Borough Chief

City of New York•New York City, NY

22h

About The Position

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. ACS manages community-based supports and foster care services, and provides subsidized childcare vouchers. ACS child protection staff respond to allegations of child maltreatment. In juvenile justice, ACS oversees detention, placement and programs for youth in the community. The Division of Family Court Legal Services (FCLS) is primarily responsible for representing the Administration for Children’s Services in child neglect and abuse cases, permanency hearings, juvenile delinquency hearings and other child welfare proceedings in the five Family Courts. FCLS attorneys work collaboratively with ACS Child Protective Specialists (CPS), foster care agency case planners and other ACS staff and child welfare stakeholders to further the agency’s mission on behalf of children, youth and families. Under executive direction with wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment, initiative and decision, will serve as the Staten Island Family Court Legal Service’s Borough Chief. The Borough Chief will lead the borough’s management team and be involved with the overall management and leadership of the borough’s law office.

Requirements

Admission to the New York State Bar
Four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.
Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Responsibilities

Providing direct supervision to attorneys of all levels, including Deputy Borough Chiefs and junior attorney staff
Providing direct supervision of non-attorney staff
Oversight of the administrative needs of the office
Screening cases for intake
Providing legal counsel to ACS program areas
Representing ACS at meetings with stakeholders and family court personnel
Providing training to attorneys and case work staff and consulting with other program area managers on case deferrals and settlements
Advising and making recommendations on questions of law, fact and administrative policy
Ensuring staff are current on case law and agency policy
Ensuring that court actions are consistent with the law and ACS policy
Managing Deputy Borough Chiefs to ensure they are providing appropriate supervision to the subordinate staff on all aspects of litigation including but not limited to preparing and arguing appeals
Meeting and working regularly with his/her counterparts from other boroughs and with the Deputy and Associate Commissioners of the Division of Child Protection as well as Foster Care Agency and Close to Home Providers
Managing the senior attorney staff to litigate complex and very difficult cases on behalf of the Commissioner
Responding to agency needs on an emergency basis during and outside of business hours