Housing Attorney - Bath, NY

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY®) is a not-for-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income clients in a 14 county area of Western New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. LawNY® has seven fully staffed field offices in Bath, Elmira, Geneva, Ithaca, Jamestown, Olean and Rochester, satellite offices in Lakeville and Lyons, and a business office in Rochester.
LawNY® has been providing high quality legal representation for 54 years, and today has over 180 employees, including attorneys, paralegals, and a legal support team who work closely across areas of specialization to bring a holistic approach to addressing legal issues affecting our clients and community. While our services are always expanding, our core priorities remain intact.
LawNY® is committed to equitable inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin, and culture. We are increasingly committed to creating a law firm where race equity, diversity and cultural competency are integral components of our work, from client advocacy to internal operations.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Bath Office of LawNY® seeks to fill an immediate opening for a full time Staff Attorney in its Housing Unit to provide representation and counsel in landlord-tenant matters, including eviction defense and subsidized housing, homelessness prevention, and government benefits related to housing. We encourage applicants with a wide range of substantive legal experience to apply.
We expect those who fill this position will grow and adapt their practice to the needs of the community and the organization. The candidate must have the caring, patience, and emotional maturity to help low-income people overcome crisis situations.
Staff Attorneys at LawNY® provide comprehensive legal services to eligible clients and the ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of how civil legal issues affecting low-income communities intersect with social and economic justice. Staff Attorneys play a critical role in realizing LawNY®’s vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Every Staff Attorney is expected to actively engage in learning and becoming increasingly skilled in practice that supports this vision.

ABOUT BATH
The Bath office serves Allegany and Steuben Counties which are located in the southern part of the Finger Lakes region of Western New York, an area noted for its beautiful lakes, scenery, and quality agriculture. Bath is home to the longest running county fair in the US and abounds with historic buildings and architecture as well as a grand town square where people still gather for farm markets and live music.
Bath is part of the Tiffany & Treasures Trail which includes local pottery studios and shops and features the breathtaking First Presbyterian Church of Bath designed corner-to-corner with Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows and fixtures. A short distance from Bath is picturesque Keuka Lake, nicknamed “Lady of the Lakes,” ideal for swimming, fishing, and boating. Notable nearby museums include Corning Museum of Glass, Rockwell Art Museum, and the Glenn H. Curtiss Motorcycle and Aviation Museum.
Bath has a relatively low cost of living and an abundance of public transportation options in town with a median home price of $147,600 and 1 bedroom apartments available for around $900/month.

QUALIFICATIONS These are the basic requirements for the position.
Admitted to practice and in good standing in New York State, eligible for admission without examination, or willing to take the next available Bar examination.
Demonstrated commitment of service to low-income people.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to work under deadlines and manage multiple tasks.

RESPONSIBILITIES These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position.
Maintain a full-time caseload representing eligible clients served by our Housing Unit.
Develop and maintain specialized knowledge in housing matters, particularly: eviction defense, subsidized housing, homelessness prevention, and government benefits related to housing.
Provides legal services to low income clients and client groups regarding these matters including advice, negotiation, litigation and administrative advocacy.
Interacts respectfully with clients from a wide range of backgrounds, with an awareness of the importance of cultural competence and humility.
Collaborates with other LawNY® advocates, human services providers, non-profit organizations and community groups as well as the courts, administrative tribunals and the private bar to address legal problems within our community, including providing community legal education.
Contributes to a safe and healthy work environment for fellow employees.
Cooperates in all grant reporting requirements, program reporting, timekeeping, file maintenance, case closing and compliance review.
Maintains a high level of professional competence through attendance of training sessions, seminars and conferences and individual efforts to keep abreast of current developments in the area of poverty law and the application of an equity lens to client service.
ADDITIONAL TRAITS AND SKILLS These are the traits, attributes, attitudes, and skills that speak to the candidate’s ability to succeed in the position. While no one candidate will possess all of the qualities listed, the ideal candidate will have many of these qualities.
LawNY® encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as professional skills and experience in relation to this list.
Experience incorporating an anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens into legal practice.
An understanding of the concepts of structural and institutional racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
Strong interpersonal skills, including a commitment to providing trauma-informed services.
Lived experience with our client communities.
True fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.

COMPENSATION
Salary is dependent on experience and based on a pay scale with annual increments. The beginning salary for a Staff Attorney is $58,000 and the salary for a Staff Attorney with five years of experience is $64,000. LawNY® staff may also qualify for public interest law school loan forgiveness programs.
LawNY® provides an excellent package of fringe benefits including 94% employer paid health insurance with significant HSA contributions, 100% employer paid dental and disability insurance, vision coverage, and $50,000 automatic life insurance as well as generous leave provisions including, in the first year of employment, 20 days of vacation plus 13.5 holidays and two floating holidays. Employees also receive 12 sick days and five personal days per year. New parents receive 20 days of paid new parent leave.
LawNY® is committed to providing a work-life balance to their employees. We encourage and support a 35 hour work week to ensure our employees have this balance. We also offer a remote work policy where new staff are able to work from home up to 3 days per week during their 6 month probationary period with manager approval, as their case load permits. This increases to 5 days per week once successfully finished with a probationary period with manager approval, as their case load permits.