Staff Attorney, Public Benefits
Neighborhood Legal Services
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. seeks a Staff Attorney for the Public Benefits practice. The Staff Attorney will handle public benefit matters, including Temporary (cash) Assistance, SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), Medicaid, and emergency benefits for Western New Yorkers living with low to no income. The Staff Attorney will learn the underlying law for both ongoing and emergency (including homeless shelter placement) benefits that help our clients meet their most basic needs for food, shelter, and medical care.
The Staff Attorney will provide informal advocacy, representation at administrative Fair Hearings, and litigation where necessary. The position will include significant client contact and case handling under the supervision of the Program Director. The Staff Attorney will also be responsible for outreach and engagement with community partners and the governmental agencies that administer benefits to provide both individual advocacy and systemic change.
Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to bringing economic justice to low income, marginalized individuals and communities. Advocacy on behalf of diverse clients, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation and identity, socio-economic status, immigration status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and Limited English Proficiency.
The position requires strong written and oral communication skills, the ability to organize and prioritize duties, manage a diverse case load, and meet critical deadlines while working independently.
This is a full time position with excellent benefits including paid time off and opportunity for student loan forgiveness.
J.D. and NYS Bar Admission are preferred but recent law graduates pending admission are welcome to apply. Second language fluency is preferred but not required.
NLS is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply. Employer recruits without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, ancestry, sex, gender (including identity or expression), sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or protected veteran status and any such candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
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