Temporary Staff Attorney

POSITION DESCRIPTION

LawNY’s ® Geneva office seeks to fill an immediate opening for a Temporary Full-time Staff Attorney to provide eviction-related services in Livingston, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca and Yates Counties. This attorney will represent clients who are homeless or at risk of eviction and need legal and other services to stabilize their housing. The position is funded under an ERAP eviction prevention grant, and will end on September 30, 2026. The Geneva Office has a location in downtown Geneva, and satellite offices in Lyons and Geneseo. Staff Attorneys may be asked to work out of the Lyons and Geneseo Office offices as required.

Staff Attorneys at LawNY® provide comprehensive legal services to eligible clients and the ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of how civil legal issues affecting low-income communities intersect with social and economic justice. Staff Attorneys play a critical role in realizing LawNY®’s vision of a society where access to justice is not determined by one’s social or economic status. Every Staff Attorney is expected to actively engage in learning and becoming increasingly skilled in practice that supports this vision.

QUALIFICATIONS These are the basic requirements for the position.

• Juris Doctorate or Equivalent
• Admitted to practice and in good standing in New York State.
• Experience in Housing and/or Benefits
• Demonstrated commitment of service to people with low-income.

RESPONSIBILITIES
This position will include some or all of the following duties:

• Meet with clients facing housing instability to determine their needs.
• Provide full-scope in-person representation of tenants facing eviction, homelessness and other civil legal problems related to eviction, including in town, village and city courts.
• Assist clients in seeking and securing financial assistance which is related to stabilizing housing, including public benefits, subsidized housing and unemployment benefits.
• Build relationships with community agencies providing services to our clients, including shelter, including in person meetings and establishing a presence at facilities providing services.
• Provide litigation support, including pleadings, to other housing advocates.
• Supervise temporary paralegals who are involved in outreach efforts with the courts and agencies.

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

The beginning salary for a Staff Attorney at LawNY with no experience is $70,000 and the salary for a Staff Attorney with thirty years of experience is $106,100. 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)

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.

• Litigation and advocacy experience in local, state and/or federal court and/or administrative forums within at least one other area of poverty law.
• Knowledge of the intersectional experiences of structural and institutional inequities and the ability to apply this understanding to advocacy and client support.
• Experience advancing equity in legal practice by identifying barriers, addressing bias and improving access to services.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including a commitment to providing trauma-informed services.
• Excellent use of Google Drive/GSuite, Word, and Excel; database programs such as Lexisnexis and Westlaw
• Experience with our client communities.
• Fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.
• Passion for social justice and commitment to the mission of LawNY.

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® has been providing high quality legal representation for 54 years, and today has over 180 employees, including attorneys, paralegals, and a legal support team who work closely across areas of specialization to bring a holistic approach to addressing legal issues affecting our clients and community.

OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR TEAM

LawNY® is committed to fostering a workplace where every team member is respected, valued, and supported for the unique contributions they bring. We acknowledge and protect the many identities, backgrounds, and experiences of our dedicated staff and recognize the strength we collectively bring to our work. Guided by our commitment to acknowledge, assess, and act, we listen and learn from the evolving needs of our team, while continually examining and improving our policies, practices, and expectations to reduce inequities and prevent unfair treatment. Together, we create solutions that advance fairness, access, and meaningful experiences for our team, clients, partners, and the communities we serve. Our goal is an environment where everyone feels safe, included, supported, and empowered to be and do their best.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter, and three professional references through LawNY®’s BambooHR platform found here: https://lawny.bamboohr.com/careers/271

For your resume: When outlining your work experience, please label each position as full-time or part-time and describe unpaid volunteer/internships as such.

For your cover letter: At LawNY®, we are committed to promoting social justice and advancing our mission for all of our team, clients and partners.In your cover letter, please also include an explanation of how you think that your background and experience has prepared you to contribute to our mission, vision and values at LawNY®.

For your professional references: Please include a separate document with three (3) professional references, including their title, company, email and phone number.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT AND REASONABLE ACCOMONDATIONS

LawNY is an Equal Opportunity Employer, dedicated to fostering a fair, inclusive and welcoming environment for our applicants, candidates, staff, clients and partners. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We strongly encourage anyone who meets the basic requirements of this role to apply.

To ensure an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience, if you have any questions about the job, application process or need reasonable accommodations at any stage, please contact Michelle Grillone at mgrillone@lawny.org.

This position is considered Exempt pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act.