Temporary Staff Attorney

POSITION DESCRIPTION

LawNYs Geneva office seeks to fill an immediate opening for a Temporary Full-time Staff Attorney to provide eviction-related services in Livingston Ontario Wayne Seneca and Yates Counties. This attorney will represent clients who are homeless or at risk of eviction and need legal and other services to stabilize their housing. The position is funded under an ERAP eviction prevention grant and will end on September 30 2026. The Geneva Office has a location in downtown Geneva and satellite offices in Lyons and Geneseo. Staff Attorneys may be asked to work out of the Lyons and Geneseo Office offices as required.

Staff Attorneys at LawNY provide comprehensive legal services to eligible clients and the ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of how civil legal issues affecting low-income communities intersect with social and economic justice. Staff Attorneys play a critical role in realizing LawNYs vision of a society where access to justice is not determined by ones social or economic status. Every Staff Attorney is expected to actively engage in learning and becoming increasingly skilled in practice that supports this vision.

QUALIFICATIONS These are the basic requirements for the position.

• Juris Doctorate or Equivalent
• Admitted to practice and in good standing in New York State.
• Experience in Housing and/or Benefits
• Demonstrated commitment of service to people with low-income.

RESPONSIBILITIES
This position will include some or all of the following duties:

• Meet with clients facing housing instability to determine their needs.
• Provide full-scope in-person representation of tenants facing eviction homelessness and other civil legal problems related to eviction including in town village and city courts.
• Assist clients in seeking and securing financial assistance which is related to stabilizing housing including public benefits subsidized housing and unemployment benefits.
• Build relationships with community agencies providing services to our clients including shelter including in person meetings and establishing a presence at facilities providing services.
• Provide litigation support including pleadings to other housing advocates.
• Supervise temporary paralegals who are involved in outreach efforts with the courts and agencies.
  

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

The beginning salary for a Staff Attorney at LawNY with no experience is $75000 and the salary for a Staff Attorney with thirty years of experience is $111100. Salary will be based on experience. LawNY is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program(PSLF).

LawNY provides an excellent package of fringe benefits including:

• 94% Employer paid Medical Premium with 100% Employer paid in-network deductible
• 100% Employer paid Dental Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Life Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Enhanced Short-term Disability
• 100% Employer paid Long-term Disability
• Vision Insurance
• 20 Paid Vacation days per year
• 12 Sick days per year
• 5 Personal days per year
• 13.5 Holidays plus 2 floating Holidays per year
• 35-Hour Work Week
• Hybrid Work Schedule (new staff are able to work from home up to 3 days per week. After 6 months this increases to 5 days per week with Manager approval as workload permits)

ADDITIONAL TRAITS AND SKILLS These are the traits attributes attitudes and skills that speak to the candidates ability to succeed in the position. While no one candidate will possess all of the qualities listed the ideal candidate will have many of these qualities. LawNY encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge skills and experience as well as professional skills and experience in relation to this list.

• Litigation and advocacy experience in local state and/or federal court and/or administrative forums within at least one other area of poverty law.
• Knowledge of the intersectional experiences of structural and institutional inequities and the ability to apply this understanding to advocacy and client support.
• Experience advancing equity in legal practice by identifying barriers addressing bias and improving access to services.
• Strong interpersonal skills including a commitment to providing trauma-informed services.
• Excellent use of Google Drive/GSuite Word and Excel; database programs such as Lexisnexis and Westlaw
• Experience with our client communities.
• Fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.
• Passion for social justice and commitment to the mission of LawNY.

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Legal Assistance of Western New York Inc. (LawNY) is a not-for-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income clients in a 14 county area of Western New York the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier. LawNY has seven fully staffed field offices in Bath Elmira Geneva Ithaca Jamestown Olean and Rochester satellite offices in Lakeville and Lyons and a business office in Rochester.

LawNY has been providing high quality legal representation for 54 years and today has over 180 employees including attorneys paralegals and a legal support team who work closely across areas of specialization to bring a holistic approach to addressing legal issues affecting our clients and community.

OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR TEAM

LawNY is committed to fostering a workplace where every team member is respected valued and supported for the unique contributions they bring. We acknowledge and protect the many identities backgrounds and experiences of our dedicated staff and recognize the strength we collectively bring to our work. Guided by our commitment to acknowledge assess and act we listen and learn from the evolving needs of our team while continually examining and improving our policies practices and expectations to reduce inequities and prevent unfair treatment. Together we create solutions that advance fairness access and meaningful experiences for our team clients partners and the communities we serve. Our goal is an environment where everyone feels safe included supported and empowered to be and do their best.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To review our full application process and tips for your application and interview see here. will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply please submit your resume cover letter and three professional references through LawNYs BambooHR platform found here: your resume: When outlining your work experience please label each position as full-time or part-time and describe unpaid volunteer/internships as such.

For your cover letter: At LawNY we are committed to promoting social justice and advancing our mission for all of our team clients and your cover letter please also include an explanation of how you think that your background and experience has prepared you to contribute to our mission vision and values at LawNY.

For your professional references: Please include a separate document with three (3) professional references including their title company email and phone number.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT AND REASONABLE ACCOMODATIONS

LawNY is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to fostering a fair inclusive and welcoming environment for our applicants candidates staff clients and partners. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex (including pregnancy sexual orientation or gender identity) national origin age disability genetic information or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws. We strongly encourage anyone who meets the basic requirements of this role to apply.

To ensure an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience if you have any questions about the job application process or need reasonable accommodations at any stage please contact Michelle Grillone at .

This position is considered Exempt pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Required Experience:

Staff IC