Staff Attorney - LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project (Bronx) Bronx Legal Services

Overview

Staff Attorney - LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project (Bronx) at Bronx Legal Services, part of Legal Services NYC. LSNYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. We are the largest civil legal services provider in the country, with a staff of more than 600 across all five boroughs, partnering with community-based organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize impact. LSNYC emphasizes growth and professional development through opportunities such as the Justice Learning Center for free CLEs and trainer experience.

Bronx Legal Services Seeks Staff Attorney for Our LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project

Our Organization

Bronx Legal Services is the largest provider of free civil legal services in the Bronx and is part of Legal Services NYC's network. Our mission is to advance equal access to the legal system for our most vulnerable members. We have provided civil legal services for over 55 years to help clients meet essential needs and challenge systemic injustices that keep them poor. We are committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) and maintain a DEIB committee and affinity groups to foster collegial relationships and advance racial justice and anti-oppression work within our organization and in our legal practice.

The LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project

The LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project is a general practice unit that provides comprehensive civil legal services in a single location for the LGBTQ+ community. Services cover a broad range of civil legal needs, including community and economic development; public assistance and social security benefits; healthcare; advance directives and planning; housing preservation; and consumer law. The Project also engages in affirmative litigation challenging discrimination and other systemic abuses faced by LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected communities. It is part of the Public Benefits Unit & LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a staff attorney as a result of a grant. The staff attorney will provide comprehensive legal services to LGBTQ+ residents of the Bronx, with a primary focus on health law and health access and a secondary focus on family law / intimate partner violence. The primary role is direct representation in various civil matters, with additional duties including community education, provider education, off-site intake, and outreach (including intake at community health centers within existing medical-legal partnerships). The staff attorney will provide wide-ranging services with an emphasis on individual representation to improve social determinants of health for LGBTQ+-identified Bronx residents. The staff attorney reports to the Supervising Attorney of the Public Benefits & LGBTQ Advocacy Units.

Qualifications

• Admission to the New York State Bar;
• At least two years of combined experience in health / home care, family, or public benefits (non-legal experience will be considered);
• Prior experience representing LGBTQ+ people required;
• Prior experience representing litigants at administrative hearings and in City, State, or Federal Courts required;
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) and utilization of DEIB lens in the project, work, and representation;
• Ability to adapt quickly and correct course as well as to identify and achieve goals in an evolving project;
• Superlative communication and interpersonal skills, with an aptitude for building relationships with people across all walks of life;
• Grace, kindness, and empathy, particularly under pressure, for clients, team, and agency partners;
• Excellent teacher, facilitator, educator, trainer, coach, and mentor;
• Belief in our ability to create systemic change and commitment to working toward that goal;
• Demonstrated passion for social justice and a commitment to working with low-income communities and communities of color to advance equity;
• Ability to identify trends in a high-volume caseload that could be addressed by strategic action or creative interventions;
• Understanding of intimate partner / domestic violence and trafficking dynamics and the effects of abuse, crime, and trauma on individuals and communities;
• Good writing skills, with the ability to present complex processes clearly for broad audiences;
• Excellent organizational skills and comfort with numbers;
• Experience working with low-income people;
• Prior health law experience or experience in a medical setting (including a medical-legal partnership), public health, or health policy strongly preferred; and
• Fluency or proficiency in Spanish or another language commonly spoken by Bronx residents is strongly preferred.

Application Note

Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. We will not review résumés or other applications submitted via methods other than the specified platform.

Bronx Legal Services is committed to DEIB and encourages applicants from historically marginalized groups to apply even if they do not meet every listed qualification. We encourage applications from those who are impacted by LSNYC's work.

Salary Range : $83,119 - $147,845 USD.

All employees are strongly encouraged to maintain up-to-date COVID vaccinations unless unable for medical or religious reasons. Legal Services NYC is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applicants from people of color, women, people with disabilities, people over 40, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

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