Staff Attorney

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. NYLAG’s staff of 410 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

Job description

NYLAG’s Community Access Programs Unit and Consumer Protection Unit have an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney to join our team and work on increasing access to justice in Brooklyn. The Staff Attorney will focus on combatting deed theft, and other scams, aimed at robbing New Yorkers of their ability to maintain generational wealth. The Staff Attorney will staff CAPU’s Mobile Legal Help Center and partner with elected officials and community-based organizations to bring legal services directly into the communities NYLAG serves. The Staff Attorney will conduct intake, provide advice and counsel, and assist clients with other brief legal services. The Staff Attorney will also create and give, Know Your Rights presentations. This is an exciting opportunity for someone looking to work directly within the communities NYLAG serves. The Staff Attorney will be supervised by the Director of the Community Access Programs Unit and also report to the Associate Director of the Consumer Protection Unit.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide direct legal services, including executing basic wills, Transfer on Death Deeds, property transfers and Powers of Attorney as well as assisting with pro se probate and administration petitions, Heir at Law Deeds, analyzing homeowners’ circumstances in order to advise on courses of action and other legal matters that arise.
• Conduct intakes on NYLAG’s Mobile Legal Help Center and at community-based sites.
• Assist with building relationships with community-based organizations and elected officials.
• Provide legal guidance and respond to inquiries from partner organizations, clients, volunteers, and other stakeholders.
• Develop and deliver Know Your Rights presentations.
• Serve as a liaison between the various NYLAG units doing trusts and estates and advance planning work.
• Complete administrative duties including updating NYLAG case management records, maintaining and updating files and case notes, and assisting in grant reporting as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school.
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law and social justice is preferred.
• Experience in trust and estates law is preferred.
• Experience conducting community outreach, including but not limited to Know Your Rights events, is preferred.
• Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and organizational skills with keen attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to respond promptly to high volume communications.
• Demonstrated ability to work both collaboratively with a team as well as independently.
• Comfort with outreach, networking and professional relationship building.

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:

☒ Professional

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 $87,210 - $93,175.

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.