Description:

A Social Services Organization has an immediate opening for a staff attorney to be a part of the dynamic Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) team. CPU represents clients in a wide and exciting range of consumer rights matters by helping low-income individuals fight devastating fraud, predatory lending, and illegal debt collection practices as well as assist those in need of crucial loan modifications and foreclosure defense.

The attorney for this position have the unique opportunity to be a part of the Taxi Advocacy Project (TAP) which assists NYC's yellow taxi medallion owners in various types of financial transactions and litigation cases. The attorney will work with lenders to resolve or reduce clients' grueling medallion loan debts. This is a unique chance to work with a dedicated population in desperate need of help, with NYLAG being one of the few agencies addressing medallion loan debt specifically. They will focus on providing the crucial screening, resources, information and some legal advocacy for clients; maintaining a significant client caseload of his/her/their own, and performing important legal intakes with clients and potential clients from a range of referral sources. The attorney's time may also be spent as needed on a wide range of relevant and necessary tasks for CPU, including conducting legal research; investigating new areas of relevant law; and many other tasks which may arise within and outside the unit.
The attorney working full-time on this project must be prepared to work out of the TLC center located in Long Island City up to 4 days a week, as needed. For the remainder of the days, the Attorney will be located in our main offices in the financial district, as well as go to court, clinics, work remotely or staff and other locations as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Desire to work directly with clients
Represent clients in the restructuring of their taxi medallion loans
Represent clients in the sale or transfers of their taxi medallion
Handle various business transactions for medallion owners
Handle real estate transactions from contract through closing
Represent clients in Chapter 7 bankruptcies
Represent clients in Surrogate Court matters
Represent clients in consumer debt litigation
Conduct thorough legal intakes with clients in need
Represent diverse clients in various and dynamic legal areas including consumer law, consumer debt, bankruptcy, foreclosure prevention, and other financial related areas of law
Litigate and conduct trials when necessary
Investigate facts through interviews and document collection
Advocate zealously on behalf of clients opposite various plaintiffs, lenders, organizations, and government agencies
Prepare a variety of legal documents for own cases as well as to assist other attorneys
Provide oral and written translations for attorneys who represent non-English-speaking clients in various scenarios, including court appearances if necessary
Perform legal research
Draft and distribute various outreach materials
Conduct relevant legal workshops to client communities
Data entry in client database and other outlets
Manage and assign tasks to volunteers as needed
Report to supervising attorneys on cases, legal strategies, scheduling, and other matters
Work closely and collaborate with NYLAG's team of experienced attorneys, supervisors, and case handlers, and receive both hands-on and formal training.
Other responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications:

Admission to the New York State Bar Required
Federal Court Admission preferred
Fluency in any of the following languages is preferred: Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Haitian-Creole, Russian
Experience with New York City legal firms, social services organizations, or experience with consumer law preferred
A commitment to, and passion for, serving vulnerable New Yorkers and immigrant populations of diverse backgrounds
Ability to handle a diverse caseload
Able to work independently and as part of a team
A desire to learn the relevant advocacy strategies and law
Strong commitment to, and passion for public service
Excellent communication, research, and writing skills
Excellent oral, written, and analytic abilities
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
Ability to work well with and enjoy collaborating with others