Supervising Attorney, Housing Defense Practice

Neighborhood Defender Service Inc•New York, NY

About The Position

The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS) is a community-based, client-centered, holistic public defense office located in Harlem, providing criminal, civil, immigration and family court representation to residents of Northern Manhattan and the Bronx who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. NDS clients are represented by multidisciplinary teams including attorneys, advocates, and social workers from across practices. NDS seeks to hire an experienced attorney to be a supervisor for our Housing Defense Practice, a component of our Civil Defense Practice. OVERVIEW The Housing Defense Practice (HDP) plays an integral role in NDS’s fulfillment of its holistic mission and in realizing the right to counsel in housing proceedings. The team is part of the monumental movement toward a civil Gideon, providing assigned counsel representation to low- and no-income tenants facing a wide range of eviction proceedings in order to safeguard the right to secure, stable housing and combat the destabilization and disintegration of New York’s diverse communities. The Supervising Attorney is responsible for supervising all aspects of HDP’s work and ensuring the delivery of high quality, client-centered representation. The Supervising Attorney is also serves as HDP’s primary liaison for referrals from other departments of NDS as part of our holistic, interdisciplinary representation.

Requirements

A demonstrated commitment to social justice issues and experience working with individuals of diverse backgrounds;
J.D. Degree and admission to practice law in New York State or eligible for admission;
At least three years of experience providing direct civil legal services;
Familiarity with various forms of civil litigation, including but not limited to, administrative hearings, civil court proceedings, and Article 78 petitions;
Possess knowledge of and/or willingness to learn about the criminal legal and/or family regulatory systems and their intersection with housing and civil issues;
Excellent organizational and communication skills;
Demonstrated leadership capabilities;
Must be able to travel throughout New York City to the various courts, administrative agencies and to client appointments

Nice To Haves

Foreign language fluency, particularly Spanish, is highly desirable

Responsibilities

Supervise attorney and non-attorney advocates in providing excellent, client-centered representation to low- and no-income clients in housing court and administrative proceedings;
Promote professional development of staff members through regular case reviews, litigation support, trainings, evaluations, and mentorship;
Work as the primary liaison between HDP and the other departments within NDS, developing and overseeing inter-department referrals to HDP for housing cases and related collateral consequences;
Handle modest caseload, including advice and brief service on general collateral consequences matters as needed, and full representation in anti-eviction and affirmative housing cases, primarily of clients referred by the NDS Criminal Defense and Family Defense Practices;
Supervise and staff institutional intake assignments, as needed;
Represent NDS at Coalition meetings and community-based initiatives; and,
Embrace NDS’ philosophy of client-centered, community-based, holistic representation and commitment to excellence.