Staff Attorney, Special Litigation Unit (SLU)

The Special Litigation Unit of Legal Aid Society's Criminal Law Reform team is seeking an attorney to develop creative and innovative legal advocacy and systemic law reform strategies across a range of criminal justice matters.

The Special Litigation Unit of The Legal Aid Society's Criminal Law Reform team engages in civil litigation, policy advocacy and organizing to address systemic injustices affecting the Legal Aid Society's criminal defense clients and their families. Examples of past work include federal litigation challenging the NYPD's stop-and-frisk practices and the NYPD's violent response to the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd, litigation compelling arraignments within 24 hours, and policy advocacy to reform New York's pre-trial criminal discovery and bail statutes. Working within the Special Litigation Unit, the Staff Attorney will be responsible for initiating new litigation strategies, managing active litigation, and supporting policy advocacy and organizing through research, lobbying, and coalition building across a range of issues.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Litigate complex civil rights cases in state and federal court
• Conduct research and work with other components of Legal Aid to identify opportunities for new litigation and advocacy strategies
• Engage in research and advocacy to support policy reform at the city and state levels
• Represent the Legal Aid Society in coalitions and develop and maintain relationships with coalition partners
• Act as a spokesperson for Legal Aid on issues within areas of expertise
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• Admission to New York State bar
• Minimum of four year's legal experience including demonstrable experience litigating civil rights issues in state or federal courts. Clinical and clerkship experience counts
• Clear understanding of the rules of civil procedure and the dynamics of civil litigation
• Excellent legal research and analysis skills
• Excellent written and oral advocacy skills
• Excellent collaboration skills, including an ability to foster constructive, respectful working relationships with colleagues and coalition partners and an understanding of the importance of attention to principles of diversity and inclusion in collaborative relationships
• Demonstrable commitment to issues of racial justice
• Favorable consideration will be given to attorneys with:
  
  
  
  • Experience in policy development and legislative advocacy; and/or
  • Criminal defense experience
  
  
  
  

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: $83,844- $147,907

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.)

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter

• Resume

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.

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.