Job Title: Staff Attorney/Fall 2025 Law Grad, Family Defense Practice
Job Responsibilities:
- Provide excellent client-centered representation with energy, enthusiasm, and a commitment to trauma-informed, anti-racist, intersectional, non-judgmental, and holistic advocacy throughout the case.
- Take primary responsibility, with appropriate supervisory support, for all aspects of Article 10 and related custody, visitation, guardianship, paternity, termination of parental rights, and other cases. This includes client counseling, motions practice, discovery, oral argument, settlement negotiations, hearings, and trials.
- Meet frequently in-person with clients to prepare for court proceedings.
- Engage in frequent in-person and virtual court hearings and litigation, often on an emergency basis.
- Engage in formal and informal advocacy with opposing counsel and attorney(s) for children.
- Regularly staff intake in court as assigned.
- File motions, briefs, and other related court papers frequently and in a timely manner.
- Provide effective oral advocacy in negotiation and argument in Family Court.
- Be responsive to and communicate clearly with clients who are often under great stress.
- Collaborate and meet regularly with social workers, client advocates, litigation assistants, and other attorneys to strategize case strategy and coordinate in- and out-of-court advocacy to secure optimal outcomes for clients.
- Work under high pressure in an atmosphere of frequent emergencies and tight deadlines.
- Maintain thorough and accurate records and client files by timely saving documents in the organization’s cloud server and entering notes and other data into the case management system.
- Collaborate with and provide mentorship to less experienced staff attorneys when appropriate and commensurate with experience.
- Must be able to work a minimum of 14 hours a week in person in the Harlem or Bronx offices, court satellite offices, or in court, and more as needed.
- Work to be completed primarily at the main office in Central Harlem or Bronx office when not in court or on intake.
Education and Experience Information:
- . degree and admission to practice law in New York State or eligibility for admission.
- Demonstrated commitment to parents' rights, indigent defense, social justice issues, and/or the Harlem communities.
- Must be very flexible and possess a high level of organizational and administrative skills to manage a high caseload.
- Must possess excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Must be able to work cooperatively with colleagues and opposing counsel, and problem-solve independently.
- Candidates with experience representing parents in Article 10 Abuse and Neglect proceedings or equivalent experience providing defense/direct representation are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Lived experience with the Family Policing System and other systems impacting clients is preferred.
- Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred.
Salary Information:
- Compensation is commensurate with experience and adheres to the organization’s compensation scale. For this position, the salary range for attorneys with 0-36 years of directly relevant experience is $81,702 - $169,716.
- Salary range based on transferable experience:
- 1 – 5 Years: $81,072 – 90,543
- 6 – 10 Years: $93,260 – 107,003
- 11 – 15 Years: $113,423 – 126,996
- 16 – 36 Years: $127,986 – 169,716
- Full medical and dental benefits, as well as other benefits, are provided. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the CBA between the organization and the Union, part of ALAA UAW 2325.
Application Information:
- Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume in a single PDF through the organization’s website at the specified careers page.
- Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
- Please apply by June 30th. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
- The organization is dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification, you are encouraged to apply anyway. You may be the right candidate for this or other roles.
Equal Opportunity Statement:
The organization is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community it serves. It is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. The organization encourages people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender-fluid people to apply.
