Legal Aid Society

The Criminal Defense Practice of The Legal Aid Society has openings for a Staff Attorney in its DNA Forensics Unit. The positions are in our Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens Trial Offices. The DNA Unit was created in 2013 to provide citywide training, support and resources to attorneys whose clients are charged with forensic evidence, including DNA, fingerprint, ballistics, firearm and toolmark analysis. Staff Attorneys in the DNA Forensics Unit are the Society's in-house experts in forensic science matters and provide support for Criminal Defense Practice attorneys and other defense attorneys. They maintain caseloads pertaining to matters where DNA evidence or other forensic feature comparison methods are involved and provide support, including expert assistance and second-seating cases handled by other Society attorneys. All members of this citywide unit work together to develop, implement, and coordinate Society policy and litigation strategy concerning forensic science...

MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE POSITION The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking a Supervising Attorney for our citywide Immigration Law Unit (ILU) to assist with our detained removal defense project. As part of an initiative called the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), ILU represents detained clients in removal and bond proceedings before the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, related proceedings before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) and, when appropriate, in Family Court proceedings. NYIFUP is the nation’s first universal representation program for immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is a collaboration between Legal Aid, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders. ILU also represents NYIFUP clients who are released from custody and continue to meet income eligibility requirements. The Immigration Law Unit of The Legal Aid Society is a recognized leader...

MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE POSITION The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice has an opening for a Forensic Social Worker within the Elder Law Unit. The Elder Law Unit provides legal representation and support to seniors in housing court at risk of eviction. Elder Law Unit clients often present with substantial needs inextricably linked with the core eviction defense case. These needs/situations most often include (1) cognitive limitations or decline; (2) physical and/or mental health related disabilities, (3) Elder Abuse (physical, financial, emotional); (4) inability to continue to live in the community without additional support (medical, financial etc); (4) are not receiving all of the benefits they could be eligible for; and (5) other issues stemming from one or more of the above. Addressing these complex needs are integral to maintaining a client centered focus in the representation and to allow the client to maintain autonomy and to live in the community safely as long as...

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking experienced and talented lawyers with a deep commitment to public interest practice and policy to join a dedicated Housing team as a Supervising Attorney in our Housing Justice Unit – Tenant Defense. The Housing Justice Unit- Tenant Defense has community-based offices in each of the boroughs. The Supervising Attorney could be placed in any of our Neighborhood Offices. The Civil Practice’s Housing Justice Unit – Tenant Defense provides both eviction defense and affirmative litigation strategies to help advocate for our clients. Our Housing practice handles a broad range of individual tenant representation at the trial and appellate levels, including holdovers, nonpayment proceedings, HPs, Housing Authority administrative hearings, and state and federal court appeals, while our Housing Justice Unit - Group Advocacy practice represents low-income tenant associations and tenant groups in proceedings to enforce the...

The Immigration Law Unit (ILU) in The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice has one Temporary Staff Attorney position available. This one-year assignment will help ILU’s Federal Litigation team build capacity to represent low-income clients before the U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals to safeguard immigrants’ constitutional rights and ensure that immigration laws are accurately interpreted and fairly applied. In particular, the attorney will assist in expanding our capacity to assist non-citizens in habeas matters, including utilizing advanced technology to integrate emerging legal arguments and create sharable litigation resources. The Staff Attorney will work closely with colleagues, as well as the clients they represent, to identify federal court interventions to address our clients’ needs. The Staff Attorney’s essential duties will include undertaking affirmative and other litigation challenging unlawful policies and practices, including habeas...

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking staff attorneys for our city-wide Immigration Law Unit (ILU) to assist with detained removal defense. As part of an initiative called the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), ILU represents detained clients in removal and bond proceedings before the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, related proceedings before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) and, when appropriate, in Family Court proceedings. NYIFUP is the nation’s first universal representation program for immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is a collaboration between Legal Aid, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders. ILU also represents NYIFUP clients who are released from custody and continue to meet income eligibility requirements. ILU is a recognized leader in providing high-quality representation to non-citizens in all five boroughs of...

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking an experienced and talented lawyer with a deep commitment to public interest practice and policy to join a dedicated Housing team as the Supervising Attorney of the Elder Law Unit-Bronx. The ideal candidate will also have a passion for representing the most vulnerable clients and in multidisciplinary collaboration ensuring the seniors we represent not only preserve their tenancies but continue to live in the community healthy and safely long after their eviction case has ended. The Legal Aid Society has a long history of providing eviction defense services to seniors. The Elder Law Unit (ELU) is a city-wide unit with teams in both the Bronx and Brooklyn. The ELU is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team, including attorneys, social workers and paralegal casehandlers, specializing in eviction defense for seniors. The ELU recognizes that the preservation of housing for a senior often involves many intersecting...

MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE POSITION The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice has an opening for a Staff Attorney in the Family/Domestic Violence (DV) Project of the Bronx Neighborhood Office. The Family/DV Project provides comprehensive direct legal assistance to survivors of domestic violence in a broad range of civil matters, including orders of protection, divorces, custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, property rights, and contested divorces. The Family/DV Staff Attorney is expected to represent clients in all five boroughs primarily in family law and matrimonial matters, including contested matrimonials, custody, visitation, orders of protection, child and spousal support matters and uncontested divorces, as well as represent clients in multiple venues, including Supreme, Family, and the Integrated Domestic Violence courts. As part of the Family/DV Practice, the Staff Attorney will also work in conjunction with several community-based...

MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE POSITION The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking an experienced lawyer with a commitment to public interest practice to join a dedicated team of managers as a Supervising Attorney of the Queens Neighborhood Office’s Housing Justice Unit – Tenant Defense. The Civil Practice’s Housing Justice Program engages in both eviction defense and affirmative litigation and handles a broad range of individual tenant representation at the trial and appellate levels, including holdovers, nonpayment proceedings, HPs, Housing Authority administrative hearings, and state and federal court appeals. The Tenant Defense practice primarily handles eviction prevention cases through the Universal Access (often referred to as the Right to Counsel) program in Housing Court. The Supervising Attorney will primarily supervise staff, provide training, and facilitate intake. The Supervising Attorney participates in...

MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE POSITION The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking an experienced lawyer with a commitment to public interest practice to join a dedicated team of managers as a Supervising Attorney of the Queens Neighborhood Office’s Housing Justice Unit – Tenant Defense. The Civil Practice’s Housing Justice Program engages in both eviction defense and affirmative litigation and handles a broad range of individual tenant representation at the trial and appellate levels, including holdovers, nonpayment proceedings, HPs, Housing Authority administrative hearings, and state and federal court appeals. The Tenant Defense practice primarily handles eviction prevention cases through the Universal Access (often referred to as the Right to Counsel) program in Housing Court. The Supervising Attorney will primarily supervise staff, provide training, and facilitate intake. The Supervising Attorney participates in Practice-wide management discussions and...

MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE POSITION The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice has an opening for a Staff Attorney in the Family/Domestic Violence (DV) Project of the Bronx Neighborhood Office. The Family/DV Project provides comprehensive direct legal assistance to survivors of domestic violence in a broad range of civil matters, including orders of protection, divorces, custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, property rights, and contested divorces. The Family/DV Staff Attorney is expected to represent clients in all five boroughs primarily in family law and matrimonial matters, including contested matrimonials, custody, visitation, orders of protection, child and spousal support matters and uncontested divorces, as well as represent clients in multiple venues, including Supreme, Family, and the Integrated Domestic Violence courts. As part of the Family/DV Practice, the Staff Attorney will also work in conjunction with several community-based organizations that are...