Temporary Paralegal

NYLAG•New York, NY

2d•$67,793 - $72,442•Hybrid

About The Position

New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks a Temporary Paralegal for its Domestic Violence Law Unit (DVLU), an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and paralegals advocating on behalf of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in New York City. DVLU provides safety planning, advocacy, advice, and representation to survivors in matrimonial and family law matters (including order of protection, custody/visitation, contested divorce, uncontested divorce, child/spousal support proceedings, and related appellate proceedings), and domestic violence-based immigration applications (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U visa, T visas, adjustment of status, and related applications). DVLU believes that access to trauma-informed, client-centered representation is crucial for our clients’ paths towards self-determination, safety, and security, and we are seeking a Paralegal that shares and models these values. The Temporary Paralegal will primarily conduct comprehensive family, matrimonial, and immigration law intakes with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and other clients referred for assistance. The position also requires providing litigation support to attorneys in their representation of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in family and matrimonial litigation cases (including orders of protection, contested and uncontested divorces, custody, visitation, child and spousal support, matters related to special immigrant juvenile status and some abuse/neglect proceedings), and domestic and gender-based violence based immigration matters (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U-visas, T Visas, SIJS petitions, and applications to adjust status). The Temporary Paralegal will also assist survivors in submitting compensation claims based on their victimization. This role reports to a Supervising Attorney in the Domestic Violence Law Unit. This temporary position will go through June 30, 2027.

Requirements

College degree, paralegal certificate, or 2-3 years in a client/customer facing role preferred;
Strong organizational and administrative skills are required;
Experience working with survivors of trauma, immigrant communities and/or underserved communities is preferred;
Demonstrated commitment to public interest work;
Excellent computer skills (Word, Excel, internet research); and
Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently.

Nice To Haves

Fluency in a second language, particularly Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic, is strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Conduct comprehensive family, matrimonial, and domestic violence-based immigration law intakes with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and other clients referred for assistance;
Provide individualized safety planning with survivors;
Assist clients and callers in identifying and obtaining appropriate referrals for legal and non-legal needs;
Provide litigation support to attorneys in their client representation, including but not limited to, client interviewing, performing research, drafting documents and forms, obtaining documents and evidence, and compiling applications;
Investigate, prepare, and file compensation claims for crime victims;
Assist unit attorneys and case handlers with document translation and verbal interpretation;
Engage with internal and external colleagues to ensure access to services for clients within the communities that we serve;
Assist in program administration including file and case maintenance, assisting with grant reporting, and other administrative tasks as assigned by Unit Director and supervising staff;
Manage data entry in internal and external data management systems and assist with generating reports;
Fluency in a second language, particularly Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic, is strongly preferred;
Ability to work collaboratively, communicate effectively, manage multiple tasks, and creatively problem solve; and
Other duties as needed.