Job Description

Job Posting: Part-Time Staff Attorney
Department:  City Bar Justice Center
Reports to: Director, FedPro-EDNY
FLSA: Exempt

The City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) seeks an attorney committed to expanding access to justice to join our team as a part-time (approx. 20-25 hours/week) Staff Attorney with CBJC’s Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Project operating in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (FedPro-EDNY). This position reports to FedPro-EDNY’s Director.

FedPro-EDNY is an innovative initiative providing free, limited-scope legal assistance to non-incarcerated, pro se individuals litigating civil cases in the Eastern District, mostly in the areas of civil rights, employment discrimination, Fair Labor Standards Act, Social Security benefits matters, and a range of other claims touching on core individual rights and the protection of livelihoods. The City Bar Justice Center annually provides high-quality, free civil legal services benefiting over 25,000 New Yorkers who lack the resources to hire private counsel. CBJC also relies on partnerships with our affiliate, the New York City Bar Association , as well as with law firms, corporate legal departments, solo practitioners, law schools, the courts, and other stakeholders. In the past year, over 2,200 pro bono attorneys donated services to support clinics and client matter work drawn from CBJC’s dozen civil legal services projects .

Areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as part of a team (including volunteer attorneys) that delivers high-quality legal services to pro se litigants at different stages of federal litigation, including by providing: information and brief advice on the applicability of federal law to claims at issue, and on federal court procedure and individual judges’ rules; brief advice on case strategy, discovery and motion practice, and trial preparation; explanation of court orders and rulings, mediation practice, and settlement offers; and support reviewing, editing, and/or assisting in drafting pro se discovery and motion practice documents (note: FedPro-EDNY does not represent litigants in court).
• Meet with litigants served by FedPro-EDNY either by virtual or in-person appointment at FedPro-EDNY’s courthouse office in downtown Brooklyn.
• Stay abreast of changes and updates to the law and to Court rules and procedures, and assist in supervising pro bono volunteers and interns to provide FedPro-EDNY-sponsored pro se services.
• Provide professional legal and administrative support to FedPro-EDNY’s Director, including by helping to: ensure the quality of FedPro-EDNY’s scope and services; collect case data and create periodic reports for both CBJC and the Court; where appropriate, coordinate referrals for litigants who may need access to other legal services; and perform other duties and tasks as requested.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be a New York bar member in good standing admitted, or eligible for admission, to the E.D.N.Y. bar with at least two years of relevant federal litigation experience, including litigating employment, civil rights, and/or criminal matters, and/or experience delivering high-volume client services or clinical legal services.
• Detail-oriented self-starter with superb legal judgment and a capacity to multi-task who is creative, thoughtful, and tech savvy; can support CBJC’s and the City Bar’s institutional commitments to community education and serving the courts; and can demonstrate a commitment to building and nurturing pro bono partnerships with the private bar, serving those who struggle with a lack of resources, and providing legal assistance to historically underserved communities.
• Excellent writing and editing, oral communication, and organizational skills; ability to work both independently and with others, and to effectively and collegially collaborate with and/or train, mentor, and supervise an interdisciplinary team comprised of other attorneys, legal assistants and interns, social work support team members, and pro bono volunteers.
• Excellent people and client counseling skills, including effectively interacting with members of the public in a respectful and sensitive way, many of whom suspect institutions and the legal profession, and some of whom experience legal problems compounded by mental health struggles.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365, and the ability to quickly learn and effectively use LegalServer and other technology.
• Professional working proficiency in Spanish or another non-English language a plus, but not required.

This is a hybrid position for which candidates must be available to work in person at FedPro-EDNY’s courthouse office in downtown Brooklyn for roughly two-thirds of the position’s approximately 20-25 hour weekly schedule (exact schedule to be negotiated), with the balance of time spent working remotely, and with occasional in-person commitments at CBJC’s main offices in midtown Manhattan for team, committee or supervisory meetings. This position is supported by a two-year potentially renewable grant.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We are not able to sponsor visas for this position.

Salary for this part-time position (approx. 20-25 hours/week) is in the $42,500-$51,500 range (annualized) depending on hours worked and depth and diversity of skills and years of professional and practice experience. The City Bar’s competitive benefits package includes generous paid time off (vacation, personal, sick time, holidays, day off for volunteer work, extra time off in the summer), 401K, commuter benefits, Employee Assistance Program, employee discounts, and complimentary New York City Bar Association membership, many free City Bar CLEs, and others.

To apply: Please provide a cover letter explaining your interest, a resume, and three professional business references.

The City Bar Justice Center is a proud equal opportunity employer, and we particularly encourage applications from candidates belonging to communities historically under-represented in the legal profession. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds and unique experiences to apply. We welcome diversity of all kinds. It is our policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, creed, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, disability, arrest or conviction record, pregnancy, credit history, salary history, caregiver status, marital status, partnership status, or status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, religion, sex, genetic information, military status, unemployment status or any other characteristic as protected by law. With regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related laws, the organization will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations for persons due to their religious beliefs, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition or because the individual was a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking.

Job Tags

Holiday work, Summer work, Remote job,

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