Forensic Social Worker, Criminal Trials Manhattan

The Legal Aid Society; New York (NY); On-site; USD 84,000 - 126,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid vacation

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Job summary

The Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Practice in Manhattan seeks a Forensic Social Worker to interview clients, gather life histories, and highlight mitigating factors such as mental health, trauma, and poverty to inform case strategy.

The FSW will advocate for alternatives to detention or incarceration, assess readiness for treatment, provide crisis intervention, and support attorneys with reports and referrals.

Qualifications

• MSW degree and NYS license (LMSW or LCSW) or eligibility, with potential LMSW within 6 months.
• Strong diagnostic skills with background in mental health, substance use, trauma and related issues.
• Ability to interface with Judges, District Attorneys and Correctional Personnel.
• Ability to negotiate with community-based treatment centers.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365.
• Ability to work within a team model.

Responsibilities

• Interview the client and collateral sources to build a life history.
• Identify collateral sources and perform bio-psycho-social assessments.
• Review life history records to document arguments for reports.
• Develop casework plans with attorneys and advocate for alternatives to detention.
• Assess readiness for treatment and refer to services.
• Prepare paperwork and supporting documents for program interviews.
• Educate clients about treatment options and provide crisis intervention.
• Provide information to attorneys about clients.

Skills

Interviewing clients

Crisis intervention

Advocacy in court

Written communication

Oral communication

Case management

Team collaboration

Microsoft 365

Negotiation with treatment centers

Organization

Education

MSW degree

New York State license (LMSW/LCSW) or eligibility

Tools

Microsoft 365

Job description

The Criminal Defense Practice has two openings for a Forensic Social Worker in its Manhattan office to provide client services. While working closely with the Criminal Defense attorneys, the Forensic Social Worker’s (FSW) primary role is to interview clients, and any collateral contacts, with the goal of gathering a life history to highlight mitigating circumstances such as mental illness, drug addiction, trauma and/or chronic poverty leading to a client’s involvement in the criminal justice system.

The FSW will then advocate for an alternative to detention, an alternative to incarceration, or lesser sentence, based on mitigating factors. The FSW will evaluate clients and recommend a treatment program. The FSW will fill out necessary paperwork and provide supporting documents to facilitate a client’s interview with a program and/or to assure a client’s acceptance into a program. The FSW educates the client about treatment options, offers crisis intervention, and short-term counseling. The FSW provides essential information to attorneys about clients.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Interview the client, performing a thorough bio-psycho-social assessment. During this process, crisis intervention, brief treatment, or short-term counseling may also be performed
• Identify and interview collateral sources of information. Collateral interviews are done with family members, friends, teachers, social workers, community members, and others connected to the client
• Request, review, and analyze life history records (i.e. school, medical, psychiatric) to document specific arguments within written reports
• Develop casework plans in conjunction with the attorneys, develop alternative sentencing plans, and provide advocacy in court
• Assess a client’s readiness for treatment and make referrals to substance abuse treatment, domestic violence, mental health counseling, shelters, etc
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• MSW degree and New York State (NYS) license in social work (LMSW or LCSW) preferred OR the ability to obtain LMSW licensure within 6 months of hire
• Strong diagnostic skills with a background emphasis in working with clients with the following special needs: MICA, physical illnesses and disabilities, mental health, intellectual disabilities and developmental delays, and histories of substance use
• Ability to interface with Judges, District Attorneys and Correctional Personnel
• Ability to negotiate with community-based treatment centers
• Ability to write persuasively
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Proficient in Microsoft 365
• Ability to work within a team model

Salary And Benefits

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $83,631 - $125,627

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more.

Higher Education and Loan Forgiveness

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.

studentaid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

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); 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 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.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

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 (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.