General Practice Attorney

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT (March 2021)

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

FULL-TIME STAFF ATTORNEY

The Rochester office of Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY) has an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney. LawNY is a not-for-profit law firm providing civil legal services to low-income clients in a 14-county area of western New York, including the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions. The Rochester office primarily serves residents of Monroe County.

The Rochester office has an immediate opening in our population based programming. This Team focuses on helping low-income people within vulnerable populations receive holistic legal services. The Staff Attorney will provide direct legal representation primarily to Older Adults and Veterans. This is a general practice position and will include assisting individuals in landlord/tenant matters, public housing, public benefits, wills, advanced care directives, rights of nursing home residents, social security, SSI & SSD issues, VA benefits and appeals, consumer law, and Medicare/Medicaid matters.  

Core responsibilities include: 

• Assistance and legal advocacy in priority areas impacting Older Adults and Veterans. 
• Providing representation in administrative hearing forums and the court system.
• Client interviews and investigation.
• Represents clients zealously within the bounds of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Data collection and file maintenance.
• Outreach activities.
• Relationship-building with court staff, community groups and other stakeholders.

The applicant must have the caring, patience, and emotional maturity to help low-income people overcome crisis situations. Due to COVID-19, LawNY staff are working remotely all or part of the week. LawNY maintains an extensive safe operations plan and seeks to ensure the safety of both our staff and our clients. All staff are still required to fulfill their professional obligations, which will require direct in-person contact with clients and in-person appearances in court or administrative agencies as needed to perform the functions of their role. 

Desired Skills: 

• Prior legal experience with low-income and other oppressed communities and clients.
• Lived experience with our client communities is highly desired.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, time management, and organizational skills. 
• Ability to work under deadline and manage multiple tasks.
• Ability to empathize and sensitively respond to people in crisis situations.
• Excellent use of Google Drive/GSuite, Word, and Excel; database programs a plus.
• Proficiency in Spanish is an advantage but is not required.
• Passion for social justice and commitment to the mission of LawNY.

Salary:  Salary is dependent on experience and based on a pay scale with annual increments.  The beginning salary for a Staff Attorney with no prior experience is $50,000, and the salary for a Staff Attorney with five years of relevant experience is $57,500 as per the LawNY salary scale. We also provide an excellent package of fringe benefits, including health, disability, and life insurance, as well as generous leave provisions.

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. ® (LawNY) is an equal opportunity employer. LawNY encourages applications from diverse candidates.  LawNY welcomes applications regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or any other consideration protected by law.  This position is considered Exempt pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act.