Staff Attorneys, Housing Unit

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.

Brooklyn Legal Services (BLS) seeks five staff attorneys for its Housing Unit.

Our Organization & Housing Unit:

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. Legal Services NYC (‘LSNYC’) fights poverty and seeks justice for low income New Yorkers. LSNYC is the largest civil legal services provider in the country; our staff of almost 600 people in neighborhood-based offices and outreach sites across all five boroughs helps more than 110,000 New Yorkers annually. 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 the disabled.

LSNYC prides itself on its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) 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 DEI 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 DEI 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.

The Housing Law Unit preserves affordable housing for Brooklyn’s low-income communities through representation of low-income tenants in eviction proceedings, collaboration with community-based organizations, and affirmative litigation to challenge abusive and discriminatory behaviors that displace low-income families and eliminate affordable housing. Our Unit has partnered closely with the Human Resources Administration (“HRA”) to launch and build a unit to support this ever-expanding Right to Counsel. The core of the Housing Unit team’s work is to provide zealous legal representation to Brooklyn tenants facing eviction in Housing Court and in administrative proceedings through aggressive litigation and creative advocacy. In addition, we preserve housing subsidies and public benefits for our clients through both individual representation and cutting-edge litigation. We also provide advice and community education to tenants throughout Brooklyn at legal clinics and through Know Your Rights trainings.

The Opportunity:

The Staff Attorneys will conduct intakes and represent tenants in Housing Court eviction proceedings, administrative proceedings, Supreme Court actions against administrative agencies, impact litigation in Federal and other courts, and other litigation. Other duties include community education and outreach. Currently, Housing Unit office is located in downtown Brooklyn.

Experience & Qualifications:

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

• A demonstrated passion for social justice and a commitment to working with low-income communities and communities of color to advance equity;
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills;
• Strong interest in working with clients in crisis;
• Strong organization skills and ability to handle diverse, fast paced, and high volume case