Staff Attorney, Program Wide Consumer Law Unit

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Job location
United States
Organization information
Organization name: 
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.
Job type: 
Legal - Civil
Position Description: 

Position Announcement: (FEBRUARY 2020)
Staff Attorney, Program Wide Consumer Law Unit (Rochester, NY)

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY®) has an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney in the Program Wide Consumer Law Unit. 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 field offices covering a fourteen county area in Western New York. Our Program Wide Consumer Law Unit was created in 2017 to increase LawNY’s capacity for representing clients with consumer protection problems. The staff attorney will assist the Program Wide Consumer Law Unit in expanding our consumer protection work by staffing our Consumer Hotline and taking high-impact litigation cases to stop the cycle of predatory and abusive practices that trap our clients in financial insecurity.

Duties:
The attorney will focus on a wide variety of consumer protection issues, including predatory debt collection, credit reporting disputes, student loans, bankruptcy, and deceptive consumer practices. The attorney will be expected to:

• Staff LawNY®’s regional Consumer Hotline, providing information and resources to callers with consumer problems;
• Conduct initial client screenings and triage incoming consumer cases;
• Maintain a caseload of consumer law cases, with a focus on impact litigation;
• Assist staff on presentations and outreach to the community;
• Identify emerging trends in consumer law practice at the State and Federal level, by participating in relevant workgroups and conferences;
• Work with other LawNY® staff members and the community to develop strategies to address systemic consumer problems that adversely impact the low-income communities we serve.

Position Location:
The attorney position can be housed in any one of our seven offices located in Rochester, Geneva, Ithaca, Bath, Elmira, Olean, or Jamestown, based on the selected candidate's preference. Any internal candidate selected for the position will not be asked to change locations. The position may require occasional travel to our other six office locations throughout the Western New York area.

Salary:
Salary is competitive and dependent on years of relevant experience. The entry-level annual salary for a newly admitted attorney with no practice experience is $50,000 and increases to $57,500 for an attorney with five years of experience. LawNY® provides an excellent benefits package including health, dental and vision insurance, generous leave provisions, retirement plan, paid parental leave, disability coverage, a flexible and accommodating work schedule, and numerous opportunities for professional development and other benefits.

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY®) is an equal opportunity employer. LawNY® encourages applications from diverse candidates. 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 FLSA.

Requirements: 

Position Location:
The attorney position can be housed in any one of our seven offices located in Rochester, Geneva, Ithaca, Bath, Elmira, Olean, or Jamestown, based on the selected candidate's preference. Any internal candidate selected for the position will not be asked to change locations. The position may require occasional travel to our other six office locations throughout the Western New York area.

To apply: 

Procedure:
Applicants should submit the following: 1) a cover letter describing qualifications; 2) resume; and 3) the name and contact information of three references to be contacted if an offer is extended; and 4) an optional legal writing sample. Applications should be sent to the attention of Deputy Director, Kate Woods, via email to: [email protected].

Notes: 
Equal Opportunity Employer
Salary range: 
Dependent Upon Experience
Submission deadline: 
Wednesday, April 1, 2020