Housing Justice Staff Attorney - Albany

The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, a nonprofit civil legal services program, is seeking a Housing Staff Attorney. Our service area spans sixteen counties, in upstate New York, encompassing six regional offices. This position is based out of our Albany office.

For more information about our work, staff, and clients, visit www.lasnny.org.

Staff Attorney: The attorney will provide legal representation and assistance to households at risk of homelessness, and who are suffering from financial and other hardships in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties.

Minimum Requirements

• Must be licensed to practice law in NYS or be eligible for admission. Law Graduates will be considered if they have taken the bar exam.
• Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to helping low-income and disadvantaged people overcome institutional barriers to employment, safety, housing, and income support and the provision of assertive, compassionate victim sensitive trauma-informed services to victims of domestic violence.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with clients and staff, work independently and efficiently, and be able to problem solve and work collaboratively with community partner agency staff.
• Training or experience in community lawyering or community organizing, demonstrated strong listening and relationship-building skills, experience, creativity, and willingness to use varied legal and non-legal advocacy tools to advance community-identified initiatives preferred.
• Must be willing to travel throughout our service area; a car and a clean valid New York driver's license are required.
• Strong computer, administrative, reporting, and data entry skills required.
• The ability to speak Spanish or Chinese is a plus.

Staff Attorney Essential Duties

• Provide legal assistance to eligible households at risk of homelessness by preventing evictions, securing mainstream benefits, and making referrals to services that will enhance the household's ability to maintain permanent housing.
• Work collaboratively with government and nonprofit agencies that provide supportive services, income, shelter, permanent supportive housing, homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing services, and financial assistance, provide assistance to the homeless and at-risk residents.
• Provide legal assistance in maintaining or securing permanent housing and the income necessary to retain permanent housing. Legal assistance will include eviction defense, asserting protections for tenants and fully utilizing the law to preserve tenancies and keep people safe in housing.
• Protect public and subsidized housing tenancies and subsidies, address utility shut-offs or denials of service, and secure emergency assistance, ongoing temporary assistance, and other income support necessary to achieve housing stability.
• Provide a full range of legal services, including counsel and advice, referrals, representation in administrative hearings, affirmative and defensive litigation, systemic advocacy, community legal education, outreach and engagement, and community lawyering.
• Experts in Emergency Rental Assistance Program or Right to Counsel Program; related data collection.
• Requirements and compliance there with and work collaboratively with other LASNNY housing attorneys/paralegals to maximize access to LASNNY services and address systemic issues that cause homelessness.
• The attorneys will also participate in developing and implementing LASNNY's race equity priority and professional development plan.

Work Environment

LASNNY is a professional law office that occasionally requires the carrying of items of up to 20 pounds. This role requires using standard office equipment and software and remote videoconferencing platforms. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

We are a unionized program with excellent benefits, generous time off, health insurance coverage with premiums primarily paid by LASNNY, health and long-term disability insurance, retirement contributions, tuition reimbursement, qualifying moving expenses, and flexible hybrid-remote and alternative work schedules.

If you cannot submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at LASNNY at hr@lasnny.org. We will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law.