Staff Attorney- Homeowner Stability Project (Non-Profit)
New York, NY
Full Time
Entry Level
Staff Attorney – Homeowner Stability Project
Department: City Bar Justice Center
Reports to: Homeowner Stability Project Director
FLSA: Exempt
The City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) seeks an attorney committed to expanding access to justice to join us as a full-time Staff Attorney supporting our Homeowner Stability Project, an innovative initiative that assists New Yorkers of low to moderate means in foreclosure, title correction, deed theft/scam prevention and other housing stability matters. CBJC provides high-quality, free civil legal services benefiting over 25,000 New Yorkers each year who lack resources to hire private counsel. With a staff of roughly 40, CBJC also relies on expansive partnerships with law firms, corporate legal departments, the courts, the City Bar, and other stakeholders. In FY2023-24, over 2,000 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:
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We are not able to sponsor visas for this position.
Salary for this position is in the $72,500 - $85,000 range (annualized) depending on experience. The New York City Bar Association provides a competitive benefits package, including generous paid time off (vacation, personal, sick time, holidays including closing between Christmas and New Year’s day this year, day off for volunteer work, extra time off in summer), choice of medical plans, dental, vision, 401K, life insurance, commuter benefits, Employee Assistance Program, short-term/long-term disability insurance, complimentary New York City Bar Association membership, many free City Bar CLEs and employee discounts, among others.
To apply: please submit (1) a cover letter explaining your interest, (2) a resume, and (3) 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 to apply. 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.
Department: City Bar Justice Center
Reports to: Homeowner Stability Project Director
FLSA: Exempt
The City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) seeks an attorney committed to expanding access to justice to join us as a full-time Staff Attorney supporting our Homeowner Stability Project, an innovative initiative that assists New Yorkers of low to moderate means in foreclosure, title correction, deed theft/scam prevention and other housing stability matters. CBJC provides high-quality, free civil legal services benefiting over 25,000 New Yorkers each year who lack resources to hire private counsel. With a staff of roughly 40, CBJC also relies on expansive partnerships with law firms, corporate legal departments, the courts, the City Bar, and other stakeholders. In FY2023-24, over 2,000 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:
- Working under the supervision of HSP’s project director and in collaboration with HSP’s legal and support team to assist homeowners throughout New York City who face housing instability, with a particular focus on homeowners who identify as Black, of color, elders, or LGBTQ+, and other New Yorkers struggling with poverty and other systemic socioeconomic barriers, and to support HSP’s goals of keeping individuals and families in their homes and neighborhoods and communities intact while addressing the inequities of discriminatory historic and current lending and property law practices.
- Screening a high volume of cases; interviewing and recording data on potential clients; and assessing, investigating and researching incoming matters, land and title records, and relevant case law.
- Providing brief legal advice as well as full representation in both litigation and transactional matters as assigned by the project director, including by preparing briefs, motion papers, deeds, and other legal documents, and appearing at hearings and conferences in New York Supreme Court, Surrogate’s Court and Federal Court.
- Assisting the project director in placing HSP cases with volunteers, tracking and reporting on data, providing training and ongoing support to volunteers, and managing HSP’s outreach efforts which include legal partnerships, community group collaboration, and intern recruitment and supervision.
- Candidates must be New York bar members in good standing with at 1+ years of relevant practice experience (including internships/clerkships), preferably in nonprofit legal services and with a focus on housing/homeowner legal issues.
- We seek a detail-oriented self-starter with superb legal judgment and a capacity to multi-task who is creative, thoughtful, tech savvy, and has high standards in work quality, and who can demonstrate a commitment to racial and economic justice and to serving those who struggle with a lack of resources.
- Excellent writing and editing, research, oral communication, and organizational/project management skills; ability to work both independently and with others, and to effectively supervise volunteers, interns, and legal assistants.
- 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.
- Collegiality and being able to communicate and work collaboratively with other attorneys and support staff.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office 365 and ability to effectively learn and use LegalServer and other platforms.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We are not able to sponsor visas for this position.
Salary for this position is in the $72,500 - $85,000 range (annualized) depending on experience. The New York City Bar Association provides a competitive benefits package, including generous paid time off (vacation, personal, sick time, holidays including closing between Christmas and New Year’s day this year, day off for volunteer work, extra time off in summer), choice of medical plans, dental, vision, 401K, life insurance, commuter benefits, Employee Assistance Program, short-term/long-term disability insurance, complimentary New York City Bar Association membership, many free City Bar CLEs and employee discounts, among others.
To apply: please submit (1) a cover letter explaining your interest, (2) a resume, and (3) 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 to apply. 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.
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