Overview
About NYLAG
Founded in 1990, the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) is a leading not-for-profit civil legal services organization advocating for adults, children, and families that are experiencing poverty or have low income. We tackle the legal challenges and systematic barriers that threaten our clients’ economic stability, well-being, and safety. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and constantly improving how we respond to systemic issues of racism that affect our clients in their pursuit of justice. We address emerging and urgent needs with comprehensive, free civil legal services, direct representation, impact litigation, policy advocacy, financial counseling, medical-legal partnerships, and community education and partnerships. Last year, we affected the lives of 90,800 people.
Mission
The New York Legal Assistance Group uses the power of the law to help New Yorkers in need combat social and economic injustice. We address emerging and urgent legal needs with comprehensive, free civil legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community education.
Values that guide us
- We reduce the effects of poverty by providing high quality, effective civil legal services.
- We partner with our clients to help them transform their lives and strengthen their communities.
- We address our clients’ multiple legal needs by collaborating across our practice areas.
- We are at the forefront of identifying and understanding New Yorkers’ most pressing legal needs, rapidly adapting to meet these needs with innovative programs and partnerships.
- We assess need broadly, recognizing that need is not a function of income alone.
- We collaborate with community organizations and engage pro bono attorneys and volunteers to serve a greater number of people with unmet civil legal needs.
- We achieve systemic change through class actions, impact litigation and by advocating for just laws and policies.
- We work to create a welcoming and inclusive work environment that reflects the communities we serve.
- We teach and train the next generation of legal service professionals.
Job Description:
NYLAG has an immediate opening for a Paralegal in the Consumer Protection Unit (CPU). CPU represents clients in a full range of consumer rights matters by helping low-income individuals fight fraud, predatory lending, and illegal debt collection practices. In addition, NYLAG advocates for clients who face possibly devastating income loss due to civil court judgments; defaulted student loans from predatory for-profit schools; sub-prime loan conditions; and lending scams targeting historically poor, limited English proficient, and/or immigrant communities. CPU staff work not only to resolve the immediate problem, but also to ensure long-term security for victims and their families. The Paralegal will staff a multi-disciplined project serving individuals in the areas of bankruptcy, consumer law, debt negotiation, litigation, public benefits and housing/real estate as well as other areas. PARALEGALS WORKING FULL-TIME ON THIS PROJECT WILL BE LOCATED IN AN OFFSITE OFFICE BETWEEN THREE AND FIVE DAYS A WEEK IN LONG ISLAND CITY, AS REQUIRED BY THE FUNDING. For the remainder of the days, the Paralegal will be located in our main offices in the financial district, as well as go to court, clinics, and other locations as needed.
The Paralegal will focus on providing screening, resources, information and some legal advocacy (under attorney supervision) for clients; maintaining a client caseload of his/her/their own, and performing legal intakes with clients and potential clients from a range of referral sources. The Paralegal is responsible for client data entry. The Paralegal’s time may also be spent as needed on a wide range of tasks for CPU, including conducting legal research; investigating new areas of relevant law; and many other tasks which may arise within and outside the unit.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Conduct thorough client legal intakes;
- Advocate for diverse clients in various legal or financial areas including consumer law, consumer debt, bankruptcy, foreclosure prevention, public benefits, housing and other financial related areas of law;
- Investigate facts through interviews and document collection;
- Advocate on behalf of clients with various plaintiffs, lenders, organizations and
- government agencies;
- Prepare legal documents for own cases as well as to assist other attorneys;
- Provide oral and written translations for attorneys who represent non-English-speaking clients in various scenarios, including court appearances;
- Refer clients to staff attorney, as appropriate, and assist in scheduling appointments with the staff attorney
- Ultimately, we defer to you on adding the proposed language or not.
- Perform legal research;
- Draft and distribute various outreach materials;
- Data entry in client database and other outlets;
- Manage and assign tasks to volunteers as needed;
- Report to supervising attorneys and staff attorneys on cases, advocacy strategies, scheduling and other matters;
- Other responsibilities as assigned
Applicants should demonstrate a strong commitment to public service and should have excellent oral, written, and analytic abilities. The successful candidate will work closely with NYLAG’s experienced attorneys, supervisors and case handlers and will receive both on-the-job and more formal training.
Qualifications:
- Commitment to public interest.
- Excellent communication, research, and writing skills.
- Enjoy collaborating with others; be a team player.
- Strong work ethic.
- Passion for serving vulnerable New Yorkers and immigrant populations of diverse backgrounds.
- Strong organizational skills.
- A desire to learn the relevant advocacy strategies and law.
- Priority will be given to those who have worked for New York City legal or social services organizations or have experience with consumer law.
Preferred Qualifications:
Second languages strongly preferred: Spanish, Mandarin, Punjabi, Bengali, Haitian-Creole
NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.
Employment type:
☒ Full-time
Professional Level:
☒ Professional
Salary:
Salary is commensurate with experience.
Benefits: Excellent benefits.