Description:

Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, we have challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and provided legal services that help our clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC is the largest civil legal services provider in the country; our staff of more than 600 people in neighborhood-based offices and outreach sites across all five boroughs helps hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers annually. We partner with scores of community-based and client-run organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness. Our work fights discrimination and helps to achieve equity for all low-income New Yorkers.

LSNYC employees have numerous opportunities for growth and professional development, including access to our internal Justice Learning Center, which provides opportunities to earn free CLEs and gain experience as a trainer.

Staff Attorney
Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit
Staten Island Legal Services (across the street from the ferry), the Staten Island office of Legal Services NYC (“LSNYC”), is seeking a full-time Staff Attorney to join our Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit. This position is funded to help victims of crime, including by providing information about Crime Victims Assistance and helping clients apply for benefits and compensation through the Office of Victim Services.

Program Description:

Staten Island Legal Services (SILS) fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic
justice for low-income New Yorkers. SILS provides high-quality, innovative
representation to address the pressing legal needs of Staten Island's diverse low-income
populations. SILS focuses on the problems that have the greatest impact on our clients —
preserving affordable and decent housing, preventing foreclosures, representing survivors
of domestic violence, assisting in obtaining government benefits, obtaining immigration
status and preventing deportations, and advocating for the LGBTQ community, students
with educational needs and people with disabilities.

SILS is a part of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), which is the largest provider of civil legal services in the country. LSNYC provides numerous opportunities for growth and professional development and prides itself on its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) efforts. As a social justice organization, we are committed to fighting for a workplace that is as diverse, equitable, and inclusive as possible for everyone. Our DEIB committee and numerous affinity groups work to foster collegial relationships among staff and allow staff to explore and advocate

for racial justice and anti-oppression growth within our organization and through our legal
work. All employees are expected to learn about, seek to understand, and work to realize
our DEIB goals.

Unit Description
The SILS' Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit is an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and a social worker. The team provides comprehensive, culturally competent services to people experiencing intimate partner violence so that they may achieve safety and stability. Our attorneys handle a full range of family law and matrimonial cases, including divorce, custody/visitation, civil orders of protection, and child support. The Unit includes staff attorneys and collaborates with a social worker so we can to address the legal, economic, and social issues of our clients. The Unit conducts outreach and trainings and works in partnership with community groups to ensure that we are best serving the community. The Staff Attorney will be supervised by the Director of the Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit.

Roles and Responsibilities:
The Staff Attorney's responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Conducting intakes with clients to provide them advice, information, brief services, and assessment for full representation.
Providing clients safety planning and legal and social services referrals.
Interviewing, advising, and representing survivors of domestic violence in family law and matrimonial cases in Richmond County Family, Supreme, and Integrated Domestic Violence courts.
Representing Staten Island Legal Services at community events, stakeholder meetings, and off-site legal clinics, and working with partner community agencies to provide comprehensive services for our clients.
Conducting community outreach and education with our community-based partners.
Providing training to attorneys, advocates, and community members.
Advocating with agencies on behalf of clients.
Collaborating with a Social Worker and other attorneys on legal cases in an interdisciplinary practice model.
Completing administrative tasks, including timekeeping, file maintenance, uploading documents, data reporting, and case closing for grant compliance.
Complying with grant requirements, including providing information about Crime Victims Assistance and aiding clients in applying for benefits and compensation through the Office of Victim Services.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have a J.D. from an accredited law school and be admitted to the New York State bar or have an application currently pending;
2-4 years of matrimonial and/or family law practice in New York City strongly preferred;
Strong interest in litigation and working directly with survivors of domestic violence, including clients who are in crisis;
Strong ties to and/or understanding of Staten Island's low-income communities is a plus;
Commitment to social justice and working in low-income communities and communities of color to advance equity;
Superb analytical, writing, and oral advocacy skills;
Attention to detail and strong organizational skills;
Ability to work independently and under pressure; and
Fluency or proficiency in Spanish or another language spoken by the communities we serve is strongly preferred.

Salary determined by Collective Bargaining Agreement. Hybrid remote work policy, and excellent benefits package.

Dependent on work history and experience.

Salary Range:
$85,612 - $120,553 USD

All employees are strongly encouraged to continue to receive and maintain up-to-date COVID vaccinations unless they are unable to for medical or religious reasons.

Legal Services NYC is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, people over 40, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are strongly encouraged to apply.