Paralegal Casehandler, Justice Helpline

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking a Paralegal Case handler for the Housing Justice Helpline. The Helpline Paralegal is on the front lines of assisting individuals and families to avoid eviction and preserve affordable housing. They will staff the Housing Justice Helpline answering calls of NYC renters and occupants providing information, advice, brief legal services, and referrals while under the supervision of an attorney.

• Interview clients, provide advice and direct assistance
• Work with Staff Attorneys to resolve the government benefits issues involved with housing cases
• Handle a high volume of individual cases and respond to the needs of community-based organizations
• Assist callers with completing court forms including pleadings in eviction cases and termination hearings to be filed pro se
• Advocate with various agencies regarding government benefits
• Develop community education materials and conduct trainings for clients and other advocates
• Maintain case management
• Conduct policy advocacy on behalf of clients
• Other duties as assigned

Required qualifications:

• Eligible candidates must have at least one of the following:
  • A bachelor’s degree (strongly preferred)
  • A paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited paralegal program
  • At minimum a high school diploma / GED and 4+ years of legal work experience
  • 4+ years of combined higher education and legal work experience
• Excellent written, oral advocacy, and computer skills
• Excellent organization skills with ability to multi-task and manage a large workload
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations

Preferred qualifications:

• Proficiency in Spanish
• Experience assisting people in crisis is desirable, but not required
• Experience staffing a help/hotline or switchboard is preferred
• Experience in and/or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people and immigrants is strongly desired

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $60,033 - $91,932

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. to read more about benefits.

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice.

To learn more, click the links below.

student aid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

All applications must be completed online via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of…