Attorney

Neighborhood Legal Services Inc • Buffalo, NY

9d • $68,000 - $120,914 • Onsite

About The Position

Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (NLS) is the largest provider of civil legal services in Western New York, with a central office in Buffalo and offices in Batavia, Lockport, and Niagara Falls. NLS helps thousands of clients each year in many different areas, including housing, public benefits, domestic violence, disability rights, and other civil legal matters. NLS represents individuals and families facing eviction, seeking access to food or rental assistance, navigating safety concerns, and addressing barriers related to poverty and inequality. We invite candidates to use their talents and skills to help people and strengthen systems that affect low-income communities.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor degree and admission to the New York State Bar, or pending admission.
• Communicate effectively with clients, co-workers, community partners, opposing counsel, judges, and court staff.
• Analyze legal issues, perform legal research, and develop case strategy.
• Gather facts, provide appropriate advice and referrals, draft necessary documents, and negotiate settlements when appropriate.
• Represent clients effectively in city, county, state, and federal courts, as well as administrative hearings.
• Address issues in a timely manner.
• Organize and maintain appropriate documentation of activities.
• Show commitment to bringing justice to low-income Western New York residents.
• Use computers and related technology as needed, including word processing and email.
• Demonstrate good judgment, initiative, resilience under stress, willingness to work as part of a team, and an overall positive attitude.
• Engage in progressively more complex litigation and demonstrate creativity in advocacy.
• Maintain contacts with community agencies and local client groups.
• Speak to community groups and prepare presentation materials.
• Prioritize and implement NLS policies and procedures appropriately.
• Follow supervisory instructions and perform other appropriate functions when necessary.
• Strong personal work ethic and ability to organize time, manage diverse activities, and meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with a dynamic, multi-sector team.
• Curious and self-directed, with the ability to anticipate client and community partner needs.
• Cultural humility when working with low-income clients across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and limited English proficiency.

Nice To Haves

• Previous experience working with low-income and/or underserved communities preferred.
• Second-language fluency preferred.
• Legal services background or knowledge of general civil legal work preferred.
• Familiarity with diverse communities is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a caseload serving low-income clients in housing law matters, including evictions, housing conditions, and discrimination.
• Handle all aspects of legal representation, including client communication, pleadings, legal research, file maintenance, coordination with support staff, hearings, and trial work.
• Support grant and contract requirements through casework.
• Foster pro bono involvement with the private bar.
• Provide a spectrum of legal assistance, from advice and counsel by phone to affirmative litigation, across a wide range of housing-related issues.
• Identify systemic problems that affect clients’ rights and address those challenges through affirmative advocacy, impact litigation, and policy work.
• Collaborate and coordinate with NLS staff and community partners to ensure effective referrals and holistic service delivery.
• Conduct community outreach, education, and training.
• Ensure that all written work product is grammatically correct, carefully edited, well written, and appropriate for its audience.
• Develop relationships and collaborate with public and private community partners, including governmental agencies, courts, and community-based organizations, to support integrated services and address systemic barriers facing client communities.
• Demonstrate cultural humility when working with low-income clients across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and limited English proficiency.
• Develop substantive knowledge of areas of law that affect clients.
• Maintain current knowledge of developments in law, civil procedure, civil litigation, and advocacy strategies.
• Develop substantive knowledge of the social and economic forces that create poverty and inequality in the United States.

Benefits

• health, dental, and vision insurance
• a generous PTO policy that includes three weeks of vacation time, 12 paid holidays, and a week of PTO between Christmas and New Year’s
• reduced summer hours
• sick and personal leave
• life insurance
• a pension plan
• HRA and Flexible Spending Accounts
• paid memberships
• professional development

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level