General Counsel

Legal Services NYC; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 172,000 - 222,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

403(b) plan

Generous leave time

Job summary

Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) seeks a seasoned General Counsel to lead the organization’s legal strategy and risk management. The role reports to the Executive Director and collaborates with senior leadership to guide governance, labor and employment matters, and compliance for a nonprofit civil legal services provider in New York City.

The ideal candidate has a JD, New York bar admission, at least 10 years of legal experience, and strong supervisory background in a unionized setting, with a

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree and NY bar admission or eligibility.
• Minimum of 10 years of legal experience.
• Substantial supervisory/managerial experience.
• Labor and employment law experience, including supervisory/managerial in a unionized environment.
• Experience with corporate governance and regulatory and compliance issues.
• Excellent judgment and discretion, and the ability to balance legal risks with business demands.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Providing labor and employment law advice to LSNYC's Executive Director and senior management, and, when appropriate, in consultation with outside counsel.
• Advising senior management on grievances under the CBA, conducting grievance hearings as requested and representing the organization in arbitration or collaborating with outside counsel in preparing for arbitrations.
• Assisting with collective bargaining, including responding to union information requests.
• Providing guidance for the organization in risk management including proactive solutions to manage risk.
• Representing the organization or assisting with litigation and other matters in which LSNYC and/or its employees are parties, including working with outside counsel.
• Advising and training on professional responsibility matters and identifying and resolving client conflicts of interest.
• Reviewing real estate leases;
• Drafting agreements for the organization.
• Reviewing and negotiating grants and contracts with funders, vendors, and subcontractors.
• Supervising LSNYC's Compliance department which ensures compliance with applicable laws governing New York nonprofits, including New York's Not-for-Profit Corporation Law.
• Developing and updating office policies.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Skills

Labor and employment law

Supervisory/management

Corporate governance

Regulatory/compliance

Analytical/problem-solving

Communication

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school

New York Bar admission or eligibility

Job description

Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, we have challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and provided legal services that help our clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC is the largest civil legal services provider in the country; our staff of more than 600 people in neighborhood-based offices and outreach sites across all five boroughs helps hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers annually. We partner with scores of community-based and client-run organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness. Our work fights discrimination and helps to achieve equity for all low-income New Yorkers.

LSNYC employees have numerous opportunities for growth and professional development, including access to our internal Justice Learning Center, which provides opportunities to earn free CLEs and gain experience as a trainer.

General Counsel

Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. As the largest civil legal services provider in the country, our staff of 700 people in neighborhood-based offices across all five boroughs provides high-quality, free legal assistance to more than 100,000 New Yorkers annually. For almost 60 years, we have challenged systemic injustice and helped New Yorkers meet basic needs related to housing, income, immigration, family, education, and health. We partner with scores of community-based and client-run organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness. Our work fights discrimination and helps to achieve equal opportunity for all low-income New Yorkers.

Job description

LSNYC seeks a highly motivated and dedicated attorney to join its team as General Counsel. A new position, the General Counsel will report to LSNYC's Executive Director and work closely with the LSNYC's Senior Leadership team to provide high-level guidance to the organization

This is a challenging role, requiring a high level of expertise in multiple areas of law, as well as strategic thinking skills. The ideal candidate will have strong labor law and employment law experience and supervisory/management experience in a nonprofit unionized environment, and must have the ability and desire to stay up-to-date with legal trends and development and if needed, learn new areas of the law so as to best serve the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Providing labor and employment law advice to LSNYC's Executive Director and senior management, and, when appropriate, in consultation with outside counsel.
• Advising senior management on grievances under the CBA, conducting grievance hearings as requested and representing the organization in arbitration or collaborating with outside counsel in preparing for arbitrations.
• Assisting with collective bargaining, including responding to union information requests.
• Providing guidance for the organization in risk management including proactive solutions to manage risk.
• Representing the organization or assisting with litigation and other matters in which LSNYC and/or its employees are parties, including working with outside counsel.
• Advising and training on professional responsibility matters and identifying and resolving client conflicts of interest.
• Reviewing real estate leases;
• Drafting agreements for the organization.
• Reviewing and negotiating grants and contracts with funders, vendors, and subcontractors.
• Supervising LSNYC's Compliance department which ensures compliance with applicable laws governing New York nonprofits, including New York's Not-for-Profit Corporation Law.
• Developing and updating office policies.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and state bar admission in New York or eligibility for immediate membership.
• Minimum of 10 years of legal experience.
• Substantial supervisory/managerial experience.
• Labor and employment law experience, including supervisory/managerial experience in a unionized environment.
• Experience with corporate governance and regulatory and compliance issues.
• Excellent judgment and discretion, and the ability to balance legal risks with business demands.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to further the goals of a mission-driven organization and to be guided by its values.
• Ability to work well with diverse constituencies.
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest work and/or supporting work for social change.

Compensation & Benefits

LSNYC offers an excellent benefits package and highly competitive public interest salary. Our benefits include health, dental and vision plans, contributions to a 403(b) plan, and generous leave time.

Salary Range

$171,978.00 - $222,343.00 USD, commensurate with experience.

Work Location

This is a hybrid position based in New York City with a minimum of 5 in-office days over each two-week period.

Legal Services NYC is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, people over 40, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are strongly encouraged to apply.

Dependent on work history and experience.

Salary Range

$171,978—$222,343 USD

All employees are strongly encouraged to continue to receive and maintain up-to-date COVID vaccinations unless they are unable to for medical or religious reasons.

Legal Services NYC is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, people over 40, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are strongly encouraged to apply.