Job Description
About NYLAG: Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combating 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 380 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.
Job description NYC’s Universal Access initiative has fully expanded the Right to Counsel in Housing Court to all New Yorkers with low incomes facing eviction. NYLAG’s Tenants’ Rights Unit (“TRU”) has one Russian-speaking paralegal position immediately available on its Brooklyn Team.
TRU is an integral part of NYC’s Right to Counsel Coalition to ensure New Yorkers in communities that are burdened by systemic socioeconomic barriers who are at risk of eviction have the right to an attorney to represent them in Housing Court and certain administrative proceedings. TRU represents clients in a full range of tenants’ rights matters, including defending against evictions in housing court, advocating in administrative proceedings, and bringing affirmative litigation.
As inflationary pressures have disparately impacted the communities we represent, eviction prevention legal services are more critical now than ever. The paralegal will focus on providing litigation and Russian-language support for attorneys representing tenants in Brooklyn Housing Court and will regularly conduct in-person legal intake with tenants in eviction proceedings.
TRU, which has an extremely committed, collegial, and hard-working team of about 65 staff attorneys, 17 paralegals, and 17 supervisors, is a great place to start or build your legal career and gain valuable skills while combatting the threat of eviction and homelessness.
Duties and Responsibilities: - Advocate with various organizations and government agencies on behalf of clients to ensure clients access and/or maintain crucial public benefits;
- Conduct thorough client legal intakes;
- Investigate facts through follow-up client interviews and requesting documents from clients and outside agencies;
- Prepare legal documents to assist attorneys;
- Provide oral and written translations for attorneys who represent Spanish-speaking clients in various scenarios, including court appearances;
- Conduct home visits as needed;
- Perform legal research and represent clients at administrative hearings; and
- Assist with grant compliance and reporting.
Qualifications: - Superb and meticulous attention to detail;
- Excellent organizational, analytical, writing and communications skills;
- Demonstrated passion for social justice and commitment to working with communities burdened by systemic socioeconomic barriers and communities of color to advance equity;
- Demonstrated ability to speak, read, and write Russian fluently; major plus factor for those who also speak Spanish, Mandarin, French, or other languages prevalent in Brooklyn;
- Demonstrated ability to multitask, be reliable, and prioritize in a fast-paced, high-volume professional environment;
- Either a bachelor’s degree or two or more years of relevant work experience.
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: ☒
Entry Level Salary Range : NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salary range for this position is between $52,571 - $58,817 .
Benefits : Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.
Application Instructions: Please upload your cover letter and resume as a single PDF document. You must submit a cover letter with your resume to be considered for the position.
Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.
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.
Job Tags
Full time, Work experience placement, Immediate start, Flexible hours, 2 days per week,