Supervising Staff Attorney, Consumer Rights

Empire Justice Center•City of Albany, NY

6d•$91,659 - $94,329•Hybrid

About The Position

Empire Justice Center is seeking a Supervising Staff Attorney or Supervising Senior Attorney for Consumer Rights to lead their Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP). This role involves advising, representing, and advocating for student loan and education debt borrowers, supervising a paralegal, and contributing to the organization's mission of fighting for marginalized low-income individuals and families across New York through direct legal representation, litigation, legislative advocacy, and training. The position offers a hybrid work model and a 35-hour work week, emphasizing work-life balance.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate Degree from an accredited US law school or international equivalent.
Admission to the New York State Bar and in good standing as a member of the NYS bar.
Minimum of 3 to 8 years of experience as an attorney.
Supervisory or management experience is required.
Excellent advocacy, written, and verbal communication skills.
Ability and willingness to mentor, supervise, and train legal staff in all Empire Justice Offices through video conferencing/communication and travel when necessary.
Strong leadership skills.
Litigation experience and/or experience in litigating in administrative hearings.
Knowledge of student loan work.
The ability to provide legal advice to clients who do not speak English via an interpreter.
Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint, PowerPoint), with the ability to learn and adapt to other applications quickly, including but not limited to file management applications, calendar applications, and virtual meeting applications.
Must demonstrate strong analytical skills.
Ability to shift priorities while working in a fast-paced environment with multiple competing objectives.
Effective decision-making skills that balance overall organizational and leadership objectives with employee needs.
Effective interpersonal skills and the ability to cultivate partnerships.
Experience in working with diverse clientele, including those who have experienced poverty.
Commitment to improving the lives and circumstances of those who have experienced poverty and discrimination.
Proficiency utilizing Adobe and other document management systems, with the ability to schedule appointments, manage calendars, documents, and collaborative workflows.

Responsibilities

Lead the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) advising, representing, and advocating for student loan and education debt borrowers.
Provide advice and legal representation to clients.
Supervise the Student Loan Paralegal and any future student loan/education debt program employees.
Oversee and manage the student loan and education debt assistance program, ensuring compliance with program policies, procedures, and grant requirements (including grant reporting and meeting deliverables).
Serve as a subject matter expert on student loans and education debt, developing in-depth knowledge of the law.
Provide advice and counsel to student loan borrowers.
Assist student loan borrowers in applying for relief through cancellation, forgiveness, or discharge programs.
Represent student debt borrowers in court and administrative proceedings at all stages of litigation, including research, written advocacy, discovery, witness preparation, hearings, trial, and settlement negotiations.
Lead and participate in student loan and education debt coalitions.
Provide legal education and substantive law training on education debt/student loan-related legal issues to the New York State legal community through CLEs, presentations, and other methods.
Provide comprehensive technical assistance to other attorneys, advocates, and grantees on complex cases and questions.
Undertake legislative and policy advocacy aimed at improving access to justice for those with student loans/education debt under the supervision of the Director of Policy and Communications.
Conduct outreach and engage in publicity to increase awareness of the EDCAP program.
Identify systemic issues for advocacy and opportunities for pursuing impact litigation.
Participate in the leadership of Empire Justice Center as a member of the management team.
Demonstrate a high level of comfort and commitment to working with people from marginalized communities.
Work closely with the assigned supervisor and participate in regular supervision meetings, including work plan development and grant deliverable management.
Supervise other practice group members if needed.
Perform administrative and other support-related duties to serve clients and fulfill the mission of a non-profit legal services organization.
Other duties as assigned by the supervisor and/or to meet the organization’s needs.