Staff Attorney, Bilingual; English

Title:

Staff Attorney (0-4 YOE) or Senior Staff Attorney (4+ YOE), General Practice, position is primarily immigration law

Department:
Legal Services Department

Reports to:

Director of Legal Services

Date of posting:
November 1, 2025. Rolling applications, position open until filled.

Start Date:

aiming for December 2025

The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) envisions a world in which all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ), and HIV-affected people are safe, respected, and live free from violence. AVP works to empower LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling, advocacy, and legal representation.

• Conduct legal consultations, provide referrals or advice and counsel when appropriate;
• Provide full legal representation in Immigration matters, and legal advice and support in variety of matters, such as family law, housing, public benefits, name change, employment, probate/advanced directives, and crime victim’s rights advocacy;
• Prepare all aspects of your clients’ cases (assess viability of case, prepare and file court pleadings and responsive papers, complete legal research, prepare client and witnesses for court appearances, appear with your client and advocate during trial, interview or motion practice);
• Leadership in driving AVP as a thought leader in the LGBTQ and legal community via amicus briefs, public testimony, reports, Op-Eds and media as requested;
• Provide trainings and outreach to community members and other professionals;
• Provide legal trainings to other legal services organizations;
• Participate, and in consultation with AVP leadership, take leadership positions in external coalitions, working groups, and task forces with other advocacy groups to advance the rights of LGBTQ survivors of violence;
• Provide holistic legal representation, coordinating with departments at AVP and referring clients to AVP’s Client Services (CS) and Community Organizing and Public Advocacy (COPA) services and programs as appropriate;
• Recruit and mentor pro bono volunteer attorneys;
• Other duties as assigned.

• Comply with all internal policies and procedures of the legal department and AVP, including, but not limited to:
  • Maintaining complete and organized case files;
  • Entering all data accurately and in a timely manner into the Legal Department database;
  • Adhering to all funding reporting requirements and meeting deliverables;
  • Assisting with grant data collection and reporting as directed by the Deputy Director of Legal Services and the Director of Legal Services;
  • Maintain a license to practice law in good standing in the State of New York;
  • Register with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in order to represent clients before the Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals;
  • Follow and adhere to the New York Rules of Professional Conduct.

• Attend weekly supervision with your supervisor;
• Attend weekly Legal Department meetings;
• Actively participate in AVP’s requirements related to Anti-Oppression work and actively advance anti-oppressive goals at AVP;
• Attend AVP Staff Meetings;
• Attend in-service trainings and external trainings/seminars as appropriate;
• Attend external coalition meetings as assigned;
• Assist with and attend AVP signature events

• Mentor and supervise DOJ accredited reps, staff attorneys and/or fellows with fewer years of experience in your areas of expertise as needed;
• Attend court and administrative hearings, client preparation meetings, and other meetings with more junior attorneys and staff; provide feedback and support;
• Review written work of and provide feedback attorneys with less experience;
• Assist with case conferences and legal strategy meetings;
• Report any staffing, performance, or personnel issues to the Director of Legal Services;
• Supervise law student interns or Pro Bono Scholars as directed by supervisors.

• Legal license to practice law in the State of New York, or pending admission to the New York Bar;
• Admission to bar of any jurisdiction and engaged in practice of law:
  • Senior Staff attorney must have a minimum of 4 years of experience;
• Demonstrated experience and aptitude working with low-income, diverse communities, especially transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer individuals, people living with HIV/AIDS, and survivors of violence (e.g., identity-based hate violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, state/institutional violence, stalking, bias, and discrimination);
• Demonstrated expertise in providing legal services that benefit the public interest, with preference for experience in family law and/or immigration (specifically humanitarian forms of relief), but will be expected to practice in all AVPs legal services as detailed above;
• Supervision experience preferred, or progressively demonstrated more…