Staff Attorney / Health Advocacy Fellow (2-year position)

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

The Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program (EFLRP) has an immediate opening for a 2-year Staff Attorney Fellow. The fellowship will focus on health advocacy to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities, including those with chronic illnesses, maintain access to Medicaid healthcare coverage under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and during New York’s ongoing efforts to modernize its Medicaid eligibility system. Beginning in January 2027, when OBBBA takes effect, many Medicaid beneficiaries must report their employment or community engagement as a condition of eligibility and complete benefit renewals every six months. As a result, the number of uninsured New Yorkers is estimated to double. At the same time, New York’s Department of Health has prioritized moving more Medicaid enrollees onto the state’s health insurance marketplace, New York State of Health (NYSOH), a transition that may disrupt access to care and requires stakeholders to navigate a new eligibility system. The Staff Attorney selected as the 2-year Health Advocacy Fellowship will join a legal services unit uniquely positioned to safeguard the right to healthcare during these profound policy changes. EFLRP uses multiple strategies to improve access to care, including direct representation, systemic advocacy, training and technical assistance, and education via nyhealthaccess.org.

This is a temporary attorney position for the two-year duration of the Fellowship.

Duties and Responsibilities

The attorney will:

• Conduct intake, provide client counseling and representation and advocacy with local, State and federal Agencies and managed care insurance plans;
• Participate in community outreach, including by collaborating with NYLAG’s Community Access Programs Unit (CAPU), by developing community and professional education materials and materials for the website at http://nyhealthaccess.org;
• Conduct trainings internally and externally for advocates and attorneys, and provide technical assistance to beneficiaries, local community-based organizations and health care providers;
• Support possible systemic litigation led by NYLAG’s Special Litigation Unit;
• Participate in policy and legislative advocacy;
• Actively participate in coalitions working on systemic advocacy to address health care needs of low-income New Yorkers;
• Travel to client’s homes, government agency sites and other locations within New York City is required. There is potential for travel to one or more conferences in Albany or Washington DC.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Admission to the New York Bar; applicants with pending admission to New York State Bar may be considered.
• Highly motivated.
• Excellent communication, research, and writing skills;
• A demonstrated commitment to public interest law, civil legal services, and working with low-income, disabled or otherwise vulnerable clients.
• The ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team;
• Experience conducting trainings or public speaking.
• Up to 5 years of legal experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity and experience with health law, access to health care issues, navigating public health insurance programs and/or related advocacy.
• Experience in developing training materials for advocates and clients.
• Fluency in a second language commonly spoken in New York City, including Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali or French Creole.

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:

x☐ Temporary

Professional Level:

☐x Entry Level

Salary Range: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salary range for this position is between $87,994 and $104,544.

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

Application Instructions: To apply, please send both a resume and a cover letter in a single pdf. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted through November 6, 2026.

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.