Workers' Rights Senior Staff Attorney

TakeRoot Justice (“TakeRoot”) seeks applicants with at least five (5) years relevant substantive legal experience for the position of Senior Staff Attorney to join TakeRoot’s Workers’ Rights practice, which currently includes a Director, four Senior Staff Attorneys, and an Advocacy Coordinator/Paralegal.

The Workers’ Rights practice partners with community-based worker centers (“partner organizations”) in all five boroughs of New York City to provide legal services to their members including domestic workers and home health aides, construction workers, restaurant and food service workers, retail workers, cleaners, and other low-wage workers. Our legal work includes federal and New York state court litigation, administrative agency filings, and pre-litigation negotiations of minimum wage and overtime violations, tip theft, retaliation, discrimination, sexual harassment, sick leave, and labor trafficking claims. We also aim to support the organizing campaigns of our partner organizations and provide Know Your Rights trainings to their members. The successful candidate will be passionate about client-centered lawyering, building collective worker power, and advocating for low-wage workers, particularly immigrants and people of color connected to grassroots organizing campaigns.

What You Will Do:

• Represent low-wage workers in wage-and-hour, antidiscrimination, and other
• employment actions in federal and state court, before administrative agencies, and in pre-litigation negotiations with employers;
• Provide Know-Your-Rights trainings to community groups and their members on workers’ rights; and
• Participate in internal governance functions of TakeRoot.

Qualifications:

• Admission to the New York State Bar, and have at least five (5) years of relevant substantive legal experience;
• Dedication to a client-centered approach to legal representation;
• Significant federal and/or state court litigation experience;
• Experience working with a diverse team in a collaborative model that uplifts all voices on the team and prioritizes professional development;
• Ability to work with individuals from various cultural and professional backgrounds;
• Strong communication and writing skills;
• Strong strategic thinking and problem solving skills; and
• Strong organizational skills.

The Ideal Candidate Will Also Have:

• Competency in a language other than English (strongly preferred);
• Experience working with low-wage, immigrant workers or other vulnerable communities;
• Experience working with or in worker centers or other community-based organizations; and
• Legislative and/or policy advocacy experience.

Salary and Compensation:

The salary range for this position is $82,700 to $93,950 consistent with the salary scale set forth in the collective bargaining agreement. An excellent benefits package is available, including generous vacation, personal, and sick time, along with strong medical and dental coverage. This is a bargaining unit position represented for collective bargaining purposes by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW, Local 2320.

Who We Are:

Background: TakeRoot Justice provides legal, participatory research and policy support to strengthen the work of grassroots and community-based groups in New York City to dismantle racial, economic and social oppression. TakeRoot employs a unique model of partnership with grassroots and community-based groups. Our partners take the lead in determining the priorities and goals for our work and advance our understanding of justice. TakeRoot’s current practice areas are Capacity Building, Consumer Justice, Equitable Neighborhoods, Tenants' Rights & Housing Justice, Immigrants' Rights, Participatory Research and Policy, and Workers’ Rights. TakeRoot Justice is an equal opportunity employer. TakeRoot encourages applications from people with diverse backgrounds, including women, people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, people from low-income backgrounds, and people with personal experience with the criminal justice system. We strongly encourage applications from people with lived experiences in the communities we serve.