Temporary Paralegal Casehandler, Law Reform Unit

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice has one Temporary Paralegal Casehandler position available in the Law Reform Unit. This one-year assignment will be focusing on systemic reforms and a range of affirmative work relating primarily to supportive housing and Source of Income discrimination, but may also involve issues related to homelessness, housing, health, public benefits, immigration and other issues if consistent with the needs of the Law Reform Unit.

This position is funded through a temporary grant, and the continuation of the position is dependent on funding availability. The position is funded for an initial period of 12 months, with the possibility of extension based on continued funding and project needs. If funding is not continued, the Paralegal Casehandler will be eligible to apply for other internal positions or be transferred into a comparable position.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct intake/client interviews, provide advice and direct assistance, and assess requests for services related to housing discrimination with a focus on source of income discrimination
• Contact landlords and brokers in real time to prevent the loss of a housing opportunity
• Report discrimination to the pre-complaint intervention units at the NYC Commission on Human Rights and NYS Division on Human Rights (Section 8 only)
• Advocate to public housing authorities (NYCHA, HPD, etc) to prevent the loss of Section 8 benefits, particularly clients face housing discrimination 
• Liaise with housing specialists, homebase, DHS, NYCHA, HPD, HCR Section 8, and HRA to assist clients attempting to "lease up" with a housing voucher
• Support fair housing litigation aimed at curtailing the discriminatory practices of large landlords and brokerages
• Support affirmative fair housing litigation to preserve and/or restore Section 8 benefits for existing Legal Aid clients facing eviction
• Assist in administering settlements with large housing providers, including referring clients to "set aside apartments" (units that are offered to clients with voucher for a first look as part of a settlement)
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• Eligible candidates must have at least one of the following:
  • A bachelor’s degree (strongly preferred)
  • A paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited paralegal program
  • At minimum a high school diploma / GED and 4+ years of legal work experience
  • 4+ years of combined higher education and legal work experience
• Excellent written, oral advocacy, and computer skills
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to multi-task and manage a large workload
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations
• Commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people and immigrants

  Preferred qualifications:  

• Experience assisting people in crisis is desirable, but not required
• In Queens, proficiency in languages other than English, especially Spanish, Mandarin, French Creole, Russian and/or Bengali is desirable, but not required

SALARY AND BENEFITS 

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles. 

• Salary Range: $62,400$

95,555

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Click here to read more about benefits. 

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 

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 via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF: 

• Cover Letter 
• Resume 

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org. 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY 

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. 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION 

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 (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.

Location

Manhattan - Civil Practice Lower Manhattan Neighborhood Office