Staff Attorney - Health Law Unit

Position Description

The Rochester office of LawNY® seeks to fill an immediate opening for a full-time Staff Attorney in its Health Law Unit. The Health Law Team provides direct legal services to community members through LawNY’s fourteen county service area.

Our Health Law Team assists in the following areas:

• Medicare and Medicaid Questions Regarding Long-Term Care
• Managed Care Options
• Health Plan or Provider Problems
• Medical Billing Disputes
• Prescription Drug Assistance Programs
• Medical Services & Equipment Needs
• Complaints and Appeals Rights

These Are The Basic Requirements For The Position.

• Admitted to practice and in good standing in New York State.
• Demonstrated commitment of service to people with low-income.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

The beginning salary for a Staff Attorney at LawNY with no experience is $75,000 and the salary for a Staff Attorney with thirty years of experience is $111,100. Salary will be based on experience. LawNY is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program(PSLF).

LawNY® Provides An Excellent Package Of Fringe Benefits Including

• 94% Employer paid Medical Premium with 100% Employer paid in-network deductible
• 100% Employer paid Dental Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Life Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Enhanced Short-term Disability
• 100% Employer paid Long-term Disability
• Vision Insurance
• 20 Paid Vacation days per year
• 12 Sick days per year
• 5 Personal days per year
• 13.5 Holidays plus 2 floating Holidays per year
• 35-Hour Work Week
• Hybrid Work Schedule (new staff are able to work from home up to 3 days per week. After 6 months, this increases to 5 days per week with Manager approval, as workload permits)

These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position.

• Maintain a full-time caseload representing eligible clients.
• Interacts respectfully with clients from a wide range of backgrounds, with an awareness of the importance of cultural competence and humility.
• Collaborates with other LawNY® advocates, human services providers, non-profit organizations and community groups as well as the courts, administrative tribunals and the private bar to address legal problems within our community, including providing community legal education.
• Contributes to a safe and healthy work environment for fellow employees.
• Regularly attends meetings scheduled by our funders.
• Cooperates in all grant reporting requirements, program reporting, timekeeping, file maintenance, case closing and compliance review.

These are the traits, attributes, attitudes, and skills that speak to the candidate’s ability to succeed in the position. While no one candidate will possess all of the qualities listed, the ideal candidate will have many of these qualities. LawNY encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as professional skills and experience in relation to this list.

• Litigation and advocacy experience in state and/or federal court and/or administrative forums within at least one area of poverty law, especially family law, government benefits, eviction prevention, consumer, and/or fair housing.
• Experience incorporating an anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens into legal practice.
• An understanding of the concepts of structural and institutional racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including a commitment to providing trauma-informed services.
• Lived experience with our client communities.
• True fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.
• Passion for social justice and commitment to the mission of LawNY.
• Excellent use of Google Drive/GSuite, Word, and Excel; database programs; and Lexisnexis or Westlaw.

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY®) is a not-for-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to clients with low-income in a 14 county area of Western New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. LawNY® has seven fully staffed field offices in Bath, Elmira, Geneva, Ithaca, Jamestown,…