position is expected to be available for work from our New York City office. NYLPI is a hybrid workplace. All staff are currently required to be in the office for a minimum of two days per week, including Wednesdays. Additional in-person presence may be required periodically or as duties require. Hybrid workplace requirements may change. The person in this role must be based in the New York City area upon starting employment.

Spanish language proficiency is strongly preferred.