Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT 

FULL-TIME STAFF PARALEGAL

The Geneva Office of Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY) has an immediate opening for a Staff Paralegal to work on a regional eviction prevention project. LawNY is a not-for-profit law firm providing civil legal services to low-income clients in a 14-county area of western New York.  LawNY’s mission is to increase access to justice through excellent legal representation, advocacy and service.

The Staff Paralegal will provide support to clients and attorneys, primarily in eviction proceedings and eviction-related matters. The Staff Paralegal will join a newly expanded eviction prevention program. We seek to enable those at-risk of homelessness to maintain their housing and prevent eviction through the provision of legal representation and advocacy. We provide representation to tenants in city, town and village courts throughout our service area. We also work with a diverse group of community stakeholders in our efforts to help tenants maintain their current housing or relocate to secure and stable alternative housing.

This Staff Paralegal position will be located in LawNY’s Geneva Office, located in Geneva, New York. The Geneva area offers reasonable housing costs and a high quality of life.  LawNY staff are offered a hybrid workplace within a standard 35 hour work week, Monday through Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm. LawNY values and promotes a collaborative environment and a healthy work life balance.

LawNY is committed to equitable inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin, and culture. We are striving to transcend the construct of race and be an anti-racist law firm. We encourage staff to bring their whole selves to work each day and pledge to celebrate every aspect of who they are.

Responsibilities: These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position. 

• Client screening and intake, including obtaining documentation and determining eligibility for services.
• Client interviews and investigation.
• Assisting attorneys in the preparation of cases, including conducting legal research and preparing drafts of legal documents and memorandum, as permitted by law and ethical considerations.
• Relationship-building with court staff, community groups and other stakeholders.
• Data collection and file maintenance in keeping with LawNY guidelines and grant requirements.
• Outreach activities including connecting with and educating client groups with relevant legal information and available resources including LawNY programs.

The applicant must be detail-oriented and have the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. The applicant must have the caring, patience, and emotional maturity to help low-income people overcome crisis situations. LawNY maintains an extensive safe operations plan and seeks to ensure the safety of both our staff and our clients. All staff are still required to fulfill their professional obligations, which may require some direct in-person contact with clients and in-person appearances in court or administrative agencies. 

Requirements:  Bachelor's degree, Associate’s degree, and/or relevant work experience, is required.

Qualifications: These are the traits, attributes, attitudes and skills that speak to the candidate’s ability to succeed in the position. While no one candidate will possess all of these, the ideal candidate will have many of the following qualifications. LawNY encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge, skills and experience, as well as professional skills and experience, in relation to the list of qualifications. 

• Be organized and have excellent interpersonal and writing skills. 
• Demonstrate a commitment to helping low-income and disadvantaged people overcome institutional barriers to legal access.

• Understand the specific experiences of historically marginalized racial groups in the U.S., particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latinx groups.
• Embrace and actively promote an inclusive and equitable work environment.
• Able to serve as an advocate for individuals of all ethnicities, genders, ages and backgrounds.

• Have strong problem-solving abilities, time management, and organizational skills.
• Able to work under deadlines and manage multiple tasks.
• Able to empathize and sensitively respond to people in crisis situations.
• Experience with the use of trauma informed care practices is highly preferred.  
• Ability to use Google Drive/GSuite and Word, Excel and database programs are a plus.
• Proficiency in Spanish is an advantage but is not required.
• Have a passion for social justice and commitment to the mission of LawNY.

Salary: Salary is dependent on experience and based on a pay scale with annual increments. The entry level annual salary for a Staff Paralegal with no experience is $33,670 and has the potential for promotion and increased salary to $39,420 after 5 years of paralegal experience.  

Benefits: We provide a superlative package of fringe benefits including:

• 94% employer paid health insurance, with significant HSA contributions to offset high deduction plans                                                                                                                       
• 100% employer paid dental and disability insurance                                                    
• $50,000 automatic life insurance  
• Remote Work Policy: New staff are able to work from home up to 3 days per week during their 6 month probationary period with manager approval. This increases to 5 days per week once successfully finished with a probationary period with manager approval.
• LawNY is committed to providing a work-life balance to their employees.  We encourage and support a 35 hour work week to ensure our employees have this balance.

Leave:  We also provide a very generous leave package including, in the first year of employment, four weeks of vacation,12 sick days and 5 personal days. New parents receive 20 days of paid leave.

LawNY participates in the Legal Services Corporation loan repayment assistance program and is a qualifying public service loan forgiveness employer.

This position is considered Non-Exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

HOW TO APPLY:  To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and three references through LawNY’s BambooHR platform,  here.  Please include the [last name] [firstname] [position sought] in the name of your documents.

To promote social justice and achieve our mission, LawNY® is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and creating an inclusive and respectful workplace. In your cover letter, please explain how you think your lived and/or professional experience or background has prepared you to contribute to a work environment with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Questions? Contact Kevin Wilson @ kwilson@lawny.org

Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. 

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY) is an equal opportunity employer. LawNY® strongly encourages applications from Black, Indigenous and People of Color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups whose background may contribute to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. 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.