The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice has a Paralegal Casehandler position available in the Consumer Law Project. With three dynamic staff attorneys, the Consumer Law Project provides legal advice, representation and outreach to low-income New Yorkers in all five boroughs of New York City in a range of consumer matters, including those related to credit card debt, identity theft, rent arrears, medical debt, and student loans. The Project also offers representation and assistance with bankruptcy and, in particular, specializes in providing legal assistance and advocacy for survivors of intimate partner violence in the areas of consumer law. In addition to direct representation, the Project also brings affirmative litigation and participates in legislative and systemic advocacy to protect and strengthen the rights of New York consumers. The Paralegal Casehandler will work both independently with clients and collaboratively with a small team; they will be on the “frontlines” of bringing greater economic justice to New Yorkers.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Conducting client intake and interviews
Gathering, reviewing, and organizing client documents and court files
Providing advice, counsel, and representation under the supervision of attorneys
Preparing and reviewing petitions, schedules, statements, and other bankruptcy documents
Assisting with legal research
Advocating on behalf of clients with various administrative agencies, companies, and institutions
Assisting clients in completing relevant petitions, letters, applications, and forms
Providing administrative support with developing affirmative litigation; reviewing, organizing and preparing discovery, and managing cases
Inputting and maintaining records in a case management system
Creating and updating community education and training materials and participating in community outreach
Advocating and lobbying on issues of importance to consumers
Other duties as assigned
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
Paralegal certificate from an ABA-accredited paralegal program, bachelor’s degree in relevant field
Excellent written, oral advocacy, and computer skills (Microsoft Office and Excel) are required
Ability to work independently and in a team and manage a large workload
Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations
Excellent time management, priority setting and organizational skills, and ability to multi-task
Experience in and/or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income individuals and immigrants, particularly in the area of economic justice, is strongly desired
Experience assisting people in crisis is desirable, but not required
Proficiency in Spanish is highly desirable, but not required
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.
Cover Letter
Resume
SALARY TRANSPARENCY
The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.
Salary Range/ Salary: $60,033 – $91,932
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if an offer is made.
Click here to read more about the benefits of working at The Legal Aid Society
HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOAN FORGIVENESS
The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs.
Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.
studentaid.gov
hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The leadership of 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, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
WORK AUTHORIZATION
All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.
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.