About NYLAG

Founded in 1990, the New York Legal Assistance Group provides free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers. The organization serves immigrants, seniors, the homebound, families facing foreclosure, renters facing eviction, low-income consumers, those in need of government assistance, children in need of special education, domestic violence victims, persons with disabilities, patients with chronic illness or disease, low-wage workers, low-income members of the LGBTQ community, Holocaust survivors, and others in need. The organization's annual operating budget is over $30 million. Serving more than 87,000 New Yorkers annually, New York Legal Assistance Group maintains a paid staff of approximately 290, supported by 2,200 pro bono attorneys and other volunteers and interns. For more information, applicants are encouraged to visit www.nylag.org.

Mission

The New York Legal Assistance Group uses the power of the law to help New Yorkers in need combat social and economic injustice. We address emerging and urgent legal needs with comprehensive, free civil legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community education.

Values that guide us

• We reduce the effects of poverty by providing high quality, effective civil legal services. 
• We partner with our clients to help them transform their lives and strengthen their communities.
• We address our clients' multiple legal needs by collaborating across our practice areas.
• We are at the forefront of identifying and understanding New Yorkers' most pressing legal needs, rapidly adapting to meet these needs with innovative programs and partnerships.
• We assess need broadly, recognizing that need is not a function of income alone.
• We collaborate with community organizations and engage pro bono attorneys and volunteers to serve a greater number of people with unmet civil legal needs.
• We achieve systemic change through class actions, impact litigation and by advocating for just laws and policies.
• We work to create a welcoming and inclusive work environment that reflects the communities we serve.
• We teach and train the next generation of legal service professionals.

Job Description:

This position is a collaboration of the MLHC Project and the Tenants' Rights Unit (TRU). The MLHC is a joint project between NYLAG and the New York State Courts Access to Justice Program which brings free, civil legal services directly to individuals in their communities who would otherwise not be able to access such services. TRU is an integral part of NYC's Right to Counsel Coalition to ensure low-income New Yorkers who are at risk of eviction have a right to an attorney to represent them in Housing Court and certain administrative proceedings.

MLHC/TRU is looking for an admitted attorney passionate about public interest law, social justice, and expanding access to justice who wants to protect low-income tenants from eviction and homelessness and advocate for low-income tenants' rights.

TRU, which has an extremely committed, collegial, and hard-working team of nearly thirty staff attorneys, ten paralegals, and four supervisors, is a great place to start or build your legal career and gain valuable litigation skills while combatting the threat of eviction and homelessness. The MLHC component of this position will afford the successful applicant the opportunity to engage with high-need NYC communities in providing access to NYLAG's full range of civil legal services while working with a team of three other MLHC attorneys, a project director, and a paralegal.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Handle full representation non-payment and holdover proceedings in Housing Court, which involves frequent motion practice, discovery and depositions, extensive communication with clients, intense negotiations with opposing counsel, and significant advocacy with outside agencies on behalf of clients.
• Handle litigation before administrative agencies as necessary, including NYCHA termination of tenancy proceedings, DHCR matters, and proceedings where clients' Section 8 vouchers are being terminated.
• Engage in non-litigation advocacy to resolve clients' housing-related legal issues outside of court and administrative tribunals.
• Staff the MLHC van on a weekly basis and engage in other community outreach initiatives as needed.

Qualifications:

Requirements

• Admission to New York Bar (recent graduates who have completed housing internships while in law school will also be considered)
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law and social justice
• Excellent legal research and writing skills
• Litigation experience

Plus factors

• At least one year of experience representing tenants in NYC Housing Court
• Fluency in Spanish, French, Russian, Haitian Creole, Bengali, or another foreign language prevalent in NYC.

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.