POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Housing Paralegal will provide direct services to low income clients with housing issues in Livingston, Ontario, Yates, Wayne and Seneca Counties through LawNY®’s Housing Unit with support from federal and state grants.
The Housing Unit provides a variety of services including informational hotlines, education and outreach to the community, legal counsel and advice, negotiation with landlords on eviction and habitability issues, as well as representation in formal and informal hearings before housing authorities as well as summary eviction proceedings in town and village courts.
Staff Paralegals 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 paralegals play a critical role in realizing LawNY®’s vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Every Staff Paralegal is expected to actively engage in learning and becoming increasingly skilled in practice that supports this vision.
RESPONSIBILITIES These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position.
The Staff Paralegal will provide support to clients and attorneys, primarily in Housing Law matters, to include:
Coordinate and complete client intake
Maintain client files, both physically and electronically, within LawNY’s case management system
Advocate with community and governmental agencies regarding eviction prevention, living conditions of rental units, and maintenance of housing benefits for vulnerable populations.
Facilitate communication among parties, e.g., client, attorney, agency advocate
Draft correspondence and documents
Assist attorneys with preparation of cases, as permitted by law and ethical considerations
Maintain Court calendars, template document bank, and website articles
Build and maintain relationships with court staff, community groups, and other stakeholders
Ensure compliance with agency and funder policies
Outreach activities
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.
Prior experience with low-income and other oppressed communities and clients.
Lived experience with our client communities
Strong and proactive problem-solving abilities, time management, and organizational skills.
Ability to work under deadlines and manage multiple tasks.
Experience with the use of trauma informed care practices
Excellent use of Google Drive/GSuite, Word, and Excel; database programs
True fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.
Passion for social justice and commitment to the mission of LawNY.
COMPENSATION Salary is dependent on experience and based on a pay scale with annual increments.
The entry level salary (with no prior work experience) for a Paralegal is $33,670 increasing to $39,420 for a Paralegal with five years’ prior work experience. LawNY is a qualifying employer for public interest loan forgiveness program.
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 work load permits. This increases to 5 days per week once successfully finished with a probationary period with manager approval, as their workload permits.
ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
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.
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.
Research shows that women and people from under-represented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the desired competencies. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet all the desired competencies.
QUALIFICATIONS These are the basic requirements for the position.
Bachelor's degree, Associate’s degree, and/or relevant work experience, is required.
Organized and have excellent interpersonal and writing skills.
Demonstrated commitment to helping poor and disadvantaged people overcome institutional barriers to legal access.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and three professional references through LawNY®’s BambooHR platform, found here 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 Michelle Grillone 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, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other consideration protected by law.