Criminal Appeals Bureau Paralegal II – Quick Resolution Project

Job Description

The Criminal Appeals Bureau (CAB) of The Legal Aid Society is the largest post-conviction public defender in New York City, annually providing holistic, client-centered representation to over 1,000 people with misdemeanor, felony, and homicide convictions.

We represent low-income people in all five boroughs who are challenging their criminal convictions on appeal or in other post-conviction proceedings.

Our practice includes direct appeals of judgment convictions as well as collateral litigation such as 440 motions, Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act resentencing applications, and Sex Offender Registration Act hearings and appeals.

CAB is seeking a dedicated and passionate Paralegal II to support our Quick Resolution Project (QRP). QRP is a small collaborative team of attorneys and paralegals that seek to resolve cases where we are unable to raise any issues on appeal.

The successful candidate should have excellent judgment and be highly organized, detail-oriented, able to interact effectively with clients and court personnel, and be willing to work closely with a team of attorneys, paralegals, and other support staff to assist CAB.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

• Locating clients and communicating the status of their appeal both verbally and in writing
• Tracking communication attempts where clients are difficult to locate
• Assisting clients in signing stipulations to withdraw their appeal
• Drafting motions to resolve the appeal
• Filing stipulations and motions
• Updating and organizing physical files and case management system, including preparing files for final review after case has been resolved
• In conjunction with attorney, analyzing the record to confirm that no issues can be raised on appeal
• Resolving other client issues as needed
• Collaborating closely with CAB management and staff to increase CAB’s efficiency and effectiveness
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Paralegal certificate from ABA-accredited paralegal program, bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience
• Experience in and / or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income individuals and people of color a must
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent computer and word processing skills, particularly Microsoft Word and a PDF program
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to manage a large workload and meet deadlines
• Ability to pay strong attention to detail and think critically
• Highly motivated with a willingness to work as a team and adapt to the changing needs of the practice
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to interact effectively with courts and related criminal justice agencies, as well as with Legal Aid attorneys, paralegals, and other support staff
• Interest in criminal law and social justice issues
• Some knowledge of New York criminal law and criminal procedure preferred, but not required.
• Proficiency in a language or languages other than English preferred, but not required

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients.

We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more.

Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information.

Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range / Salary : $54,975 to $79,308

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The leadership of 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, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs.

Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process.

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email .

• 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.