Job Description

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Bath office of LawNY® seeks to fill an immediate opening for a Supervising Attorney in the area of Family Law. The attorney will represent qualified, low and middle income victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault in custody, family offense, and child support cases. The attorney will also provide victims of domestic violence and sexual assault with specialized legal advice and representation in Family Court and other civil matters that affect their safety, stability and financial security. 

The Supervising Family Court Attorney will supervise staff attorneys and paralegals in their advocacy for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. We expect those who fill this position will grow and adapt their practice to the needs of the community and the organization, and place an emphasis on supervision skills and the ability to practice in multiple forums. The candidate must have the caring, patience, and emotional maturity to help low-income people overcome crisis situations.

QUALIFICATIONS

These are the basic requirements for the position.

• Admitted to practice and in good standing in New York State
• Three (3) years experience providing legal services as a licensed attorney.
• Demonstrated commitment of service to low-income people.
• Commitment to engaging in learning and developing supervision skills that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  
  

RESPONSIBILITIES

These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position.

• Provide direct legal services to low income victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Family Court matters including advice, negotiation, litigation and administrative advocacy.
• Maintain specialized knowledge of NYS Family Law, particularly: family offense, custody and visitation, child support violations, abuse and neglect proceedings.
• Develop skills advocating for low-income clients in other civil legal areas affecting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, including, for example, housing law, public and disability benefits, and divorce. 
• Interact respectfully with clients and staff from a wide range of backgrounds, with an awareness of the importance of cultural competence and humility.
• Supervise caseload of supervised personnel, ensuring that each supervisee handles an appropriate amount of work, and coordinate the periodic review of the cases.
• Help identify leadership development and mentoring opportunities for supervisees.
• Create and maintain a safe and healthy work environment for supervisees.
• Collaborate with other human services providers, non-profit organizations and community groups as well as the courts, administrative tribunals and the private bar to address legal problems within our community, particularly those affecting victims of DV/SA.
• Cooperate in all grant reporting requirements, program reporting, timekeeping, file maintenance, case closing and compliance review.
• Maintain a high level of professional competence through attending of training sessions, seminars and conferences and individual efforts to keep abreast of current developments in family law, trauma-informed legal services, poverty law and in the application of an equity lens to client service.
  
  

ADDITIONAL TRAITS AND SKILLS

These are the traits, attributes, attitudes, and skills that speak to the candidate’s ability to succeed in the position. While no one candidate will possess all of the qualities listed, the ideal candidate will have many of these qualities. LawNY® encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as professional skills and experience in relation to this list.

• Experience incorporating an anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens into legal practice.
• An understanding of the concepts of structural and institutional racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including a commitment to providing trauma-informed services.
• Demonstrated skill in mentoring and training less-experienced attorneys, paralegals and/or other staff in their pursuit of career advancement.
• Lived experience with our client communities.
• True fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

The beginning salary for a Supervising Attorney at LawNY with 3 years of experience is $80,000 and the salary for a Supervising Attorney with 30 years of experience is $111,600. Salary will be based on experience. LawNY is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program(PSLF).

LawNY® provides an excellent package of fringe benefits including:

• 94% Employer paid Medical Premium with 100% Employer paid in-network deductible 
• 100% Employer paid Dental Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Life Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Enhanced Short-term Disability
• 100% Employer paid Long-term Disability
• Vision Insurance
• 20 Paid Vacation days per year
• 12 Sick days per year
• 5 Personal days per year
• 13.5 Holidays plus 2 floating Holidays per year
• 35-Hour Work Week
• Hybrid Work Schedule (new staff are able to work from home up to 3 days per week. After 6 months, this increases to 5 days per week with Manager approval, as workload permits)

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY®) is a not-for-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income clients in a 14 county area of Western New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. LawNY® has seven fully staffed field offices in Bath, Elmira, Geneva, Ithaca, Jamestown, Olean and Rochester, satellite offices in Lakeville and Lyons, and a business office in Rochester. 

LawNY® is committed to equitable inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin, and culture. We are increasingly committed to creating a law firm where race equity, diversity and cultural competency are integral components of our work, from client advocacy to internal operations. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and three professional references through LawNY®’s BambooHR platform found here: When outlining work experience on a resume, candidates are requested to label each position as full-time or part-time and describe unpaid volunteer/internships as such.

To promote social justice and achieve our mission, LawNY® is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and creating an inclusive and respectful workplace. In your cover letter, please also include an explanation of how you think your lived and/or professional experience or background has prepared you to contribute to support a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion at LawNY®.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations to support you in your role - whether for the onboarding, or your day-to-day work, please let us know by sending an email to: accommodationrequest@lawny.org . Any information shared will remain confidential and only be used to ensure the appropriate support is in place before your first day. As part of your employment, LawNY will provide the necessary hardware to support your role.

Questions? Contact Michelle Grillone at mgrillone@lawny.org

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY®) is an equal opportunity employer. LawNY® strongly encourages applications from Black, Indigenous and People of Color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups whose background may contribute to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. LawNY® welcomes applications regardless of race, color, religion, veteran status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other consideration protected by law. 

Job Tags

Full time, Temporary work, Part time, Work experience placement, Internship, Work at office, Immediate start, Work from home, 3 days per week,

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