Litigation Paralegal II - Criminal Appeals Bureau (CAB) #24-50

Job Description

The Criminal Appeals Bureau (CAB) of The Legal Aid Society is the largest post-conviction public defender in New York City, annually providing holistic, client-centered representation to over 1,000 people with misdemeanor, felony, and homicide convictions. We represent low-income people in all five boroughs who are challenging their criminal convictions on appeal or in other post-conviction proceedings.  Our practice includes direct appeals of judgment convictions as well as collateral litigation such as 440 motions, Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act resentencing applications, and Sex Offender Registration Act hearings and appeals.  

CAB has an opening for a Litigation Paralegal. The successful candidate will primarily work with CAB attorneys, assisting them in managing their large and active caseloads.  This will involve, among other things, obtaining and summarizing institutional records from DOCCS and other agencies, drafting routine motions, scheduling legal calls with clients, and corresponding with clients following felony and misdemeanor conviction.  The position will require interfacing with court personnel, district attorneys, Legal Aid trial counsel and outside counsel and may require travel to courthouses in all five boroughs. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Obtaining, reviewing, and synthesizing institutional records from DOCCS and other agencies
• Corresponding with clients via mail and assisting them with the execution of documents
• Drafting, preparing, and serving/filing routine motions
• Preparing briefs and other documents for filing
• Scheduling legal calls with clients
• Updating and organizing physical files and case management system, including preparing files for final review after case has been resolved
• Visiting clients in prisons upstate and/or preparing clients for parole hearings as needed
• Other responsibilities as needed

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

Deadline is 3:00 PM EST for Date Listed

Apr 12, 2024

Location

Manhattan - Legal Aid Society Headquarters

Requirements

• Paralegal certificate from ABA-accredited paralegal program, bachelor’s degree, or bachelor’s degree expected by end of July 2024
• Expected start date July 2024
• Must be able to make a minimum two-year commitment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent computer skills, including strong proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, particularly Excel, and a PDF program (including ability to bookmark and paginate PDFs)
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to multi-task, manage a large workload, and pay strong attention to detail
• High degree of professionalism
• Highly motivated with a willingness to work as a team and adapt to the changing needs of the practice
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and think critically
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to interact effectively and independently with courts and related criminal justice
• Agencies, and with Criminal Defense Practice and Criminal Appeals Bureau attorneys, paralegals and other support staff
• Some knowledge of New York criminal law and criminal procedure a plus, but not required
• Proficiency in a language or languages other than English is desirable, but not required 
• Experience in and/or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income individuals and people of color a must

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/ Salary: $55,525 to $79,308

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.