Closing Date: 1st December, 2025

Description:

Job Description:
The Legal Aid Society's Civil Practice has Law Graduate positions available in the Housing Justice Unit—Tenant Defense for Fall 2026.While awaiting New York Bar admission, Law Graduates will work closely with a Housing Supervisor and within the parameters of the LAS Practice Order. Tenant Defense handles a broad range of individual and group tenant representation at the trial and appellate levels, including holdovers, nonpayment proceedings, administrative hearings, and affirmative litigation in state and federal courts. The Unit also works with tenant associations, tenant organizers, community-based organizations, partner legal services agencies, and pro bono attorneys.

The deadline to apply is December 1, 2025. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. Offers will also be extended on a rolling basis. Interviews will be scheduled throughout the fall, and if you are selected for an interview, you will receive an email notification during this season. The application process will include:

On Campus Interview (OCI), if applicable, serving as a screening
Two rounds of interviews
Reference checks

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Client representation and advocacy with city, state, and federal agencies and in court proceedings, administrative hearings, and affirmative litigation
Conduct regular courthouse-based and off-site intake, possibly including during evening hours
Provide training, community outreach, and education to individuals, local community-based organizations, and housing advocates
Advocate for policy changes 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 partners
Maintain a full caseload of clients
Some weekend and night advocacy may be necessary
Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Current 3L students who will graduate or did graduate in Spring 2025 and will sit for the New York Bar Exam in July 2025 or its equivalent
Those participating in post-graduate Fellowships or Clerkships who took the first available bar exam are eligible to apply
Winter 2025 graduates sitting for the first available New York Bar Exam or its equivalent are also eligible
Demonstrated commitment to serving historically excluded communities and identifying how race, gender, class and intersectionality impact client outcomes
Relevant clinical program, internship, or work experience preferred
Excellent written, analytical, organizational, and oral advocacy skills are required
Applicants must be creative, flexible, and highly motivated
Applicants must have the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively and manage a high volume of cases
Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable but not required

You are only eligible for employment if you take the first Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) immediately after graduation and pass either that exam or the one immediately following. You must also take and pass the New York Law Exam (NYLE) and the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), if you have not already done so. We request and strongly encourage you to sit for the first NYLE immediately after graduation, as this will expedite your admission to practice law in New York State.  That said, you are permitted to take the NYLE up to one year before or at any time after sitting for the UBE, subject to the application filing deadline in Section 520.12(d) of the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law, which requires an applicant for admission to practice law in New York State to file a complete application within three years from the date when the applicant sits for the second day of the UBE.

Exam Policy: The Legal Aid Society is committed to creating a supportive environment. If a Law Graduate does not pass either exam, they will be afforded an opportunity to retake the next available exam.