Associate General Counsel

PUBLIC ADVOCATE; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of the New York City Public Advocate is hiring an Associate General Counsel to provide litigation and general legal support to the Deputy and General Counsel. The role requires NYS bar admission and strong experience with NYC governance and public policy issues.

Responsibilities include researching laws, responding to inquiries, assisting with proceedings, and coordinating with diverse partners on issues affecting NYC residents. A FOIL role and other duties may apply.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of legal experience.
• Admitted to the New York State bar.
• Excellent research, organizational, analytical and written/verbal communication skills.
• Strong knowledge about NYC government structure and NYS/NYC matters.
• Immigration law experience preferred.
• Bilingual English/Spanish proficiency a plus.

Responsibilities

• Providing litigation and general legal support to the Deputy and General Counsel.
• Researching and interpreting laws, statutes, rules, regulations.
• Responding to legal inquiries from staff on NYC local and administrative law.
• Assisting with administrative proceedings.
• Researching and monitoring issues across federal, NYS and NYC matters impacting residents.
• Consulting with internal and external partners on legal/policy matters.
• Serving as FOIL Officer and managing FOIL requests.
• Handling other matters as assigned by the General Counsel’s office.

Skills

Legal research

Analytical thinking

Written and verbal communication

Policy analysis

Team collaboration

Prioritization

Bilingual English/Spanish

Job description

The Public Advocate, an independently elected public official, serves as a direct link between city government and residents, acting as a “watchdog” for New Yorkers. The Public Advocate is a non‑voting member of the New York City Council, an ex officio member of all Council committees and introduces and co‑sponsors legislation. The Public Advocate serves on various City committees and appoints members to several boards and commissions. The Office of the New York City Public Advocate reviews and investigates residents’ complaints about City services and administrative actions, assists people having difficulty receiving City services, assesses whether City agencies are responsive to the public, and recommends legislative or policy proposals to address identified service deficiencies.

The Office of the New York City Public Advocate is seeking to fill an Associate General Counsel position in its Office of the General Counsel. Applicants must be admitted to the New York State bar.

LEGAL COUNSEL - 30166

Principal Duties

• -Providing litigation and general legal support to the Deputy and General Counsel;
• -Researching and interpreting laws, statutes, rules, regulations;
• -Responding to legal inquiries from staff on New York City local and administrative law;
• -Assisting with administrative proceedings;
• -Researching and monitoring a wide variety of legal issues relating to Federal, New York State and New York City legal and legislative matters that seek to address critical issues impacting NYC residents;
• -Consulting and collaborating with internal and external partners, including advocates, experts, government officials, and others on legal and policy matters relating to - education and opportunity, employment, healthy equity, housing equity, immigration, infrastructure and environmental justice, and justice and public safety;
• -Serving as Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Officer, which includes managing and responding to FOIL requests;
• -Handling other matters in the General Counsel’s Office as may be assigned

Preferred Qualifications

• -3 - 5+ years of legal experience.
• -Demonstrated commitment to public service and to the mission and vision of the Public Advocate.
• -Excellent research, organizational, analytical, written and verbal communication skills.
• -Strong knowledge about New York City government structure and its agencies and NYS/NYC state/local government matters. Familiarity with the New York City Charter, Administrative Code and Rules of New York City.
• -Ability to rapidly prioritize as well as execute while demonstrating good judgment in confidential and complex matters.
• -Experience working with diverse communities.
• -Reliable, conscientious and a team player.
• -Ability to establish effective working relationships.
• -Prior experience in Immigration law is preferred for this position.
• -Bilingual English/Spanish proficiency is a plus.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.