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About the Role

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice seeks a talented Paralegal Casehandler with a deep commitment to serving low-income workers to join the Employment Law Unit. The Employment Law Unit provides legal services to low-wage and unemployed workers, focusing on wage-and-hour violations, workplace discrimination, family and medical leave, labor trafficking, and unemployment insurance claims. The Unit also engages in policy and legislative advocacy to improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers.

Responsibilities

Manage own case load and provide advice and direct assistance to clients in the employment law area
Interview and assess client requests for services
Represent clients at unemployment insurance hearings and appeals, which requires interviewing clients, reviewing and analyzing documents, preparing witnesses to testify, preparing for cross-examination, researching and preparing closing statements, and drafting
Represent clients at administrative hearings to remove barriers to employment, including but not limited to hearings regarding the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
Advocate with state agencies, including but not limited to the NYS Department of Labor, and the NYS Office of Children and Family Services
Assist with litigation support tasks
Conduct policy advocacy on behalf of clients
Develop community education and training
Conduct off-site community outreach work and training, including during early and evening hours
Keep detailed electronic case notes and maintain organized document files
Participate in client and community outreach efforts
Participate in continuous professional development
Continuously learn about forms of bias in the workplace and demonstrate affirmative behaviors that support an inclusive work environment
Other duties as assigned

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree (strongly preferred)
A paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited paralegal program
At minimum a high school diploma / GED and 4+ years of legal work experience
4+ years of combined higher education and legal work experience
Excellent written, oral advocacy, and computer skills
Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team and manage a large workload
Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations
Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to keep organized case files and detailed notes
Experience assisting people in crisis
Experience in and/or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people
Proficiency in languages other than English
Commitment to Legal Aid Society’s mission to secure equal justice before the law for all New Yorkers
Interpersonal and communication skills that enable healthy and productive working relationships
Ability to perform duties with the highest regard for confidentiality, integrity, and respect
Commitment to Legal Aid Society’s mission and values
Mostly sedentary, significant time using a computer and monitor; communicating and meeting using video
May or will require travel within NYC, across the five borough region
All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit.
Submit a Cover Letter and Resume as a combined PDF.

Skills

Oral advocacy
Computer skills
Organizational skills
Interpersonal skills
Communication skills

Location

Work Type

Full-time

Experience Level

4+ years of legal work experience
4+ years of combined higher education and legal work experience

Education Level

Bachelor's degree
Paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited paralegal program
High school diploma / GED

Salary/Compensations

$66,843 - $102,358

Benefits

Health insurance
Paid vacation
Disability insurance
Life insurance
Qualified employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Access to State and Federal loan forgiveness programs
Potential New York state assistance with loan repayments

About the Company

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation.
We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs.
Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.

Equal Opportunity

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.