The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking an attorney with a deep commitment to public interest practice and policy to be the Director of Elder Law. The Director will lead efforts to grow and support an Elder Law Practice in all boroughs and will act as a coordinator of Elder Law services citywide. The position is located in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
The Director of Elder Law will be responsible for the overall direct administration and oversight of a dedicated, interdisciplinary team in the handling of a broad range of civil legal services for senior citizens, with an emphasis on housing (especially Rent Control/Rent stabilizations ad government housing subsidy issues) and government benefits (such as Social Security/SSI disability and non-disability issues, Medicaid, Medicare, home care, SCRIE/DRIE, public assistance, adult protective services), as well as consumer law, guardianship, and advance directives.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide legal and managerial leadership for the Civil Practice in Elder Law
- Supervise, train, and mentor staff attorneys, social workers, paralegals, and volunteers
- Manage the Assigned Counsel Project in the Bronx and Brooklyn
- Monitor and maintain a high standard of representation and client service
- Develop impact and/or affirmative litigation
- Assist with planning and conducting citywide and statewide coalition meetings and task forces
- Provide oversight of pro bono initiatives as they relate to Elder Law Practice
- Participate in Practice-wide and Society-wide management discussions and decision making
- Develop and maintain community support ad relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials, and the courts
- Represent the Civil Practice and Legal Aid in the community
- Conduct community education, training, and outreach, and promote the work of the office and the Civil Practice
- Other duties as assigned
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
- Admission of the NYS Bar
- Minimum of eight years legal practice required
- Demonstrated experience, preferably minimum of 3 years, working with the senior population
- Experience litigating in various legal forums, including State and Federal courts
- Knowledge of various practice areas within civil legal services
- Excellent oral and written advocacy skills
- Excellent litigation skills
- Demonstrated commitment and experience in public interest law
- Supervisory and management experience
- Demonstrated leadership ability
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills
- Commitment to exploring alternative approaches for legal practice
- Ability to work in a collaborative team model
- Pro Bono, government, public service, and academic experience is desirable, but not required
- Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required
- Demonstrated commitment to addressing fundamental issues of poverty and justice particularly as they concern senior citizens within a comprehensive civil legal services model of representation
SALARY TRANSPARENCY
The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
COVID VACCINATION INFORMATION
The Legal Aid Society is taking precautions and implementing safety measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to comply with New York City's requirements concerning Covid-19. All members of the Legal Aid community have a shared responsibility to support and comply with policies and protocols to protect the health and safety of our community. Learn more about our COVID-19 policy by visiting our website.
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.
As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth; one’s gender identity may be male, female, neither or both, e.g., non-binary), gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not be distinctively male or female and may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.