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Paralegal Casehandler, Law Reform Unit (Manhattan) #23-64

Job Description
The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking a Paralegal Casehandler for the Law Reform Unit. The Law Reform Unit coordinates and commences affirmative law reform litigation, provides back-up and support for advocates in the neighborhood offices of the Civil Practice, and engages in policy advocacy on behalf of clients in the area of public benefits, housing, and homeless rights. The Paralegal Casehandler will have two primary duties. 
 
The Paralegal Casehandler will work on New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) issues impacting residents, focusing on addressing issues related to the conversion of public housing developments to Section 8 under NYCHA's RAD/PACT program. The Paralegal Casehandler will work with our housing attorneys to advocate on behalf of residents, resolve government benefits and other issues and engage in outreach and training for affected client communities and service providers. The Paralegal Casehandler will also respond to helpline callers from NYCHA developments converting to Project-Based Section 8 under RAD/PACT, to provide information about the process and resident rights.
 
The Paralegal Casehandler will also focus on public housing termination hearings and will provide advice, brief service, and some representation to public housing residents facing termination of their tenancy at NYCHA’s Office of Impartial Hearings at 803 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. The Paralegal Casehandler will work with our housing attorneys to resolve the government benefits issues related to public housing terminations, including obtaining rent arrears payments and ongoing rental assistance; agency advocacy regarding government benefits; representation of clients at public assistance administrative hearings; and outreach and training for affected client communities and service providers.
 
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Provide advice and assistance to clients
  • Interview clients, review case records, and represent clients in administrative proceedings
  • Provide brief service on behalf of clients before government agencies
  • Conduct factual and legal research
  • Organize and analyze information obtained in discovery
  • Organize and manage electronic and paper litigation files
  • Draft affidavits on behalf of clients
  • Assist with telephone hotlines
  • Participate in client outreach efforts
  • Develop community education materials and conduct trainings for clients and other advocates
  • Carry out other tasks of general assistance to the NYCHA work of the Civil Housing Practice
  • Conduct off-site intake as needed, including during evening hours
  • Assist with complying with grant requirements
  • Other duties as assigned
Required Documents
Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.
  • Cover Letter
  • Resume
Location
Manhattan - Legal Aid Society Headquarters
Requirements
  • Paralegal certificate from an ABA-accredited paralegal program and/or Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
  • Excellent written, oral advocacy, and computer skills are required
  • Ability to work independently as well as in a team and manage a large workload
  • Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations
  • Experience in and/or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people and immigrants is strongly desired
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to multi-task
  • Experience assisting people in crisis is desirable, but not required
  • Proficiency in languages other than English, especially Spanish, is desirable, but not required
SALARY TRANSPARENCY
The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.
 
Salary Range
$52,856 to $75,495
 
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.
 
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
 
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org
 
As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.