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About the Role

The Legal Aid Society seeks a seasoned litigator, strategist, and advocate to lead the LGBTQ+ Law and Policy Initiative. This role will focus on advancing equity in the legal system for LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those at the intersection of race, gender, poverty, and other marginalized identities. The initiative aims to identify and address complex legal and policy issues through research, advocacy, litigation, and community engagement.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with Law Reform Units to identify issues for impact litigation and oversee those efforts.
Develop and implement a strategic plan for addressing systemic issues impacting LGBTQ+ clients, including policy advocacy, impact litigation, legislative advocacy, and public education.
Engage in coalition-building with community and government mobilization efforts to effect policy change.
Lead efforts to train Legal Aid staff on representing LGBTQ+ clients holistically and from a cultural humility perspective.
Develop and produce internal training materials.
Respond to client, community, and staff concerns regarding LGBTQ+ issues.
Provide support to staff representing LGBTQ+ clients.
Supervise Legal Aid’s Name Change Clinic with The Ali Forney Center.
Develop and maintain relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, legislators, and the courts.
Develop and produce advocacy and public education materials for community outreach and media campaigns.
Seek visibility through public appearances, including speaking engagements, media appearances, conferences, and public forums.
Engage in data collection and analysis on LGBTQ+ issues.
Utilize data and research to support media, advocacy, and education efforts.
Develop and produce external educational and advocacy materials informed by research and data.
Schedule employee hours, assign work, approve time-off, and approve remote work schedule requests.
Attend management meetings and participate in management training.
Conduct management and supervision practices that affirmatively support equity and inclusion.
Supervise direct reports in setting performance standards, provide feedback, and issue disciplinary action.
Identify and provide training and development opportunities for staff.
Identify, delegate, and document work responsibilities, roles, and procedures.
Identify and implement department/unit management and accountability practices.
Resolve employee conflict and complaints, and address union concerns.
Lead organizational and culture change for the unit.
Participate in continuous professional development.
Continuously learn about forms of bias in the workplace and demonstrate affirmative behaviors that support an inclusive work environment.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Admission to the New York State Bar.
Minimum of 7 years legal experience, including at least 5 years of experience with complex strategic litigation in state and federal courts implicating constitutional, civil rights, or civil liberties issues.
Experience practicing law, including litigation, through an LGBTQ+ and racial justice centering framework.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Exceptional public speaking ability and experience.
Demonstrated commitment to racial and social justice work, civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and anti-discrimination law.
Experience working with underserved communities and experience with grassroots community organizing.
Significant experience in legal training and education.
Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills, and the ability to foster constructive, collegial working relationships with colleagues.
Commitment to exploring alternative approaches for legal practice.
Commitment and experience working with and building networks and partnerships with people of color-led LGBTQ+ organizations and advocates.
Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable but not required.
Knowledge and experience with LAS’s client base as well as LGBTQ+ legal issues.
Experience in policy work surrounding LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice issues.
Deep understanding of intersectionality and its relation to structural oppression.
Demonstrated leadership ability.
Ability to work in and value a collaborative team model.
Ability to work with Pro Bono lawyers and volunteers.
Ability to schedule, assign, and manage work and resolve problems as needed.
Ability to manage work including assessment of processes and outcomes, gathering information, recommending alternatives, or elevating issues.
Ability to clearly identify roles and responsibilities, delegate tasks, and hold people accountable.
Ability to create and implement effective communication plans.
Ability to provide meaningful performance feedback, including difficult conversations and resolving sensitive employee issues.
Pursue continuous learning on forms of systemic oppression of marginalized identities and establish team norms and management practices using an equity mindset and informed by inclusive practices.
Commitment to The 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 The Legal Aid Society’s mission and values.
Mostly sedentary, significant time using a computer and monitor; communicating and meeting using video.
Requires occasional or frequent physical movement to perform essential job functions which may include, bending, reaching, pulling, pushing, standing or walking for long periods of time, accessing small spaces.
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.

Skills

Complex strategic litigation
Policy advocacy
Impact litigation
Legislative advocacy
Public education
Coalition-building
Community engagement
Training and technical assistance
Client support
Data collection and analysis
Media engagement
Strategic planning
Leadership
Team management
Interpersonal communication
Organizational skills
Public speaking
Cultural humility

Location

New York City

Work Type

Full-time
Hybrid

Experience Level

7+ years legal experience
5+ years complex strategic litigation experience

Education Level

Juris Doctor (JD) degree
Admission to the New York State Bar

Salary/Compensations

$170,000 - $175,200

Benefits

Health insurance
Paid vacation
Disability insurance
Life insurance
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligibility
New York state loan forgiveness programs

About the Company

The Legal Aid Society exists to ensure no New Yorker is denied the right to equal justice because of poverty.
For 150 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those who have struggled in silence.
We offer exceptional legal services on the front lines and behind the scenes.
Annually, over two million New Yorkers benefit from our services, impact litigation, policy, and advocacy work.
Our LGBTQ+ Law and Policy Initiative works across Criminal Defense, Civil, and Juvenile Rights Practices.
The initiative identifies and examines complex issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression equity.
We aim to help staff become competent in providing direct legal services to LGBTQ+ clients.
The unit raises awareness of systemic oppression faced by LGBTQ+ people, especially communities of color.
We are 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 strong professional relationships with clients and colleagues.
Every member is expected to continuously learn about identity, bias, and systemic oppression and participate in efforts to dismantle bias.

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 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.