Paralegal Client Advocate, Parole Revocation Defense Unit

The Legal Aid Society; New York (NY); On-site; USD 64,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

The Legal Aid Society is seeking two Paralegal Client Advocates in the Bronx to work with the supervised community on re-entry issues and to support staff attorneys in parole revocation cases. The role involves extensive client contact, coordination with attorneys, social workers and court personnel, and travel to PRDU offices and facilities throughout NYC.

Responsibilities include interviewing clients, preparing documents for hearings, and assisting with research, memoranda and calendars.

Qualifications

• Excellent writing and communication skills required.
• Experience in advocacy on behalf of low-income people and non-citizens is desired.
• Notary Public or willingness to become one is preferred.
• Knowledge of NY criminal law and criminal procedure is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Interview and assess client requests for services, facilitate referrals to partnering service providers and provide other forms of direct client assistance
• Assisting attorneys with obtaining and preparing relevant documents for the parole revocation hearings and any other related proceedings
• Advise client of relevant re-entry services and programs and advocate for program placement.
• Corresponding with clients, their families, courts, adversaries and corrections officials to assist in release and re-entry back to the community
• Visiting Rikers Island Correctional Facilities and other facilities as needed
• Preparing documents for filing
• Writing memoranda and preparing reports
• Updating information in Law Manager
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Writing skills

Organizational skills

Word processing

Teamwork

Advocacy

Notary Public

Criminal law knowledge

Other language proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree (strongly preferred)

Paralegal certificate (ABA)

High school diploma / GED + 4+ years legal experience

4+ years combined higher education and legal experience

Tools

Law Manager

Job description

Subject to funding, the Parole Revocation Defense Unit of the Legal Aid Society has two openings for a Paralegal Client Advocate in the Bronx office. The position will consist of working with the supervised community on re-entry issues to prevent those at risk for reincarceration and provide secondary support to the staff attorneys in all phases of parole revocation cases. The position will involve significant communication with clients, attorneys, social workers and court personnel, as well as a working knowledge of the NYS parole revocation process. The positions will involve frequent travel during the work week to other PRDU offices, courthouse locations, community sites and correctional facilities in New York City, as needed.

The position will include regular visitations with PRDU clients in the office, at the courthouse, or other hearing locations on scheduled court dates, and visitation with clients at their individual correctional facilities. Client and hearing date visitation should focus on discussing their case, identifying potential legal issues, exploring the client’s life and social circumstances in the community, creating or obtaining community contacts to assist the client with housing, employment and community treatment needs to assist in client in obtaining release and achieve successful completion of parole supervision. The position will also involve assisting attorneys in representing clients in parole revocation hearings, writs of habeas corpus proceedings, including filing writs and creating and managing weekly court calendars, Article 78’s and appeals, as well as corresponding with clients, their families and contacting community programs and services. Responsibilities will also include the research, drafting and writing of memoranda and preparation of other documents, including but not limited to discovery demands, correspondence, and subpoenas.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Interview and assess client requests for services, facilitate referrals to partnering service providers and provide other forms of direct client assistance
• Assisting attorneys with obtaining and preparing relevant documents for the parole revocation hearings and any other related proceedings
• Advise client of relevant re-entry services and programs and advocate for program placement.
• Corresponding with clients, their families, courts, adversaries and corrections officials to assist in release and re-entry back to the community
• Visiting Rikers Island Correctional Facilities and other facilities as needed
• Preparing documents for filing
• Writing memoranda and preparing reports
• Updating information in Law Manager
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Eligible candidates must have at least one of the following:
• A bachelor’s degree (strongly preferred)
• A paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited paralegal program
• At minimum a high school diploma / GED and 4+ years of legal work experience
• 4+ years of combined higher education and legal work experience
• Excellent writing skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Excellent computer and word processing skills, including Excel
• The ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team
• Experience in and/or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people and non-citizens
• Notary Public or willingness to become one
• Valid NYS driver’s license helpful
• Knowledge of New York criminal law and criminal procedure is strongly desired
• Proficiency in a language other than English is desirable

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: $64,307 - $98,477

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

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.