Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, we have challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and provided legal services that help our clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care.
LSNYC is the largest civil legal services provider in the country; our staff of more than 600 people in neighborhood-based offices and outreach sites across all five boroughs helps hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers annually. We partner with scores of community-based and client-run organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness. Our work fights discrimination and helps to achieve equity for all low-income New Yorkers.
LSNYC employees have numerous opportunities for growth and professional development, including access to our internal Justice Learning Center, which provides opportunities to earn free CLEs and gain experience as a trainer. Further, LSNYC prides itself on its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) efforts and aims to create a work environment where everyone can bring their full selves to the work.
All non-managerial staff at LSNYC are part of one union and enjoy a generous benefits and compensation package, including exceptional healthcare, dental insurance, a vision plan, 21 vacation days per year (increasing to 28 days after the first year), 18 sick days per year, and a Loan Repayment Assistance Program. LSNYC staff can work remotely up to 50% of the time, job duties permitting.
Manhattan Legal Services (MLS) is seeking a motivated individual to fill the role of Intake Paralegal working and serving our vibrant community-based civil legal advocacy organization based in Manhattan. This position is available immediately
Program Description:
Manhattan Legal Services (MLS) is part of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the largest provider of free civil legal services for low-income people in the country. We are dedicated to fighting poverty by providing high-quality legal services in areas such as housing, family law, public benefits, employment, consumer, education, immigration, and disability rights, with special units serving particularly vulnerable populations including survivors of domestic violence, people living with HIV, and LGTBQ community members. We are committed to working in partnership with community-based organizations in the communities we serve in order to address the causes of homelessness, hunger, and family disintegration. This is an exciting opportunity for someone dedicated to serving the needs of low-income individuals.
Responsibilities:
Conducting eligibility screenings of potential clients, including obtaining necessary demographic data and helping to identify the scope of a client’s request for assistance;
Conducting intake and interviewing of clients- both virtually and in-person in the office and off-site locations; Providing applicants and clients with information, referrals, and/or advice under the supervision of an attorney;
Entering and tracking client information in databases and grants management systems, running data reports, and assisting in audit preparation;
Opening and closing case files and ensuring compliance with program protocols;
Coordinating follow-up services, including appointments, referrals, and client correspondences, and gathering documents and other information;
Assisting case handlers on client-related matters, including making phone calls, sending correspondence, and obtaining relevant information for the clients’ cases;
Maintaining client-related files, including copying, scanning, uploading, and distributing documents;
Using language-assistance resources, including translation and interpretation services;
Answering questions and helping to acclimate staff to intake procedures;
Maintaining familiarity with using internal and external resources to provide referrals
This particular position may include intake responsibilities for various MLS units; at present it will be located in the Disability Advocacy Unit and include HRA MAX SSI work.
Qualifications:
The successful candidate must be detail-oriented, a good communicator, and have excellent interviewing skills. Ability to interact with a wide range of people including low-income clients, case handlers, and representatives of community organizations. The candidate must also be skilled in MS Office suite including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Prior legal services experience is preferred. Additionally, the candidate must demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and working in low-income communities and communities of color to advance equity. Bilingual Chinese or bilingual Spanish is required. An associate's, four-year college, or paralegal degree or equivalent skills demonstrated by professional or life experience is required.
How to Apply:
Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and one writing sample to jobpostingsmls@lsnyc.org. Please write “Intake Paralegal” in the subject line of the email. Please, no telephone calls. Salary and benefits are determined by the LSNYC Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Manhattan Legal Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender persons, and persons over 40 are welcome and are encouraged to apply
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
Salary Range (Based on years’ experience):
1-10 years: $51,883 - $64,096
11-20 years: $65,124 - $73,922
21+ years: $76,724 - $83,706
Legal Services NYC is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, people over 40, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are strongly encouraged to apply.
