Intake Attorney – Albany Office

Intake Attorney – Albany Office

 

The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, a nonprofit civil legal services program, is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as an Intake Attorney for the Albany office of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York. The Intake Attorney provides same day information, advice, and referrals to low-income clients in a broad range of civil legal matters.  The Intake Attorney provides advice only legal assistance to ensure that low-income clients have immediate access to reliable legal advice on their rights, responsibilities, strategies, and possible solutions, and can knowledgeably access benefits and services. The Intake Attorney listens to clients and helps them resolve basic legal problems on their own, avoid mistakes, and achieve better outcomes while lessening stress and conflict. The Intake attorney also tracks systemic issues and works with other LASNNY staff, referring clients to other attorneys, within or outside of LASNNY, when more legal help is needed.

 

Our mission is to fight for fairness, dignity, and justice for those living in poverty and for a society which is inclusive and equitable for all. We transform lives, build community, and empower people by using the law to address individual and systemic wrongs and inequities. We are committed to ensuring equitable treatment, services, and outcomes for people of color.

 

We are skilled, creative, and compassionate advocates, combining a passion to serve with the skills and will to address both individual and systemic injustice. We take pride in providing holistic services to our clients with a wide range of programs and substantive law expertise. We seek an attorney who will be dedicated to our mission, listen well to our clients, and provide access to reliable, immediate legal advice, issue spotting, strategies, and solutions to empower clients to act.

 

The office for this position is in Albany, New York, the state capital.  The counties served by this office are offer a lively, family friendly place to live with a reasonable cost of living, excellent quality of life, and easy access to major metropolitan areas as well as year-round outdoor opportunities.

 

Our office is a collegial and supportive workplace, encouraging and supporting staff development, mentoring and collaboration.

 

Responsibilities:

The attorney will be responsible for providing same day legal advice on a broad range of civil legal matters. The attorney will conduct telephone interviews and advise and close matters the same day. The attorney will be expected to quickly spot legal issues and solutions and provide helpful, clear, and concise advice to callers. The attorney will be or will become expert in common legal issues and knowledgeable in many areas of substantive law, but particularly housing, family, benefits, and consumer. The attorney will also track systemic issues and work closely with other LASNNY attorneys, the Private Attorney Involvement Program, and the Director of Advocacy to refer clients in need of further legal assistance.

 

Qualifications: 4 -9 years’ prior legal experience or equivalent.  Admitted to New York State Bar or awaiting bar results and eligible for admission thereafter. Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to providing access to legal information and advice, strategies, and solutions to low-income community members. Prefer prior civil legal experience in many substantive law areas. Must be expert or become expert in a broad range of legal issues and issue spotting and in providing immediate, helpful, and practical advice to enable callers to manage and resolve their legal problems. Must be able to identify and address systemic legal problems and work collaboratively with other LASNNY staff to ensure delivery of a full range of legal services to clients served by the Albany office.  Must be curious and enjoy issue spotting and developing expertise in many areas of substantive law. Must be an excellent legal researcher.  Must be able to listen, have very strong interview and counseling skills and be able to communicate information effectively and concisely over the phone. Must be intelligent, hardworking, careful, reliable, have good judgment, and attention to detail and work independently and efficiently. Good computer skills.  Must have a car and a valid driver’s license.  Strong preference for lived experience, ability to speak Spanish and experience in successfully providing limited scope, advice only legal assistance.

 

Salary:     $62,921 to $73,297 DOE Excellent benefits.  We are a unionized program, and our fringe benefits are excellent.

 

Application Deadline:  Until Filled

 

No applications will be accepted without cover letter, resume, references and writing sample.

 

To apply, please:

 

 

 

LASNNY is committed to the creation of an inclusive and diverse workplace and providing Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action to all applicants. We strongly encourage applications from women, BIPOC, LGBTQ persons, protected veterans, applicants and recipients of public assistance, the elderly and people with disabilities.