Two (2) Staff Attorneys

New York Legal Assistance Group; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 96,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

dental

vision

401k

life insurance

long term disability

commuter benefits

flexible spending accounts (FSA) for M

Job summary

New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks two staff attorneys to join the Consumer Protection Unit in NYC. You will work on taxicab medallion loan matters, consumer debt, foreclosures, and related civil matters, advising low-income clients and conducting outreach.

The role requires NY bar admission, strong research and writing skills, and a commitment to public service. Hybrid work with in-person client engagement is offered.

Qualifications

• Must be admitted to the New York State Bar.
• Federal court admission preferred.
• Fluency in Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Haitian-Creole, Russian preferred.
• Experience with NYC legal firms, social services, or consumer law preferred.
• Commitment to serving vulnerable New Yorkers and immigrant populations.
• Ability to handle a diverse caseload; work independently or in a team.
• Excellent communication, research, and writing skills; strong oral and written abilities.
• Strong organizational skills; collaborative and team-oriented.

Responsibilities

• Represent clients in the restructuring of taxi medallion loans.
• Represent clients in the sale or transfers of taxi medallions.
• Handle various business transactions for medallion owners.
• Manage real estate transactions from contract through closing.
• Represent clients in Chapter 7 bankruptcies.
• Conduct thorough legal intakes and client outreach.
• Provide translations for non-English-speaking clients and assist attorneys.
• Perform legal research and draft documents.
• Lead and participate in community workshops and outreach.

Skills

Bar admission

Federal court admission

Language fluency

Independent work

Team collaboration

Public service commitment

Communication skills

Research & writing

Analytical ability

Organizational skills

Education

Admission to NY State Bar

Federal Court Admission

Job description

About NYLAG

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g., courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

Job description

NYLAG has an immediate opening for two (2) staff attorneys to be a part of the dynamic Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) team. CPU represents clients in a wide and exciting range of consumer rights matters by helping low-income individuals fight devastating fraud, predatory lending, and illegal debt collection practices as well as assist those in need of crucial loan modifications and foreclosure defense. This positionpresentsthe unique opportunity to be a part of theTaxi Advocacy Project(TAP)whichassistsNYC’s yellow taxi medallion owners invarious typesof financial transactions and litigation cases.The hirewill work with lenders to resolve or reduce clients’ grueling medallion loan debts. This is a unique chance to work with a dedicated population in desperate need of help, with NYLAG being one of the few agencies addressing medallion loan debt specifically. Theywill focus on providingcrucialscreening,andlegal advocacy for clients; preparing and presenting materialswithresourcesandinformationon our services and client options;maintaining a significantclient caseload of his/her/theirown andperforming important legal intakes with clients and potential clients from a range of referral sources. The staff attorney will also conduct outreach and community workshops on a variety of project-relevantlegal topics and issues. This rolewillalso require participation in other projects within CPU,as needed,on a wide range of relevant and necessary tasks for CPU, including conducting legal research;court observation orvolunteering, investigatingnew areas of relevant law; and many other tasks which may arise within and outside theTaxi Advocacy Project.

Location and Work Arrangements

Attorneys on this project must be prepared to work out of the TLC centerlocatedin Long Island City, and/or other off-site clinic/outreach events up to 4 days a week, as needed. Some examplesofpossible sitesare the Taxi Clubhouse in Manhattan and JFKairport. For theremainderof the days,theAttorneywillbe located inour main offices in the financial district, as well as go to court, clinics, work remotely or staff and other locations as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Desire to work directly with clients
• Represent clients in the restructuring of their taxi medallion loans
• Represent clients in the sale or transfers of their taxi medallion
• Handle various business transactions for medallion owners
• Handle real estate transactions from contract through closing
• Represent clients in Chapter 7 bankruptcies
• Represent clients in Surrogate Court matters
• Represent clients in consumer debt litigation
• Court Appearances/Administrative Court Appearances
• Conduct thorough legal intakes with clients in need
• Representdiverse clients in various and dynamic legal areas including consumer law, consumer debt, bankruptcy, foreclosure prevention, and other financial related areas of law
• Litigate and conduct trials when necessary
• Investigate facts through interviews and document collection
• Advocate zealously on behalf of clients opposite various plaintiffs, lenders, organizations, and government agencies
• Prepare a variety of legal documents for own cases as well as toassistother attorneys
• Provide oral and written translations for attorneys who represent non-English-speaking clients in various scenarios, including court appearances if necessary
• Perform legal research
• Draft and distribute various outreach materials
• Conduct relevant legal workshops to client communities
• Data entry in client database and other outlets
• Draft and present training materials to funders,clientsand/or internally
• Manage and assign tasks to volunteers as needed
• Manage administrative work as needed for caseload and as needed for reporting
• Report tosupervising attorneys on cases, legal strategies, scheduling, and other mattersin a prepared manner
• Work closely and collaborate with NYLAG’s team of experienced attorneys, supervisors, and case handlers, and receive both hands-on and formal training.
• Other responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

• AdmissiontoNew York State BarRequired
• Federal Court Admission preferred
• Fluency in any of the following languages is preferred: Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Haitian-Creole, Russian
• Experience with New York City legal firms, social services organizations, or experience with consumer law preferred
• A commitment to, and passion for, serving vulnerable New Yorkers and immigrant populations of diverse backgrounds
• Ability to handle a diverse caseload
• Able to work independently and as part of a team
• A desire to learn the relevant advocacy strategies and law
• Strong commitment to, and passion for public service
• Excellent communication, research, and writing skills
• Excellent oral, written, and analytic abilities
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work well with and enjoy collaborating with others

NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

Employment type

Full-time

Professional Level

Professional

Salary Range

NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salaryrangefor this position is between$90,262- $96,436.

Benefits

• Medical
• dental
• vision
• 401k
• life insurance
• long term disability
• commuter benefits
• flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.

Hybrid Work Policy

NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.