Volunteer Workers' Rights Staff Attorney

TakeRoot Justice (“TakeRoot”) seeks applicants with at least five (5) years relevant substantive legal experience for the position of Volunteer Staff Attorney to work at least ten (10) hours per week and join TakeRoot’s Workers’ Rights practice, which currently includes a Director, five 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.

TakeRoot Justice is a hybrid workplace and this is a fully remote position.

What You Will Do:

• Assist the team to represent low-wage workers in wage-and-hour, anti-discrimination, and other employment actions in federal and state court, before administrative agencies, and in pre-litigation negotiations with employers;

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;
• 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:

This is a volunteer position.

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.