Staff Attorney - Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit

STAFF ATTORNEY
FAMILY LAW/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UNIT

Staten Island Legal Services (across the street from the ferry), the Staten Island office of Legal Services NYC ("LSNYC"), is seeking a full-time Staff Attorney to join our Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit. This position is funded to help victims of crime, including by providing information about Crime Victims Assistance and helping clients apply for benefits and compensation through the Office of Victim Services.

Program Description
Staten Island Legal Services (SILS) fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic
justice for low-income New Yorkers. SILS provides high-quality, innovative
representation to address the pressing legal needs of Staten Island's diverse low-income
populations. SILS focuses on the problems that have the greatest impact on our clients —
preserving affordable and decent housing, preventing foreclosures, representing survivors
of domestic violence, assisting in obtaining government benefits, obtaining immigration
status and preventing deportations, and advocating for the LGBTQ community, students
with educational needs and people with disabilities.

SILS is a part of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), which is the largest provider of civil legal services in the country. LSNYC provides numerous opportunities for growth and professional development and prides itself on its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) efforts. As a social justice organization, we are committed to fighting for a workplace that is as diverse, equitable, and inclusive as possible for everyone. Our DEIB committee and numerous affinity groups work to foster collegial relationships among staff and allow staff to explore and advocate
for racial justice and anti-oppression growth within our organization and through our legal
work. All employees are expected to learn about, seek to understand, and work to realize
our DEIB goals.

Unit Description
The SILS' Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit is an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and a social worker. The team provides comprehensive, culturally competent services to people experiencing intimate partner violence so that they may achieve safety and stability. Our attorneys handle a full range of family law and matrimonial cases, including divorce, custody/visitation, civil orders of protection, and child support. The Unit includes staff attorneys and collaborates with a social worker so we can to address the legal, economic, and social issues of our clients. The Unit conducts outreach and trainings and works in partnership with community groups to ensure that we are best serving the community. The Staff Attorney will be supervised by the Director of the Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Staff Attorney's responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conducting intakes with clients to provide them advice, information, brief services, and assessment for full representation.
• Providing clients safety planning and legal and social services referrals.
• Interviewing, advising, and representing survivors of domestic violence in family law and matrimonial cases in Richmond County Family, Supreme, and Integrated Domestic Violence courts.
• Representing Staten Island Legal Services at community events, stakeholder meetings, and off-site legal clinics, and working with partner community agencies to provide comprehensive services for our clients.
• Conducting community outreach and education with our community-based partners.
• Providing training to attorneys, advocates, and community members.
• Advocating with agencies on behalf of clients.
• Collaborating with a Social Worker and other attorneys on legal cases in an interdisciplinary practice model.
• Completing administrative tasks, including timekeeping, file maintenance, uploading documents, data reporting, and case closing for grant compliance.
• Complying with grant requirements, including providing information about Crime Victims Assistance and aiding clients in applying for benefits and compensation through the Office of Victim Services.

Salary determined by Collective Bargaining Agreement. Hybrid remote work policy, and excellent benefits package.