AGENCY DESCRIPTION
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY®) is a not-for-profit law firm providing free legal services to eligible clients in civil cases through seven regional offices covering a fourteen county area in Western New York. LawNY® receives funding from the New York State Office of Court Administration, Legal Services Corporation, Interest on Lawyer Account (IOLA) Fund of the State of New York, AmeriCorps, Equal Justice Works and a number of other funders. Our workforce includes approximately 145 attorneys, paralegals and support staff.
POSITION SUMMARY
LawNY® is hosting two one-year Fellowships sponsored by Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps to focus on assisting elderly victims of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. One Fellow will be housed at LawNY®’s Rochester, NY office, and the other Fellow will be housed at LawNY®’s Olean, NY office. Pursuant to Equal Justice Works/AmeriCorps guidelines, the selected Fellows’ one year term of service must start between September 1 and September 30, 2016.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES
The Equal Justice Works Elder Justice Legal Fellow will:
• Provide high quality legal services to older adults who have been victims of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. In most instances, this will involve conducting intake, assembling evidence, conducting interviews and researching the relevant law.
• Create and support multidisciplinary teams of social workers, medical professionals, and law enforcement.
• Provide know your rights sessions at senior centers, nursing homes, assisted living communities, and other community-based settings.
• Recruit and train pro bono attorneys, through new and existing programs affiliated with the host sites.
• Collect data on the nature of the abuse and the services provided, including the indicia of abuse, the legal issue for which the client is receiving services, and the identity of the alleged perpetrators of abuse.
• These Positions are a one-year Fellowship, with a possible one year extension contingent upon continued AmeriCorps funding.
COMPENSATION AND OTHER BENEFITS
The Fellow will receive an annual living allowance, as well as financial support for housing, student loan repayment, and other permissible reimbursable living expenses. Additionally, Fellows receive an education award, health insurance, and other benefits. Interested applicants should contact LawNY® with any follow up questions.
QUALIFICATIONS
The ideal candidate will have the following:
• Admitted to practice in New York, a recent law school graduate who sat for the July 2016 NYS bar examination, or eligibility to practice in NY under pro hac vice rule (available as a result of bar membership in another state)
• A demonstrated commitment to public interest work and strong desire to assist indigent clients
• Strong writing, communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
• The ability work collaboratively in a variety of contexts
• Prior experience in managing independent projects or assignments
• Law school clinic, externship, summer or other relevant practice experience
• A valid driver’s license
• The ability to begin the fellowship no later than September 30, 2016.
• The ability to undergo and pass AmeriCorps-mandated criminal background checks (conviction for murder and/or presence on sex offender registry are automatic bars to service; other criminal convictions are allowable at the host site’s discretion)
• Prior experience regarding elder law issues a strong plus
TO APPLY: Please send a letter of interest, resume, law school transcript, a list of three (3) references with email addresses and telephone numbers, and a legal writing sample to Administrator Kaitlin Tharp at [email protected]. Interested applicants should apply as soon as possible. The Fellowship start date will between 9/1/16 and 9/30/16, but no later than 9/30/16. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted.