Deputy Director/Attorney, Compliance & Training, PAH-Brooklyn

Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A•New York, NY

6d•$116,000 - $134,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Since 1968, Build Up Justice NYC (BUJNYC) has provided free legal services for low-income residents of Brooklyn, pursuing neighborhood-based mission of justice, empowerment, and community development. For over half a century, we have utilized an array of legal and advocacy strategies—community organizing, affirmative civil rights litigation, and eviction defense to defend the rights of individuals and families. Collaboration with the city, state, and federal officials to enforce housing laws and develop legislative solutions is also an integral part of our strategy. BUJNYC has three core programs—Preserving Affordable Housing (PAH) Program, Consumer & Economic Advocacy (CEA) Program, and Community & Economic Development (CED) Program—each of which has unique initiatives and plays a vital community role to ensure basic needs are met and fundamental rights affirmed. The Deputy Director/Attorney, Compliance and Training will supervise attorneys in the PAHB program that represent low-income tenants in Brooklyn facing eviction in court and before administrative agencies and bringing affirmative litigation. They will provide legal oversight, mentoring and guidance and quality control for all casework handled by staff ensuring compliance with legal compliance and ethical standards. The Deputy Director will lead case review and assignment meetings to ensure manage the continuing education and professional development of attorney staff.

Requirements

Admission to the bar of the State of New York or eligible for admission
Minimum 5 years’ experience working in New York civil and/or Federal, or other relevant public interest litigation; housing law preferable
Minimum 5 years’ experience working with clients in the nonprofit sector, low-income communities, community organizations and/or coalitions
Experience supervising a team of attorneys, paralegals and administrative staff
Experience working with clients in the public sector, low-income tenant groups, community organizations and/or coalitions
Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with individuals from diverse backgrounds, local organizations and people in desperate crisis
Demonstrated ability to interact with client/tenants of different races, ethnicities, ages, and sexual orientations in a multicultural environment and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
Excellent legal writing, litigation and advocacy skills in English
Ability to work independently with strong motivation, to manage a high case load, track case data, meet deadlines, and to be flexible
Computer proficiency sufficient to independently review and generate legal briefs/writings and other supervisory tasks
Experience managing case management system to ensure accurate data collection and statistical tracking
Ability to collaborate as needed write narrative reports for grant and contracts
Basic knowledge of New York City and State housing laws and rules
Must be available to work hybrid work schedule with 3 days in-office/2 days remote with some nights and weekends as required
Thorough commitment to Build Up Justice NYC’s mission

Nice To Haves

bi-lingual in other language preferred

Responsibilities

Lead weekly case assignment meetings and manage assignments to ensure professional skills and experiences are developing for attorney staff
Coordinate and supervise program work, including scheduling and attending meetings and case reviews, assign appropriate cases to the team, and provide support on case strategy
Participate in the development, implementation and management of program procedures to ensure meeting case numbers and other program deliverables
Supervise writing attorneys to facilitate development of templates, drafting legal documents, pleadings, motion brief and appeals and providing writing training for attorneys and paralegals
Oversee data in case management system to ensure it is up to date and compliance of program procedures are being maintained, gather data for grant reporting and provide support for grant reporting to funders
Manage pro-bono collaborations and program interns in coordination with Program Director
Organize learning opportunities for team to ensure career growth paths for staff attorneys are maintained
Conduct legal research and keeping current on state law and procedures within area of practice
Conduct trainings for community-based organizations and coalitions in the related substantive matters to include but not be limited to Know-Your-Rights housing workshops, clinics, and other educational outreach activities to ensure that tenants are aware of their protections under housing laws
Draft and update programmatic and educational materials for program staff and as requested for clients/outreach events
Attend meetings and perform administrative tasks related to the work and supervision, such as timekeeping and case tracking and notes
Other duties as assigned
Provide additional support as needed for client intake and screening, and provide advice, consultation, advocacy, and brief services to potential clients at clinical programs in the community and other community event
Conduct discovery and depositions and represent/facilitate communication with clients, negotiations with opposing counsel and advocacy with outside agencies on behalf of clients
Attend client meetings and participate in community outreach efforts promoting program services which may occur during evening and weekends as necessary
Use technical knowledge and experience, 2nd seat/co-chair/partner with staff attorneys on challenging and complex cases
As needed, represent clients facing eviction in court to ensure that the procedure is fair, and the law is appropriately followed and applied
As needed, represent clients in non-payment, holdover, HP, 7A, and harassment proceedings in housing court and/or assist in settlement conferences
As a team leader, provide feedback and mentorship to staff attorneys and ability to represent the team