Temporary Paralegal Casehandler, Law Reform Unit

The Legal Aid Society • New York, NY

10d

About The Position

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice has one Temporary
Paralegal Casehandler position available in the Law Reform Unit. This one-year
assignment will be focusing on systemic reforms and a range of affirmative work
relating primarily to supportive housing and Source of Income discrimination,
but may also involve issues related to homelessness, housing, health, public
benefits, immigration and other issues if consistent with the needs of the Law
Reform Unit.
This position is funded through a temporary grant, and the continuation of the
position is dependent on funding availability. The position is funded for an
initial period of 12 months, with the possibility of extension based on
continued funding and project needs. If funding is not continued,
the Paralegal Casehandler will be eligible to apply for other internal positions
or be transferred into a comparable position.

Requirements

• Eligible candidates must have at least one of the following:
• A bachelor’s degree (strongly preferred)
• A paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited paralegal program
• At minimum a high school diploma / GED and 4+ years of legal work experience
• 4+ years of combined higher education and legal work experience
• Excellent written, oral advocacy, and computer skills
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to multi-task and manage a large workload
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations
• Commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people and immigrants

Nice To Haves

• Experience assisting people in crisis is desirable, but not required
• In Queens, proficiency in languages other than English, especially Spanish, Mandarin, French Creole, Russian and/or Bengali is desirable, but not required

Responsibilities

• Conduct intake/client interviews, provide advice and direct assistance, and assess requests for services related to housing discrimination with a focus on source of income discrimination
• Contact landlords and brokers in real time to prevent the loss of a housing opportunity
• Report discrimination to the pre-complaint intervention units at the NYC Commission on Human Rights and NYS Division on Human Rights (Section 8 only)
• Advocate to public housing authorities (NYCHA, HPD, etc) to prevent the loss of Section 8 benefits, particularly clients face housing discrimination
• Liaise with housing specialists, homebase, DHS, NYCHA, HPD, HCR Section 8, and HRA to assist clients attempting to "lease up" with a housing voucher
• Support fair housing litigation aimed at curtailing the discriminatory practices of large landlords and brokerages
• Support affirmative fair housing litigation to preserve and/or restore Section 8 benefits for existing Legal Aid clients facing eviction
• Assist in administering settlements with large housing providers, including referring clients to "set aside apartments" (units that are offered to clients with voucher for a first look as part of a settlement)
• Other duties as assigned

Benefits

• The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more.
• The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
• This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs.
• Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED