DIRECTOR OF FAMILY/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UNIT

Brooklyn Legal Services seeks a Director for its Family Law and Domestic Violence Unit (FLU).

Brooklyn Legal Services, part of Legal Services NYC, provides high-quality, innovative representation to address the pressing legal needs of Brooklyn’s diverse low-income population. BLS focuses on the problems that have the greatest impact on our clients — preserving affordable and decent housing, maintaining income support, redressing abusive lending and consumer practices, promoting family stability and mitigating the effects of domestic violence, and advocating for vulnerable populations including people with disabilities and older adults.

The FLU has been providing legal services to DV victims throughout Brooklyn for over 40 years. The Unit has pioneered DV advocacy and litigation and has been an innovative leader in the field. We provide advice, counsel and representation to victims of domestic violence in family offense (order of protection), custody and visitation, child and spousal support, divorce, appellate, and immigration proceedings. Our staff is widely recognized for its expertise and provides numerous trainings to a wide audience, including shelter staff and residents, hospital staff, DV advocates, judges, attorneys, court staff, and community-based organizations.

Roles and Responsibilities

We are looking for a passionate director to lead a dynamic team litigating family law and matrimonial cases in Brooklyn Family, Supreme and Integrated Domestic Violence courts. The Director will work to support the unit’s existing advocacy efforts as well as be responsible for broadening the unit’s work. The Director will provide hands-on supervision of attorneys of varying levels of experience, including second-seating trials and depositions. The Director will also provide trainings on a variety of DV and matrimonial-related legal subjects to diverse audiences. In addition, the Director will handle a small caseload of matrimonial/domestic violence matters. Additional responsibilities include: client outreach; developing litigation, legislative and policy advocacy; enhancing the Unit’s mediation practice; strict adherence to grant requirements, grant reporting and writing grant proposals; coordinating with the Director of Immigration to oversee the Unit’s DV-related immigration practice; collaborating with advocates throughout LSNYC on litigation matters and strategy; working closely with city, state, and federal agencies and community partners and stakeholders; and maintaining and developing new partnerships with service providers. The Director will be supervised by the Director of Litigation.

LSNYC prides itself on its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) efforts. As a social justice organization, we are committed to fighting for a workplace that is as diverse, equitable, and inclusive as possible for everyone. Our DEIB committee and numerous affinity groups work to foster collegial relationships among staff at all levels and allow staff to explore and advocate for racial justice and anti-oppression growth within our organization and through our legal work. All employees are expected to learn about, seek to understand, and work to realize our DEIB goals. Every supervisor is expected to actively engage in learning and become increasingly skilled in supervision that supports diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The Director’s duties will include actively working to advance LSNYC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging goals.

LSNYC provides numerous opportunities for growth and professional development. Our Learning Center provides opportunities to earn free CLE credits and gain experience as a trainer. In recent years we engaged The Management Center and Management Information Exchange to teach management skills to our directors and supervisors, and we encourage and support supervisors and directors to attend local and national trainings to build supervision and management skills.

Experience and Qualifications

We seek an attorney admitted to the New York State Bar with:

• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and commitment to working with low-income clients and communities of color to advance equity;
• Minimum of 7 years practicing family law, including demonstrated expertise in Supreme Court matrimonial practice.
• Some appellate experience preferred;
• Prior supervisory experience;
• Deep understanding of and ability to work well with people of diverse national, ethnic, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds;
• Particular sensitivity to the complex socio-economic and cultural issues encountered by survivors of domestic violence in the populations BLS serves;
• Experience with grant-writing and grant-reporting;
• Outstanding organizational, planning and time management skills;
• Strong interpersonal, teaching/training and organizational skills;
• Outstanding communication, research, and writing skills; and
• Proficiency in Spanish or another relevant language preferred.

Health Recommendation

All employees are strongly encouraged to continue to receive and maintain up-to-date COVID vaccinations unless they are unable to for medical or religious reasons.

How to Apply

Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and two writing samples to bkhiring@lsnyc.org. Please write “FLU Director” in the subject line of the email. Please, no telephone calls.

Legal Services NYC is an equal-opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, and people over the age of 40 are strongly encouraged to apply.

Salary Range (Based on years’ experience): $132,096 - $198,144

Job#81_2024; Posted: 09.2024