Staff Attorney, Government Benefits & Disability Advocacy Project (DAP) - New York, NY

The Legal Aid Society is seeking a Staff Attorney to represent low-income New Yorkers fighting to secure or maintain essential government benefits, including Cash Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ("SNAP"), Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability. These benefits allow low-income individuals and families access to food, housing, and basic necessities. Defending our community's right to these benefits is crucial to our clients' ability to live with dignity and to maintaining the diversity that defines New York City.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Represent low-income clients in administrative hearings, state and federal appeals, and possibly affirmative litigation to defend their right to receive benefits, including Cash Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ("SNAP"), Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability
• Initiate and conduct community education, training, and outreach
• Develop and maintain relationships and work collaboratively with external partners
• Engage in policy advocacy
• Work with pro bono lawyers
• Conduct off-site intake, including during evening hours as needed

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Admission to New York State Bar, or recent J.D. who has sat for the first available bar exam
• Commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people
• Ability and willingness to engage in a structural analysis of the systems impacting our clients and to work to improve or dismantle those systems
• Willingness to engage in field work
• Excellent written, oral advocacy, and computer skills
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to multi-task
• Ability to work independently, as well as in a team, and to manage a large workload
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations
• Proficiency in languages other than English, especially Spanish, is desirable but not required

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

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

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Writing sample

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: $83,844 - $147,907

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.