Job Title: Legal Fellowship
Job Responsibilities:
The Legal Fellowship at the organization involves working as a Legal Fellow in one of the following practice areas: criminal, family, civil, or immigration law. Fellows are expected to develop project proposals for submission to programs such as Equal Justice Works and Skadden, as well as law-school specific fellowships. The fellowship is designed to allow candidates to engage in legal work while remaining flexible to the needs of the organization and the community it serves. Examples of past fellowship projects include:
- Developing a program to assist individuals in small claims court who have suffered injuries or damages in encounters with the police.
- Ending the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for individuals unable to pay traffic tickets through direct representation, litigation, and legislative advocacy.
- Providing representation to fathers in neglect, abuse, and termination of parental rights proceedings, and conducting Know Your Rights trainings to prevent unnecessary disruption of the father-child relationship.
- Registering individuals under parole supervision to vote and enforcing new parole enfranchisement laws through litigation, education, and advocacy.
- Offering representation to individuals facing employment discrimination due to criminal convictions, assisting in obtaining Certificates of Rehabilitation, and educating employers and community groups about the rights of formerly incarcerated individuals.
Education and Experience Information:
Candidates must be recent law school graduates and must either be admitted to the New York bar or actively pursuing admission and able to practice under supervision as a law graduate. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to defending individuals involved in criminal, family, immigration, and civil legal systems and challenging systemic injustice. Experience working with marginalized communities targeted by systemic injustice is required. Candidates should possess effective communication, research, writing, and courtroom advocacy skills, as well as strong analytical abilities and the capacity to work independently and collaboratively.
Additional qualifications for the Immigration Practice include a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain one, as travel to detention facilities outside of NYC may be required.
Salary Information:
The organization will supplement fellowship compensation to ensure a salary consistent with their attorney salary scale, which starts at $83,504. Full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; and a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy. Approximately 70% of the organization’s staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO), and this position is within the bargaining unit. The position is exempt, meaning it is not eligible for overtime compensation.
The organization is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an anti-oppressive workplace that values diversity among staff, including those from marginalized communities. They encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply, particularly those from the Bronx community they serve.
