BROOKLYN LEGAL SERVICES

SEEKS PARALEGAL ADVOCATES

FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFITS & LITIGATION SUPPORT UNIT

Brooklyn Legal Services, a program of Legal Services NYC, seeks two Paralegal Advocates to work in our Public Benefits & Litigation Support Unit.

About Us

Brooklyn Legal Services (BLS), part of Legal Services NYC's Brooklyn Programs, provides high quality, innovative representation to address the pressing legal needs of Brooklyn's diverse low-income population. BLS focuses on the problems that have the greatest impact on our clients — preserving affordable and decent housing, maintaining income support, redressing abusive lending and consumer practices, promoting family stability and mitigating the effects of domestic violence, and advocating for other vulnerable and marginalized populations including low-income immigrants, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities.

As a community-centered, social justice organization, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where staff and clients feel welcome. Through our various affinity groups and committees, we actively work to foster collegial relationships among staff and allow staff to explore, grow in our understanding of and challenge barriers to opportunity within our organization and through our legal work. All employees are expected to learn about and seek to understand, identify and overcome barriers to justice, from individual preconceptions to structural obstacles, and work to realize our organizational goals and mission.

The Opportunity

The Public Benefits & Litigation Support Unit assists the eviction defense work of the Housing Right to Counsel practice by obtaining, preserving, and maximizing Public Benefits for tenants facing eviction in Housing Court and administrative proceedings. The unit also provides litigation support in eviction defense and affirmative challenges to abusive and discriminatory conduct that threatens low-income tenants with displacement and eliminates affordable housing. The Paralegal Advocates will be primarily responsible for advocating on behalf of low-income tenants facing eviction to obtain and maximize public benefits, which includes housing subsidy and public benefits applications with the NYC Human Resources Administration, maintenance advocacy, and representation at termination hearings.

The Paralegal Advocates will also be a part of the in-court Right to Counsel intake team, assisting in the administrative work of client intake which includes screening tenants for eligibility for our services, coordinating follow-up services including appointments and referrals, drafting client correspondence and ensuring grant/data compliance in close collaboration with our intake staff and managers, and providing on-site client interviews and advice with the assistance of attorneys.

The Paralegal Advocates will also provide litigation support to attorneys through client interviews, drafting affirmations and other court documents, and researching and investigating tenant claims and defenses.

We are looking for candidates who are excited to work in a fast-paced environment with housing advocates representing tenants facing eviction. The Paralegal Advocates will be expected to work closely with tenants, lawyers, the court, and community partners, and participate in our intake at the Kings County Housing Court in downtown Brooklyn.

Experience and Qualifications:

• A demonstrated passion for social justice and a commitment to working with low-income communities and communities of color to advance equity;
• Great time management skills and ability to juggle several different urgent priorities at the same time;
• An excellent collaborator who enjoys working with, and being a part of a team;
• At least one or more years of experience working with low-income people;
• Strong interest in working with clients in crisis;
• Ability to adapt to change and be flexible;
• Fluency in Spanish, Russian, Haitian-Creole, or another language commonly spoken in in Brooklyn is strongly preferred;
• Excellent interviewing, writing, and communication skills;
• Excellent organizational skills and strong facility with numbers;
• Experience with housing and public benefits advocacy preferred;
• Experience with working with tenants in court-setting, preferably Right to Counsel intake;
• Skill with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook, internet research and a willingness to learn and adapt to new technologies.
• Experience advocating in a court setting and knowledge of summary eviction proceedings is strongly preferred.
• A Bachelor's Degree in a related field is strongly preferred.

All employees are strongly encouraged to continue to receive and maintain up-to-date Covid vaccinations unless they are unable to for medical or religious reasons.

How to Apply

Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and one writing sample.

Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone calls.

BLS offers a generous benefits package. Salary is commensurate with experience. LSNYC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, and people over the age of 40 are all welcomed and encouraged to apply.