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. 

BROOKLYN LEGAL SERVICES

SEEKS PARALEGAL ADVOCATES

FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFITS & LITIGATION SUPPORT UNIT

Brooklyn Legal Services, a program of Legal Services NYC, seeks two Paralegal Advocates to work in our Public Benefits & Litigation Support Unit. 

About Us

Brooklyn Legal Services (BLS), part of Legal Services NYC’s Brooklyn Programs, 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 other vulnerable and marginalized populations including low-income immigrants, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities.

As a community-centered, social justice organization, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where staff and clients feel welcome. Through our various affinity groups and committees, we actively work to foster collegial relationships among staff and allow staff to explore, grow in our understanding of and challenge barriers to opportunity within our organization and through our legal work. All employees are expected to learn about and seek to understand, identify and overcome barriers to justice, from individual preconceptions to structural obstacles, and work to realize our organizational goals and mission.

The Opportunity

The Public Benefits & Litigation Support Unit assists the eviction defense work of the Housing Right to Counsel practice by obtaining, preserving, and maximizing Public Benefits for tenants facing eviction in Housing Court and administrative proceedings. The unit also provides litigation support in eviction defense and affirmative challenges to abusive and discriminatory conduct that threatens low-income tenants with displacement and eliminates affordable housing. The Paralegal Advocates will be primarily responsible for advocating on behalf of low-income tenants facing eviction to obtain and maximize public benefits, which includes housing subsidy and public benefits applications with the NYC Human Resources Administration, maintenance advocacy, and representation at termination hearings.

The Paralegal Advocates will also be a part of the in-court Right to Counsel intake team, assisting in the administrative work of client intake which includes screening tenants for eligibility for our services, coordinating follow-up services including appointments and referrals, drafting client correspondence and ensuring grant/data compliance in close collaboration with our intake staff and managers, and providing on-site client interviews and advice with the assistance of attorneys.   

The Paralegal Advocates will also provide litigation support to attorneys through client interviews, drafting affirmations and other court documents, and researching and investigating tenant claims and defenses.

We are looking for candidates who are excited to work in a fast-paced environment with housing advocates representing tenants facing eviction. The Paralegal Advocates will be expected to work closely with tenants, lawyers, the court, and community partners, and participate in our intake at the Kings County Housing Court in downtown Brooklyn.

Experience and Qualifications:

• A demonstrated passion for social justice and a com