Director of Economic Equities Project

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking an experienced and talented lawyer with a deep commitment to public interest practice and policy.  The Director of Economic Equities Project will join a dedicated citywide team of managers, attorneys, and paralegal casehandlers, across all five boroughs who are representing NYC residents as part of the Consumer Law Project, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, the Foreclosure Prevention and Home Equity Preservation Project, and Community Development Project.

The Consumer Law Project provides representation in various administrative and judicial forums across New York City and legal assistance, legal advocacy, and education to clients who are vulnerable to the abusive practices of unscrupulous lenders and creditors.  They handle issues such as access to financial services, debt collection, debt settlement company abuses, credit fraud, identity theft, medical debt, student loans, and bankruptcy.  The Consumer team also engages in community and legal education, support to peers throughout The Legal Aid Society, technical assistance to other legal services providers, and systemic advocacy to protect and define the rights of lower income New Yorkers in matters of Consumer Law.  The Director of Economic Equities will serve as the direct supervisor of the Consumer Law Project.

The Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) operates a Citywide helpline and provides direct legal services to eligible residents from all five boroughs of New York City. The LITC helps taxpayers who have personal income tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service or the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. It provides training to members of the community, technical assistance to community-based organizations, and works with Statewide advocacy coalitions on improving the rights of taxpayers. The LITC also engages in legislative and administrative advocacy, impact litigation, outreach and community education, provides trainings and workshops, and works alongside our pro bono partners and volunteers from leading law firms and to increase the capacity of our work.

The Foreclosure Prevention and Home Equity Preservation Project assists homeowners in Bronx and Queens who are struggling to maintain homeownership or who are facing foreclosure. These legal services are available to homeowners residing in 1-4 family homes, cooperatives and condominiums in the Bronx and Queens. Their services include, but are not limited to: Representation in Foreclosure Actions, including appearances at Settlement conferences; Resolving Disputes with the Mortgage Lender or the Mortgage Servicer; Dealing with Property Taxes and Water and Sewer charges; Advocacy or litigation in tax lien foreclosures; Filing Chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy; and Representing victims of deed theft.

The Community Development Project represents microentrepreneurs and small businesses, community‐based nonprofit organizations, Housing Development Fund Companies (HDFCs), and tenant groups working to preserve affordable housing in incorporating, board development, contract and lease negotiations, employment-related legal issues such as worker classification, unemployment insurance, tax issues, and other issues with the potential to cause economic shocks that would impact business stability.  CDP also helps stabilize and grow existing businesses and works throughout New York City with community groups seeking to improve their neighborhood and empower low‐income residents, organizations that provide technical services and resources to small businesses, and government agencies and elected officials seeking to help businesses recover after major disasters.

Although the Director will be based in a Civil Practice neighborhood office, they will have citywide responsibilities for the Units and will need to travel to other Civil Practice offices to provide supervision.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervise staff attorneys, paralegals, and volunteers in Consumer Law Project
• Supervise managers of Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, Foreclosure Prevention and Home Equity Preservation Project, and Community Development Project; supervise staff of these units as needed
• Supervise client representation in State and federal administrative and court proceedings
• Monitor client service and maintain a high standard of representation
• Coordinate intake
• Analyze legal issues, develop legal strategy and supervise the implementation of legal strategies
• Develop impact and/or affirmative litigation
• Assist with the implementation and reporting of programs
• Provide oversight of pro bono initiatives
• Respond to client, staff, and community concerns
• Assist with planning and conducting citywide and statewide coalition meetings and taskforces
• Develop skills and knowledge of staff members
• Foster and encourage teamwork, communication, and staff accountability
• Develop and maintain community support and relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials and the courts
• Conduct community education, training and outreach
• Other duties as assigned

Required Documents 

Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Writing Sample

Requirements

• Minimum of five years of legal practice with a specialization in consumer preferred
• Experience litigating in various forums, including administrative, State and/or federal courts
• Excellent litigation, oral and written advocacy skills
• Demonstrated commitment to and experience in public interest law and civil legal services
• Demonstrated commitment to policy advocacy and administrative reform
• Admission to NYS Bar
• Supervisory and management experience preferred
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills
• Commitment to exploring alternative approaches for legal practice
• Ability to work in a collaborative team model
• Pro bono, government, public service, small business, and academic experience will be considered, but is not required
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range/ Salary: $148,960

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if an offer is made. 

Click here to read more about the benefits of working at The Legal Aid Society 

HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOAN FORGIVENESS

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. 

Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below. 

studentaid.gov 

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us. 

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.