Staff attorney (Public Benefits Unit - Bronx - Two-Year EJW Fellowship)

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.

BRONX LEGAL SERVICES SEEKS AN ATTORNEY FOR A TWO-YEAR EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS FELLOWSHIP IN THE OPIOID CRISIS RESPONSE PROGRAM

We are seeking a staff attorney to join our Public Benefits Unit to provide critical legal services to people affected by opioid use disorder (OUD) as a two-year Equal Justice Works Fellow in the Opioid Crisis Response Program. 

Bronx Legal Services

Bronx Legal Services, the largest provider of free civil legal services in the borough, is part of Legal Services NYC’s network of local programs throughout New York City. Our mission is to advance society’s promise to its most vulnerable members: that all are entitled to equal access to our legal system. 

The Public Benefits Unit 

Our Public Benefits Unit (PBU) fights to retain, obtain, or increase critical public benefits, including cash public assistance, SNAP/Food Stamps, WIC, HASA benefits, and rent subsidies (such as FHEPS and CityFHEPS). We also specialize in health law issues, helping people obtain or retain public health insurance and services such as Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care. Our PBU includes a medical-legal partnership (MLP) with a community health center where we conduct regular outreach, intake, and education.

Our talented team of advocates includes more than 30 people. 

Our PBU’s mission is to provide high quality legal assistance to as many people as possible while challenging and interrupting the institutionalized racism, ableism, and other pernicious factors that demonize public benefits and the people who receive them. Our goal is to build a team that celebrates and supports each other, and we recognize that the strongest teams must be diverse. We believe successful advocacy requires creating an environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to their work. 

This Fellow would also be part of our LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project, which has a decades-long MLP with a community health center that primarily serves LGBTQ+ identified people.

The Opportunity 

We are seeking an attorney to join our PBU as an Equal Justice Works Fellow for two years in the Opioid Crisis Response Program. 

The Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) epidemic requires multi-disciplinary interventions, and lawyers play a critical role in combating this public health crisis. Lawyers can reduce barriers to treatment and recovery, ensure the safety and unity of families, and improve health outcomes by advocating for clients’ rights to stable housing, public benefits, and medical benefits. Lawyers can also collaborate with and educate the community, the justice system, administrative agencies, and social services about cross-system legal impacts to mitigate legal barriers to successful recovery while spearheading efforts for systemic change.    

In response, the Equal Justice Works Opioid Crisis Response Program mobilizes Attorney Fellows to provide stigma-free education and direct representation to OUD-affected communities and individuals who are in need of civil legal services. It also aims to