Managing Attorney

City of New York•New York City, NY

About The Position

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) oversees housing standards across all 3.7 million homes in New York City. As the nation’s largest municipal housing agency, HPD is responsible for building and preserving affordable housing, protecting tenants from harassment and displacement, and holding landlords accountable across the five boroughs. Under Commissioner Dina Levy and the Mamdani Administration, HPD is pursuing an ambitious housing agenda focused on the needs of New York’s tenants. With a broad set of tools including standards enforcement, tenant resources, and the creation of new affordable housing, HPD is committed to making New York City a more affordable place for renters and homeowners alike. The Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services (OENS) is charged with enforcing the New York City Housing Maintenance Code and New York State Multiple Dwelling Law. To ensure compliance with the legal and regulatory obligations of these laws, the Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services conducts inspections, issues violations, corrects emergency conditions, seeks civil penalties and enforcement of Orders to Correct in Housing Court, issues fees, targets proactive and building-wide activities to buildings identified with systemic maintenance issues and responds to claims of harassment based on maintenance conditions. OENS works closely with other HPD divisions and community partners to identify distressed buildings and develop appropriate strategies to address those properties. The Office of Enforcement of Neighborhood Services is composed of seven divisions: Data Management & Technology (DMT), Division of Neighborhood Preservation (DNP), Administration & Internal Compliance (AIC), Housing Litigation Division (HLD), Division of Code Enforcement (DCE), Emergency Operations and Enhanced Enforcement Division (EOD) and Division of Emergency Housing Services (EHS). The Housing Litigation Division (HLD) initiates litigation against building owners in Housing Court to ensure compliance with housing standards contained in the New York City Housing Maintenance Code and New York State Multiple Dwelling Law. HLD seeks orders to correct violations, civil penalties, access warrants, 7A Administrators and appears in tenant-initiated proceedings.

Requirements

Admission to the New York State Bar
Three years of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar
Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment
One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar
Six months of satisfactory service as an Agency Attorney Interne (30086)
Two years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment
Three years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment

Nice To Haves

Experience litigating complex cases involving housing maintenance issues
Experience litigating issues involving tenant harassment
Possesses excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as proficiency with PC software such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word
Knowledge of the various HPD’s internal databases, including but not limited to: HLD’s Litigation Management System (LMS) and HPDINFO

Responsibilities

Serving as a Senior Staff Attorney and litigating complex cases
Assisting the Supervising Attorney in managing the Bronx Unit
Assisting the Supervising Attorney in managing the Bronx Unit, including supervising legal staff litigating complex cases or handling matters having significant financial, procedural and policy consequences
Executing difficult and involved negotiations on behalf of the agency
Reviewing, revising and approving agreements prepared by other attorneys
Conferencing disputes between landlords and tenants regarding housing code violations
Preparing and reviewing complex briefs, motions, legal opinions, affidavits, memoranda and other legal papers related to housing code violations
Reviewing and assessing cases on merit and preparing memoranda with recommendation
Completing research and preparing cases for trial and arguing them before courts or quasi-judicial bodies
Conducting legal investigations and informal hearings and interviewing witnesses
Advising on legal aspects of enforcement and administration of acts, rules, laws and regulations