ABOUT LawNY
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY®) is a not-for-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income clients in a 14 county area of Western New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. LawNY® has seven fully staffed field offices in Bath, Elmira, Geneva, Ithaca, Jamestown, Olean and Rochester, satellite offices in Lakeville and Lyons, and a business office in Rochester.
LawNY® has been providing high quality legal representation for 54 years, and today has over 180 employees, including attorneys, paralegals, and a legal support team who work closely across areas of specialization to bring a holistic approach to addressing legal issues affecting our clients and community. While our services are always expanding, our core priorities remain intact. Our 2021 cases were closed in the following practice areas: housing (31%); family law (25.5%); income maintenance (20.5%); health law (9.4%); miscellaneous benefits including wills, advanced care documents, and filing waivers (5.2%); consumer law (4.7%); employment (1.8%); education (1.3%) and individual rights (0.8%).
LawNY® is committed to equitable inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin, and culture. We are increasingly committed to creating a law firm where race equity, diversity and cultural competency are integral components of our work, from client advocacy to internal operations.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Staff Attorney will provide direct legal representation through LawNY’s Medical-Legal Partnership project (Finger Lakes Legal Care) and with our Special Populations Program unit.
Medical-legal partnerships embed attorneys on site in health care settings to work with physicians, nurses, and social workers to address health-harming legal needs and to provide legal interventions that may impact patient/client health outcomes.
The Special Population Program unit serves seniors aged 60+, veterans, crime and elder abuse victims, children with special educational needs, and other vulnerable individuals.
Staff Attorneys at LawNY® provide comprehensive legal services to eligible clients and the ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of how civil legal issues affecting low-income communities intersect with social and economic justice. Staff Attorneys play a critical role in realizing LawNY®’s vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Every Staff Attorney is expected to actively engage in learning and becoming increasingly skilled in practice that supports this vision.
ABOUT ROCHESTER
The Rochester office serves Monroe County which is located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario and serves as a gateway to the Finger Lakes region of Western New York. Rochester is an early industrial boomtown with progressive roots in the abolitionist and women’s rights movements, home to historic residents like Susan B. Anthony and Fredrick Douglass and business giants Kodak and Xerox.
Rochester culture is informed by a vibrant music scene, beautiful parks, and frequent arts festivals and a booming number of new restaurants, breweries, and public markets. The Erie Canal towpath and Genesee Riverway trails also offer miles of rich history and outdoor adventure. Notable nearby museums include the Strong National Museum of Play, Memorial Art Gallery, and the George Eastman Museum.
Rochester has an average cost of living and accessible transportation options including dedicated bike lanes, safe sidewalks, and public transit. The current housing market is moderately competitive with a median home sale price of $140,000 and 1 bedroom apartments available for around $1000/month.
QUALIFICATIONS These are the basic requirements for the position.
Admitted to practice and in good standing in New York State, eligible for admission without examination, or willing to take the next available Bar examination.
Demonstrated commitment of service to low-income people.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
RESPONSIBILITIES These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position.
Maintain a full-time caseload representing eligible clients.
Develop and maintain specialized knowledge in the areas of medical/legal/special populations.
Provides legal services to low income clients and client groups regarding these matters including advice, negotiation, litigation and administrative advocacy.
Interacts respectfully with clients from a wide range of backgrounds, with an awareness of the importance of cultural competence and humility.
Collaborates with other LawNY® advocates, human services providers, non-profit organizations and community groups as well as the courts, administrative tribunals and the private bar to address legal problems within our community, including providing community legal education.
Contributes to a safe and healthy work environment for fellow employees.
Cooperates in all grant reporting requirements, program reporting, timekeeping, file maintenance, case closing and compliance review.
Maintains a high level of professional competence through attendance of training sessions, seminars and conferences and individual efforts to keep abreast of current developments in the area of poverty law and the application of an equity lens to client service.
ADDITIONAL TRAITS AND SKILLS 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 the qualities listed, the ideal candidate will have many of these qualities. LawNY® encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as professional skills and experience in relation to this list.
Litigation and advocacy experience in state and/or federal court, administrative forums, and poverty law.
Experience incorporating an anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens into legal practice.
An understanding of the concepts of structural and institutional racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
Strong interpersonal skills, including a commitment to providing trauma-informed services.
Lived experience with our client communities.
True fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.
Ability to work under deadlines and manage multiple tasks.
COMPENSATION
Salary is dependent on experience and based on a pay scale with annual increments. The beginning salary for a Staff Attorney is $58,000 and the salary for a Staff Attorney with five years of experience is $64,000. LawNY® staff may also qualify for public interest law school loan forgiveness programs.
LawNY® provides an excellent package of fringe benefits including 94% employer paid health insurance with significant HSA contributions, 100% employer paid dental and disability insurance, vision coverage, and $50,000 automatic life insurance as well as generous leave provisions 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® is committed to providing a work-life balance to their employees. We encourage and support a 35 hour work week to ensure our employees have this balance. We also offer a remote work policy where new staff are able to work from home up to 3 days per week during their 6 month probationary period with manager approval, as their case load permits. This increases to 5 days per week once successfully finished with a probationary period with manager approval, as their case load permits.
Admitted to practice and in good standing in New York State, eligible for admission without examination, or willing to take the next available Bar examination.
Demonstrated commitment of service to low-income people.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and three professional references through LawNY®’s BambooHR platform, found here https://lawny.bamboohr.com/careers/160 and at www.lawny.org/Employment. When outlining work experience on a resume, candidates are requested to label each position as full-time or part-time and describe unpaid volunteer/internships as such.
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 also include an explanation of how you think that your lived and/or professional experience or background has prepared you to contribute to support a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion at LawNY®.
--Questions or Accommodations? Contact Sandra Coyne at [email protected]
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.