Pro Bono Specialist

The Legal Aid Society in New York City is seeking a Pro Bono Specialist. The Pro Bono Practice provides integral legal assistance through attorney volunteers working alongside the dedicated staff in Legal Aid’s Civil, Criminal, and Juvenile Rights Practices. 3,000 volunteers from participating law firms, law schools and corporate legal departments work on matters for Legal Aid clients each year.

The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills. You will be working in a very small unit yet be the primary contact for a diverse and large universe of people, including staff from: Legal Aid offices throughout the five boroughs; dozens of the world’s leading law firms and corporations; partnering legal service providers; and individuals interested in helping support our mission. Our practice can be high volume so there is premium placed on organization, time management and the ability to work independently.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the primary source of information for our network of over 90 law firms and corporate in-house counsel who partner with The Legal Aid Society in providing pro bono assistance
• Act as a liaison between Legal Aid mentors and volunteers, facilitating communications as needed
• Receive client referrals directly from Legal Aid staff for the purpose of matching matters with appropriate volunteer attorneys and develop descriptions for the purpose of recruiting volunteer attorneys to assist with said referrals
• Work closely with Legal Aid Supervisors and Staff from diverse legal practices and operations departments to build relationships that ensure positive client outcomes
• Manage and maintain a rapidly growing number of pro bono projects which focus on multiple client matters with similar legal needs
• Create and distribute monthly case list with descriptions of currently available volunteer opportunities and maintain real time access to referrals on The Legal Aid Society website
• Maintain the Pro Bono Practice’s case management system, contact lists, and internal Pro Bono Practice intranet (LASnet) page
• Support the creation of new pro bono projects and development of additional pro bono resources to help address unmet needs for legal counsel
• Organize major pro bono events such as clinics and volunteer recognition events
• Utilize web-based services to provide volunteers with information about Legal Aid’s pro bono activities and access to training materials
• Manages non-firm volunteer application process through online system, including the New York State’s Pro Bono Scholar and Attorney Emeritus Programs
• Collect and analyze volunteer data for use in annual reports required by courts, state and local government, fiscal auditors, and outside funders
• Collaborate with Legal Aid Society colleagues in Development, Communications and Talent Acquisition

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
• Brief writing sample (under 500 words)

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 2-3 years’ experience in a professional setting that demonstrates excellent judgment, effective multi-tasking and problem-solving
• Strong organization, verbal and written skills, with an attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal and client service skills
• Strong data collection and analysis skills
• Ability to prioritize, handle multiple projects, and work under pressure in a deadline driven environment
• Microsoft systems expertise and willingness to learn new computer software is required. Advanced experience with Office 365, including creating and administering SharePoint sites
• Self-motivated, with the ability to take responsibility for projects to their conclusion and proactively identify team needs
• Ability to work in a small team setting with a willingness to step in to assist your colleagues with tasks outside of your everyday responsibilities when needed
• Prior experience with legal services or non-profit volunteer organizations a plus
• Conversational Spanish language skills a plus
• Some public speaking is required. Some travel required to attend evening events
• Commitment to Legal Aid Society’s mission that no New Yorker should be denied the right to equal justice

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: $65,000 - $75,000

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.