Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT (January 2022)

MANAGING ATTORNEY – EVICTION PREVENTION PROGRAM

 

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY) has an immediate opening for a Managing Attorney.  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, including the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions.  LawNY® is committed to equitable inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin and culture.

 

Reporting to the Director of Litigation and Advocacy, the managing attorney for eviction prevention is charged with developing and managing a new program that will provide representation in evictions and related civil legal matters such as income supports to low-income clients in the mostly rural, underserved counties that comprise the majority of the LawNY® service area. 

 

LawNY’s seven offices are located throughout the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions of New York, an area abounding with recreational and cultural activities.  Coupled with reasonable housing costs, the area offers a high quality of life. Staff work a hybrid schedule and even some court appearances remain virtual.  LawNY® takes an innovative approach to helping low-income clients maintain the essentials of life. LawNY® values and promotes a collaborative environment and a healthy work life balance. 

 

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

 

• overseeing the day-to-day functioning of the eviction defense program;
• building the program infrastructure from the ground up, including hiring staff and leasing and outfitting new office spaces;
• coordinating service delivery with managing attorneys in other LawNY® offices;
• developing future plans and activities to support the work being done in the program;
• ensuring supervision, training, leadership development and other support for staff;
• overseeing financial and grants management/reporting;
• engaging in collaborations with other community agencies, organizations and bar associations;
• supporting the office’s private attorney pro bono involvement efforts;
• fundraising;
• ensuring that eviction prevention program staff are engaged in program wide work groups and initiatives, including diversity, equity and inclusion; and
• participating as a member of the LawNY® management team. 

 

Requirements:

• Admission or eligibility for admission on motion to the New York State bar and a minimum of five years of experience as a practicing attorney.

 

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 professional skills and experience, in relation to the list of qualifications.

 

• A minimum of three years of experience in a supervisory capacity.
• Demonstrated commitment to helping low-income and marginalized persons overcome institutional barriers to justice. 
• Experience with project conception, planning, launch, execution and control for service delivery in a non profit setting.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and undertake complex initiatives. 
• Ability to manage complex and overlapping project schedules and tasks.
• An understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
• An understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-oppression concepts and issues, especially as they apply to agency recruitment, hiring and retention.
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with colleagues, community organizations and government agencies. 
• Demonstrated dedication to working in and ability to sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected and safe.
• Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills. 
• Experience with grant administration, reporting and budgeting.
• Prior legal experience with low-income and other oppressed communities and clients.
• Understanding of the principles of race equity analysis and the intersection of racism and poverty and their application to LawNY’s organizational life and to our work. 
• Passion for social justice and commitment to the mission of LawNY®.
• Ability to work under deadline and manage multiple tasks.
• Excellent use of Google Drive/GSuite, Word and Excel; database programs a plus.
• Strong problem solving abilities, time management and organizational skills.
• Ability to support staff in their pursuit of career advancement and professional development. 

 

Salary and Benefits:  Salary is dependent on experience and based on a pay scale with annual increments.  The salary for a candidate with five years of experience is $65,820 and for a candidate with 10 years of experience it is $72,720.

 

We provide a superlative package of fringe benefits including:

 

• in 2022, 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.

 

We also provide a very generous leave package including, in the first year of employment, 20 days of vacation plus 13.5 holidays and two floating holidays.  Employees also receive 12 sick days and five personal days per year.  New parents receive 20 days of paid new parent leave.

 

LawNY® staff may qualify for public interest law school loan forgiveness programs.

 

To Apply: To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and three references through LawNY’s BambooHR platform, here by February 4, 2022.

 

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.

 

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. This position is considered exempt pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act.