Staff Attorney, Adolescent Intervention and Diversion (AID)

Yourlegalaid; New York (NY); On-site; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

The Legal Aid Society seeks an Adolescent Intervention and Diversion (AID) attorney in the Manhattan Criminal Trials office to advocate for youths aged 14–17 in criminal courts and in related child welfare systems.

You will work within an interdisciplinary team including staff attorneys, mitigation specialists, and investigators to advance Raise the Age and holistic advocacy across education, foster care, mental health, and detention settings.

Qualifications

• Must be admitted to the New York State Bar and hold full felony certification.
• Experience in mitigation and sentencing advocacy is required.
• Interest in working with young people, families, and collateral organizations and systems.
• Interest in working in an interdisciplinary team model and pursuing area-specific training.

Responsibilities

• Represent clients aged 14-17 in Supreme Court.
• Handle adolescent offender arraignments and litigate to move cases to family court or Youth Part.
• Engage in collateral systems work including education, foster care, and mental health services.
• Collaborate with Juvenile Rights Practice lawyers and social workers and other practitioners.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Mitigation and sentencing advocacy

Interdisciplinary team collaboration

Youth and family engagement

Area-specific training interest

Education

New York State Bar admission

Full Felony certification

Job description

The Legal Aid Society has an opening for an Adolescent Intervention and Diversion (AID) attorney in the Manhattan Criminal Trials office. AID is an interdisciplinary team model comprised of Staff Attorneys, Mitigation Specialists and Investigators dedicated to representing teenage clients prosecuted in the adult criminal courts. In addition to criminal defense representation, including the specialized practice under the Raise the Age law, the unit provides holistic advocacy in the areas of education, foster care, mental health and substance use. We also engage in policy work to ensure that our clients’ needs are served in the school, mental health, juvenile detention and correctional systems. AID works closely with the staff of our Juvenile Rights Practice, which represents young people in the family court and child welfare system.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Represent clients aged 14-17 years of age in Supreme Court
• Handle adolescent offender arraignments and engage in litigation focused on removing felony cases to family court and litigating the cases that remain in the Youth Part and elsewhere in Criminal and Supreme Court
• Engage in collateral systems work for clients including school advocacy, interaction with foster care, youth shelters, mental health, community-based agencies, as well as visiting clients in detention, jail and prison facilities
• Collaborate with Juvenile Rights Practice lawyers and social workers as well as CDP practitioners including specialty projects
• Other duties as assigned

Required qualifications

• New York State Bar admission
• Full Felony certification required
• Experience in mitigation and sentencing advocacy
• Interest in working with young people, families and collateral organizations and systems
• Interest in working in an interdisciplinary team model
• Interest in area specific training

Preferred qualifications

• Additional experience that is preferred
• Insert additional knowledge, experience, or proficiencies that are preferred

Salary And Benefits

Salary Range: $86,520 - $157,075

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.

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.