Supervising Attorney, Foreclosure Prevention & Home Equity Preservation Unit (Queens) - Kew Gardens, NY

The Civil Practice of The Legal Aid Society is seeking an experienced and talented lawyer with a deep commitment to public interest practice and policy to join a dedicated citywide team of managers, staff attorneys, social workers, supervisors and support personnel as a Supervising Attorney in the Civil Practice's Queens Neighborhood Office (QNO) where they will supervise QNO's Foreclosure Prevention and Home Equity Preservation Unit. This unit provides comprehensive legal services to homeowners and challenges predatory lending and real estate abuses through affirmative litigation.

The Supervising Attorney will be responsible for mentoring the Unit's three attorneys and three paralegal case handlers, representing LAS at coalition meetings and with elected officials, assisting with grant management and development, and guiding the overall direction of the Unit. The QNO Supervising Attorney will also coordinate with the Bronx Neighborhood Office's Foreclosure Prevention Unit's Supervising Attorney and will provide supervision of that unit when necessary.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Coordinate with the Bronx Neighborhood Office's Foreclosure Prevention and Home Equity Preservation Unit and provide supporting supervision to the Bronx unit when necessary
• Supervise and mentor staff attorneys, paralegals and volunteers, including developing staff members' skills and knowledge
• Manage on a day-to-day basis the work of staff attorneys and paralegals in the Queens Neighborhood Office including holding weekly team meetings, conducting regular individual case reviews, reviewing legal papers, managing staffing changes, and handling staff schedules
• Monitor and maintain a high standard of representation and client service
• Foster and encourage teamwork and communication
• Reinforce and maintain staff accountability
• Assist with client representation in state and federal court proceedings
• Develop impact and/or affirmative litigation
• Analyze legal issues, develop legal strategy and supervise the implementation of legal strategies
• Coordinate intake
• Maintain a reasonable individual caseload, as time permits
• Participate in practice-wide management discussions and decision-making, and attend management trainings
• Assist with the development, funding, and implementation of grants, including the preparation of grant reports and attending funders' meetings
• Provide oversight of pro bono initiatives
• Respond to client, community and staff concerns
• Participate in citywide and statewide coalition meetings and task forces, including developing and leading new initiatives on legislative and policy matters
• Develop and maintain community support and relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials and the courts
• Conduct community education, training and outreach and promote the work of the office, the foreclosure prevention practice and the Civil Practice
• Conduct off-site intake, including during evening hours
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

• Admission to the NYS Bar
• Minimum of five years of legal practice preferred
• Experience in foreclosure prevention work, including in Supreme Court and where applicable
• federal court
• Experience litigating in various forums, including state and federal courts
• Excellent litigation skills and experience litigating individual and group cases
• Excellent oral and written advocacy skills
• Demonstrated commitment to and experience in public interest law and civil legal services
• Demonstrated commitment to policy advocacy and administrative reform preferred
• Demonstrated experience in a mentorship, supervisory, or management role preferred
• Demonstrated leadership ability preferred
• Grant-writing and fundraising experience preferred
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills
• Commitment to exploring alternative approaches for legal practice
• Ability to work in and value a collaborative team model
• Knowledge in other practice areas within civil legal services practice a plus but not required
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Supervision Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to schedule, assign, and manage work and resolve problems as needed
• Ability to manage the work including: assessment of work process and outcomes, gathering relevant information about the work, recommending alternatives, or elevate issues as needed
• Ability to clearly identify roles, responsibilities, delegate tasks and hold people accountable
• Ability to create and implement effective communication plans
• Ability to provide meaningful performance feedback for professional development including having difficult conversations and resolving sensitive employee issues
• Pursue continuous learning on forms of systemic oppression of marginalized identities and establish team norms and management practices using an equity mindset and informed by inclusive practices

Organizational Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Commitment to Legal Aid Society's mission to secure equal justice before the law for all New Yorkers
• Interpersonal and communication skills that enable healthy and productive working relationships
• Ability to perform duties with the highest regard for confidentiality, integrity, and respect
• Commitment to Legal Aid Society's mission and values

Physical, environment, travel, and other duties required:

• Mostly sedentary, significant time using a computer and monitor; communicating and meeting using video

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: $99,444 - $163,507

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.