Staff Attorney, Foreclosure Prevention & Homeownership Preservation Unit (Queens)

The Legal Aid Society's Civil Practice has a Staff Attorney position available in the Queens Neighborhood Office's (QNO) Foreclosure Prevention and Homeownership Preservation Unit. The Staff Attorney represents homeowners defensively in foreclosure and related actions and in affirmative litigation addressing lending, real estate, and trust and estate abuses with the goal of preventing the loss of home, the loss of equity, and homelessness. The QNO Foreclosure Prevention and Homeownership Preservation Unit consists of a supervising attorney, three staff attorneys and two paralegals. The QNO team collaborates closely with the Bronx Neighborhood Office's Foreclosure Prevention and Homeownership Preservation Unit. Both Units partner with city and statewide advocates on policy advocacy and law reform issues and conduct community outreach and education.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Represent clients in state and federal court proceedings, affirmatively and defensively, regarding foreclosure, civil rights, consumer protection, estates administration, quiet title, and partition actions
• Represent clients at settlement conferences and other advocacy with lenders to obtain loss mitigation or other home-preserving solutions
• Conduct client intake (including offsite and in-person and occasionally in the evenings/weekends)
• Train, conduct community outreach, and provide education for individuals, local community-based organizations, and housing advocates
• Advocate with local, state and federal agencies on behalf of clients
• Play an active role in coalition meetings and advocacy, and collaborate with other groups and organizations which will require occasional travel in NYS, approximately 3-4 times annually, for key meetings, events, and other business-related activities. Flexibility in travel schedules is expected
• Advocate for legislative reforms and policy changes including continued funding for HOPP
• Work with pro bono lawyers and partner organizations
• Represent the Civil Practice and LAS in the community
• Promote the work of the office, the Foreclosure Prevention and Homeownership Preservation Unit and the Civil Practice
• Complete administrative tasks as assigned by supervisor, such as those related to grant reporting
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• Juris Doctor and 3 years of required experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• New York State Bar admission or awaiting NYS Bar admission after sitting for the NYS Bar exam
• At least three years working with homeowners to preserve their homes and/or protect their equity preferred
• Demonstrated knowledge of mortgage, property and related laws and regulations preferred
• Knowledge of trust and estates issues is preferred
• Litigation skills and experience preferred
• Excellent written and oral advocacy skills
• Ability to work independently as well as a part of a team and manage a high volume of cases
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law and civil legal services
• A passion for economic justice

Preferred qualifications:

• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $83,844 - $147,907

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Click here to read more about benefits.

Higher Education and Loan Forgiveness

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice.To learn more, click the links below.

studentaid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one's internal deeply-held sense of one's gender which may be the same or different from one's sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one's name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues.Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.