Staff Attorney

About NYLAG

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality.

NYLAG works in more than 150 community sites (e.g., courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks a Staff Attorney for its Domestic Violence Law Unit (DVLU), an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and paralegals advocating on behalf of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in New York City. DVLU provides safety planning, advocacy, advice, and representation to survivors in matrimonial and family law matters (including orders of protection, custody/visitation, contested divorce, uncontested divorce, child/spousal support proceedings, and related appellate proceedings), and domestic violence-based immigration applications (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U visa, T visas, adjustment of status, and related applications).

DVLU believes that access to trauma-informed, client-centered representation is crucial for our clients’ paths towards self-determination, safety, and security, and we are seeking an associate director that shares and models these values.

The Staff Attorney will provide safety planning as well as representation, advice, and advocacy services to survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault on family and matrimonial litigation cases (including orders of protection, contested and uncontested divorces, custody, visitation, child and spousal support, matters related to special immigrant juvenile status and some abuse/neglect proceedings), and sexual and gender-based violence based immigration matters (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U-visas, T-visas, SIJS petitions, and applications to adjust status).

The Staff Attorney will represent clients before multiple venues including Supreme, Family, and Integrated Domestic Violence Courts. They will also assist survivors in submitting compensation claims based on their victimization, and in appellate family and immigration law cases.

The Staff Attorney role requires extensive collaboration internally across projects and externally with community-based partners and will work to expand access to services for communities who face disparate obstacles in accessing assistance.

The Staff Attorney reports to a Supervising Attorney in the Domestic Violence Law Unit.

• Provide comprehensive safety planning, as well as representation and consultation to survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in legal matters including orders of protection, divorce, custody/visitation, support, and other family law cases in Supreme, Family, and Integrated Domestic Violence courts throughout New York City
• Provide representation and consultation in domestic violence-based immigration matters
• Conduct legal screenings, clinics, and outreach, including on-site and in community to expand access to services
• Attend internal staff meetings and meetings with partner agencies and funders
• Participate in relevant internal and external coalitions and task forces to advance survivor justice
• Mentor legal interns, volunteers, and pro bono attorneys
• Conduct educational seminars, trainings, and outreach to communities, partners, advocates, law students, and others on domestic violence law
• Administrative duties including updating NYLAG case management systems and maintaining and updating files and case notes, as well as assisting in grant reporting as needed
• Other duties as needed

• Admission to New York State Bar required
• 1–4 years of experience working…