LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF NORTHEASTERN NEW YORK
Re-Entry and Economic Staff Attorney
Located in New York, must live in NYS
Full-time, Min 35hr/ week
Salary: $59,794 – $78,384, DOE, plus generous benefits
Overview
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, a nonprofit civil legal services program, is seeking a Re-Entry and Economic Staff Attorney. Legal Aid’s mission is to fight for fairness, dignity, and justice for those living in poverty and for a society that 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. Our service area spans sixteen counties, in upstate New York, encompassing six regional offices. This position is based out of our Albany Office. For more information about our work, staff, and clients, visit www.lasnny.org.
Re-Entry and Economic Staff Attorney: The staff attorney will serve in our Albany office. The attorney will provide a full range of civil legal services to low-income individuals facing housing and economic instability and systemic barriers due to involvement in the criminal legal system, serving Albany, Rensselaer. Schenectady, Columbia, and Greene Counties.
Minimum Requirements
- Applicants who have passed the NYS Bar exam and are awaiting admission and out-of-state attorneys who are eligible under New York’s pro hac vice rule will also be considered.
- Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing institutional and systemic barriers to employment, housing, and income faced by individuals impacted by the criminal legal system.
- Must be intelligent, hardworking, careful, reliable, have good judgment, attention to detail, and a demonstrated commitment to economic justice.
- Must be able to communicate effectively with clients and staff, work independently and efficiently, and be able to problem solve and work collaboratively with community partner agency staff.
- Training or experience in community lawyering or community organizing, and demonstrated strong listening and relationship-building skills, experience, creativity, and willingness to use varied legal and non-legal advocacy tools to advance community-identified initiatives preferred.
- Must be willing to travel throughout the 16 county service area and have a car and a clean valid New York driver’s license.
- Strong computer, administrative, reporting, and data entry skills are required.
- The ability to speak Spanish is a plus.
Staff Attorney Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- The attorney will serve in the economic justice initiative. The goals of the initiative are to ensure that low-income residents of our capital region community have sufficient income to maintain their housing and secure the essentials of daily living, have opportunities to improve their income, and are served by systems that are just, fair, and responsive.
- Through working with the individuals and families served by this project, the attorney will identify and secure changes needed in the delivery of income supports and related human services so that the systems serving low-income residents of the capital region respond as the law requires and in a manner that supports and develops human potential.
- The Attorney will provide legal assistance to clients by providing a full range of re-entry services, including rap sheet review and clean up, certificates of relief from disabilities, certificates of good conduct and criminal record sealing, and housing and employment discrimination based on criminal records or justice system involvement.
- The attorney will also address individual and systemic issues involving subsistence income such as TANF, Safety Net, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, work rules and sanctions, emergency assistance, and temporary housing assistance.
- The attorney will implement an economic improvement effort by providing legal representation and tools for self-advocacy regarding barriers to education, training, licensure, and employment faced by individuals impacted by the criminal legal system.
- The attorney will provide training and technical support on public benefits and re-entry issues for a) in-house training for attorneys and paralegal case handlers b) non-attorney advocates at partner organizations and c) community education and workshops to empower self-advocates.
- The attorney will assist in the implementation of place-based advocacy in West Hill, Arbor Hill, and South End Neighborhoods in Albany, to address community-identified needs, and to work with other LAS staff and community partners and community-based initiatives to assess and address the economic stability related legal needs of their clients, including homeless households and justice-involved individuals.
- The attorney, while providing a full range of legal services, will be expected to implement creative strategies for providing legal services, engaging the people served by the initiative, and collaborating with or challenging the service systems that impact the economic lives of low-income community members.
Work Environment
This position operates in a professional law office environment and occasionally may require the carrying of items of up to 20 pounds. This role requires the use of standard office equipment and software and remote videoconferencing platforms. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
We are a unionized program with excellent benefits, offering generous time off, excellent health insurance coverage with premiums primarily paid by LASNNY, health and long-term disability insurance, retirement contributions, tuition reimbursement, qualifying moving expenses, and flexible hybrid-remote and alternative work schedules.
Application Deadline: Until Filled
To apply, please go to www.lasnny.org OR
Complete the Application linked here, or
The mobile-friendly application linked here
Complete the Demographic Survey linked here
At LASNNY we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. We strongly encourage applications from women, BIPOC, LGBTQI+ persons, protected veterans, applicants and recipients of public assistance, older adults and people with disabilities.
If you are unable to submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at LASNNY and we will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law.
