Staff Attorney - Elder Law Unit - Housing (Bronx & Brooklyn) - New York, NY

The Legal Aid Society's Civil Practice is seeking Staff Attorneys to provide legal assistance to seniors at risk of eviction in our Bronx and Brooklyn offices. The Elder Law Unit is a city-wide unit with Housing teams in our Bronx and Brooklyn Neighborhood offices. Each staff attorney would be designated to work in one of those borough offices. The position involves handling a broad range of representation for senior citizens, at the trial and appellate levels, including, but not necessarily limited to, Housing Court proceedings, administrative hearings, and affirmative litigation in state and federal courts. The Staff Attorney will also handle advocacy for housing subsidies and benefits such as Section 8, SCRIE/DRIE, public assistance, rent arrears grants and adult protective services.

The Legal Aid Society has a long history of providing eviction defense services to seniors in the Bronx and Brooklyn. In 2023, The Legal Aid Society created a city-wide Elder Law Unit (ELU), combining the Brooklyn Office for the Aging and the Bronx Assigned Counsel Project. Currently, the ELU is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team specializing in eviction defense for seniors in the Bronx and Brooklyn. By specializing in eviction defense for seniors the ELU recognizes that the preservation of housing for a senior often involves many intersecting medical, financial and social issues. The ELU seeks to assess and address the needs of our senior clients to not only prevent their eviction but to alleviate the underlying causes that lead them to be at risk of eviction.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Client representation and advocacy with charitable organizations, social service agencies, city, state, and federal agencies as well as in court proceedings, administrative hearings, and affirmative litigation
• Conduct home visits to homebound seniors
• Provide training, community outreach, and education to individuals, local community-based organizations, and housing advocates
• Engage in policy advocacy including advocacy before legislative, administrative, and judicial bodies to advance the interests of clients
• Represent and promote the work of the office, the Civil Practice, and The Legal Aid Society in the community
• Work collaboratively with other organizations, pro bono lawyers, and partner organizations
• Maintain a full caseload of clients
• Conduct off-site intake, including during evening hours
• May be asked to serve non-elderly clients
• Other duties as assigned

• Admission to New York State Bar, or J.D. (has passed the bar exam or met all requirements for admission), or a recent graduate of law school that is scheduled to take the first bar exam after their graduation
• Experience practicing housing law or working with the elderly is preferred
• Excellent written, analytical, organizational, and oral advocacy skills are required
• Understanding of and sensitivity to the needs of mentally and physically impaired elderly clients and interest in serving racially and socioeconomically oppressed communities
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, and manage a high volume of cases
• Demonstrated commitment and experience in public interest law and civil legal services
• 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: $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.

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