Staff Attorney for Housing and Veterans

About NYLAG:

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combating 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. During COVID-19, most of our services are virtual to keep our community safe. NYLAG’s staff of 350 impacted the lives of nearly 113,000 people last year.

Job description

LegalHealth, a division of the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), has an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney with experience in housing and/or veterans law to join one of the longest standing and the largest Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) in the country.

LegalHealth partners with a diverse array of medical professionals in 38 hospitals throughout New York to address the health harming legal needs of low-income people with serious health problems. LegalHealth complements health care with legal care – providing free legal services in medical facilities and training healthcare professionals to understand both the legal issues their patients may encounter and the relationship between health and legal advocacy. Using a holistic approach to address Social Drivers of Health, LegalHealth attorneys practice as generalists, representing clients on a myriad of legal matters that are often connected to a diagnosis or chronic health condition. LegalHealth plays a leadership role in the expanding MLP movement, helping others to start or sustain their own MLPs. This position reports to their supervising attorney.

Duties and Responsibilities

• • Responsible for staffing two weekly legal clinics, one general legal clinic for veterans and one housing legal clinic. Additionally, the attorney will provide periodic clinic coverage at other sites when available.
  • Provide legal services to veterans in New York City receiving care through hospitals run by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in a wide range of issues including: veterans benefits, discharge upgrades, other public benefits, housing, employment, and advance planning.
  • Provide housing related legal services to patients receiving care from the Family Health Center at NYU Langone in Brooklyn to preserve housing stability, prevent eviction proceedings, advise tenants at risk of eviction in housing court on how to access an attorney in housing court, provide health harming housing remediation including advocating for repairs and bringing HP actions so that individuals can remain safely in their homes, provide housing advocacy on Federal and State succession rights, request reasonable accommodations and modifications for individuals with disabilities (including requests for transfers to safe and accessible housing), and other housing related needs.
  • Periodically train health care partner staff on substantive legal issues to identify the need for legal assistance and to foster better communication and stronger relationships.
  • Conduct one-on-one consultations for provider staff on legal issues
  • Position requires candidate to be on site at health care sites 2 days per week and to fulfill hospital clearance requirements.

Qualifications

• • Admitted to practice law in New York.
  • At least two years of prior and relevant experience in housing law and/or veterans law, preferably working in healthcare or with vulnerable populations.
  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Strong research and writing skills.