Temp-to-Perm Paralegal

About NYLAG:

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combating economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. During COVID-19, most of our services were virtual to keep our community safe. NYLAG’s staff of 370 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

Job description

NYLAG’s Legal Clinic for Pro Se Litigants in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “S.D.N.Y. Pro Se Clinic”) has an immediate opening for a Paralegal. This position will be temporary through September 2024 with the potential to transition into a permanent role contingent on the grant that supports the Pro Se Clinic being renewed for the term commencing October 1, 2024.

The S.D.N.Y. Pro Se Clinic provides free, limited-scope, individual legal assistance to pro se litigants at all stages of federal civil litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This innovative clinic is among the first in the nation to provide pro se assistance in federal court, and has recently expanded to provide legal assistance to incarcerated litigants. The S.D.N.Y. Pro Se Clinic assists with most types of federal civil cases, including civil rights, employment discrimination, labor law, Section 1983 law enforcement misconduct, intellectual property, challenges to conditions of confinement, and violations of fair housing law. 

The paralegal will be an integral part of a Clinic team consisting of the Clinic director, three staff attorneys, and three paralegals, with offices in the SDNY courthouse at 40 Foley Square in Manhattan. Additionally, the paralegal is responsible for staffing the federal courthouse in White Plains once a week. The paralegal will interview clients, provide referrals, research the status of cases, schedule appointments, train and mentor volunteers and interns, and provide key support to the attorneys providing direct legal assistance to pro se clients. The paralegal will frequently be the first contact pro se litigants have with the Clinic.  This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the full range of federal court civil litigation in which at least one of the parties is not represented by counsel. The paralegal selected for this position must be prepared to interact with a diverse pro se litigant population from different backgrounds, cultures, and personal situations in a sensitive and professional manner. The paralegal will receive both on-the-job and more formal training.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Staff the S.D.N.Y. Pro Se Clinic.
• Work closely with the Clinic director and staff attorneys.
• Assist attorneys in providing direct legal assistance to Clinic clients at the Clinic’s courthouse locations.
• Monitor, review, and respond to correspondence, emails, phone messages, and other requests for legal assistance from pro se litigants.
• Perform intake interviews and provide referrals.
• Work with courthouse staff who serve pro se litigants.
• Train and mentor volunteers and interns on Clinic operations and intake processes.
• Assist with quality data entry, recording, and reporting.
• Any other duties and responsibilities related to Clinic operations.

Qualifications

• 1 - 3 years of prior relevant work experience in legal services, employment or civil rights law practice preferred.
• Excellent analytical skills in order to determine whether pro se litigants have relevant legal issues that a Clinic attorney can assist with.
• Ability to work independently, with a team, and directly with pro se litigants. 
• Ability to handle a high case volume.
• Ability to interact with a diverse client population in a sensitive and professional manner.
• Excellent writing and analytic abilities.
• Ability to work closely with NYLAG’s attorneys. 
• Preference will be given to those applicants also fluent in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Haitian Creole, Russian, or Korean.

NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

Employment type: 

☒ Full-time

☒ Temporary-to-Permanent (Temporary through September 2024 with the potential to transition into a permanent role contingent on the grant that supports the Pro Se Clinic being renewed for the term commencing October 1, 2024.)

Professional Level: 
☒ Entry Level

Salary Range: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salary range for this position is between $52,267 and $55,449.

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.

Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter as one PDF document. Applicants without a cover letter will not be considered.

Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.