POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
(JUNE 2018)
STAFF ATTORNEY - REGIONAL CONSUMER UNIT
The Regional
Consumer Unit of Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY)
has an immediate opening for a full-time staff attorney. LawNY has seven offices throughout
Western New York. If selected for this
position, the staff attorney will be located to work in one of our Southern
Tier locations, most likely Jamestown or Olean depending on the selected
candidate.
LawNY
is a not-for-profit law firm which provides civil legal services to low-income
clients in a fourteen-county region in the Finger Lakes and western New York
State. LawN provides
representation primarily in the areas of housing, family law, government
benefits, elder law, education, civil rights and consumer law. LawNY
focuses on meeting the legal needs of individual clients, as well as addressing
systemic problems that create barriers for clients living in poverty.
Responsibilities: Under the direction of the Project Facilitator and the Director
of Litigation and Advocacy, the staff attorney will:
1.
Staff LawNY's Regional Consumer Hotline, providing
information and resources to callers with consumer problems;
2.
Conduct initial client screenings and triage incoming consumer
cases;
3.
Maintain a caseload of consumer law cases, with a focus on impact
litigation;
4.
Conduct presentations and outreach to the community;
5.
Identify emerging trends in consumer law practice at the State and
Federal level, by participating in relevant workgroups and conferences;
6.
Work with other LawNY staff members and the community
to develop strategies to address systemic consumer problems that adversely
impact the low income communities we serve.
7.
Assist,
train and co-counsel with other LawNY advocates who are developing
consumer law practice skills;
8.
Develop
and sponsor trainings (including CLE accredited trainings), and assist consumer
practice group members with more complex litigation through review of pleadings
and moot court events;
9.
Strategize
PAI (attorneys, law students and other volunteers) in the consumer practice
area, in conjunction with LawNY's Pro Bono Coordinator.
Requirements: Applicants must have excellent legal advocacy and writing
skills, and must be willing to develop a particular focus and expertise on
consumer law issues. Working with other LawNY staff members and the
community, the selected applicant will help develop strategies, including
affirmative litigation, to address systemic problems that adversely impact the
low income communities that we serve. Applicants must demonstrate attention to
detail and be able to work as part of a Regional team, traveling as needed
throughout LawNY's service area.
Law school
graduates who have taken the first available New York State Bar examination
following completion of law school may qualify for a practice order pending
admission to the New York State Bar pursuant to the LawNY practice
order. Attorneys admitted in another
jurisdiction may qualify for a practice order for up to (18) months pursuant to
court rule. Proficiency in Spanish is an
advantage, but is not required.
Salary: Dependent on experience. The entry level annual salary for
a newly admitted attorney with no practice experience is $46,500 and increases
to $52,600 for an attorney with (5) years of experience. Staff attorneys are
eligible for annual increases based on an established salary scale. LawNY
provides an excellent health insurance, disability and benefits package. This
position is considered exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Procedure: Applicants should submit a cover letter describing
qualifications, resume, writing sample and the names of (3) references by June
30, 2018 to ensure full consideration. Applications will be accepted beyond
this date until the position is filled. Applications should be sent to the
attention of Laurie Lambrix, Deputy Director of Litigation & Advocacy via
email to: lawnyapplications@lawny.org.
LawNY
is an equal opportunity employer. LawNY encourages applications
from diverse candidates. LawNY welcomes applications regardless of
race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy,
national origin, age, disability, genetic information or any other
consideration protected by law. |