Closing Date: 16th July, 2024

Description:

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

Requirements:

Admission to New York State Bar, or J.D. (has passed the bar exam or met all requirements for admission)
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