POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT (March 2022)
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF LITIGATION AND ADVOCACY
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY®) has an immediate opening for a deputy director of litigation and advocacy.
LawNY® provides free civil legal help to individuals and families struggling with poverty in a nearly 10,000 square mile 14 county area with an urban center in Rochester and rural counties in western New York, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier. We provide services through seven staffed offices located in Bath, Elmira, Geneva, Ithaca, Jamestown, Olean and Rochester. Including AmeriCorps attorneys and paralegals, we presently have 173 staff members, including 81 attorneys.
In 2021, we closed nearly 5,400 cases, including 31% housing law, 25% family law, 20% government benefits, 5% consumer and 5% wills and estates and advance care directives. We are also deliberately growing our practice in the areas of employment and education.
We have a revenue side budget of over $18.8 million, with approximately 90 contracts with various federal, state, county and city agencies, as well as area United Ways, foundations and private donations.
LawNY® is committed to equitable inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin and culture.
Responsibilities:
The director of litigation and advocacy will provide information, technical assistance, co-advocacy, supervision, training and strategic support to staff on litigation, systemic advocacy, permissible legislative advocacy, outreach and engagement with the community, media advocacy and emerging legal advocacy approaches. Specific responsibilities will include:
Requirements:
The deputy director of litigation and advocacy reports to the executive director and works in partnership with the management team which includes other deputy directors, managing attorneys, diversity, equity and inclusion managers, the chief finance officer, the director of technology and the director of pro bono affairs. The deputy director of litigation and advocacy directly supervises the managing attorney of the eviction prevention program, the director of pro bono affairs, four program wide litigation support attorneys and leadership of the program wide consumer law unit.
Salary and Benefits:
Salary is dependent on experience and will increase annually based upon LawNY®’s salary scale, budget permitting. The starting salary range is $68,820 with five years of experience, the minimum experience level for this position.
We provide a superlative package of fringe benefits including:
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.
Location:
The position can be based in any LawNY® office. The federal court in which LawNY® presently engages in our most significant litigation is located in Rochester.
Application Process:
To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and three references through LawNY®’s BambooHR platform here: https://lawny.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=56, by March 31, 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 under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
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