Citywide Director, Elder Justice Unit

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking an attorney with a deep commitment to elder justice, public interest advocacy, and advancing the rights, dignity, and autonomy of older adults to serve as the Director of Elder Law. The Director will lead efforts to grow and support the Elder Justice Practice in all boroughs and will act as a coordinator of Elder Law services citywide. The position is currently located in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

The Director of Elder Law will oversee a dedicated interdisciplinary team providing a broad range of civil legal services to senior citizens, with a particular emphasis on housing preservation, rent-regulated housing, subsidized housing, eviction prevention, and aging-in-place advocacy. The position will also require advocacy in areas with a nexus to the housing case such as government benefits, consumer law, guardianship, and advance directives. The Director will be a visionary leader who can identify emerging issues affecting seniors, develop responsive advocacy strategies, cultivate partnerships, and expand the Practice's impact on behalf of older New Yorkers.

• →Champion elder justice initiatives that promote housing stability, economic security, health, and independence for older adults
• →Develop and implement a strategic vision for the growth and long-term sustainability of the Elder Law Practice
• →Foster innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration to improve outcomes for older adult clients
• →Build and strengthen partnerships with aging services providers, community-based organizations, government agencies, courts, and advocacy coalitions serving seniors
• →Provide legal and managerial leadership for the Civil Practice in Elder Law
• →Lead hiring, training, and mentoring for the Elder Law Practice
• →Directly supervise the supervising attorneys and provide supervisory support to attorneys, paralegals, social workers, and volunteers in the unit
• →Manage the Elder Justice teams in the Bronx and Brooklyn
• →Work closely with Director of Social Work and Social Workers embedded in the unit to meet client needs
• →Monitor and maintain a high standard of representation and client service
• →Develop impact and/or affirmative litigation
• →Identify emerging trends and policy issues affecting seniors and lead advocacy, litigation, and policy responses
• →Assist with planning and conducting citywide and statewide coalition meetings and task forces
• →Provide oversight of pro bono initiatives as they relate to Elder Law Practice
• →Participate in Practice-wide and Society-wide management discussions and decision making
• →Develop and maintain community support and relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials, and the courts
• →Represent the Civil Practice and Legal Aid in the community
• →Conduct community education, training, and outreach, and promote the work of the office and the Civil Practice

• Schedule employee hours, assign work, approve time off and remote work schedule requests following the guidance of LAS policy and procedures 
• Attend management meetings, participate in management trainings, and utilize current employment policies, practices and guidance as provided by management and Human Resources 
• Conduct management and supervision practices that affirmatively support equity and inclusion in the workplace 
• Supervise direct reports in setting performance standards, provide routine feedback as well as coaching/counseling, and issue disciplinary action as needed. 
• Identify and provide training and development opportunities and ensure mandatory trainings are completed
• Identify, delegate, and document work responsibilities, roles, and procedures to meet the mission of the department 
• Identify and implement department/unit management and accountability practices to improve performance 
• Resolve employee conflict, complaints, and address union concerns, with guidance from Human Resources
• Lead organizational and culture change for the unit

• Participate in continuous professional development
• Continuously learn about forms of bias in the workplace and demonstrate affirmative behaviors that support an inclusive work environment
• Other duties as assigned

• Admission of the NYS Bar
• Minimum of eight years legal practice required
• Demonstrated experience, preferably minimum of 3 years, working with the senior population
• Experience litigating in various legal forums, including State and Federal courts
• Knowledge of various practice areas within civil legal services
• Excellent oral and written advocacy skills
• Excellent litigation skills
• Demonstrated ability to provide visionary leadership, manage organizational growth, build collaborative partnerships, and inspire teams in service of a shared mission.
• Demonstrated commitment and experience in public interest law
• Supervisory and management experience
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills
• Commitment to exploring alternative approaches for legal practice
• Ability to work in a collaborative team model
• Demonstrated commitment to addressing fundamental issues of poverty and justice particularly as they concern senior citizens within a comprehensive civil legal services model of representation
• Demonstrated commitment to elder justice and advocacy on behalf of older adults
• Significant experience representing seniors in legal matters affecting housing, public benefits, or other issues impacting aging populations
• Substantial housing law experience, including familiarity with rent-regulated housing, housing subsidies, eviction defense, or other housing-related issues affecting older adults
• Demonstrated ability to provide strategic, innovative, and visionary leadership within a legal services, public interest, or advocacy setting

• Pro Bono, government, public service, and academic experience is desirable, but not required
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

• Knowledge of New York City and New York State housing law, public benefits, elder law, Medicaid, Medicare, home care, guardianship, advance directives, and related legal issues affecting older adults
• Knowledge of the legal, economic, and social challenges facing low-income seniors, including housing instability, elder abuse, benefit access, healthcare access, and aging-in-place concerns
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local agencies, courts, and community-based organizations serving older adults
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage an interdisciplinary legal services team, including attorneys, social workers, paralegals, and support staff
• Demonstrated excellence in litigation, negotiation, legal writing, oral advocacy, and strategic case development
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement a long-term vision for an Elder Law Practice and identify emerging issues affecting older adults
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate partnerships with community organizations, government agencies, elected officials, and other stakeholders
• Demonstrated success in designing and implementing advocacy, policy, impact litigation, or systems-reform initiatives
• Ability to provide high-quality supervision, mentorship, training, and professional development to staff at all levels
• Ability to analyze complex legal and programmatic issues and develop innovative solutions that advance elder justice
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and deadlines while maintaining high standards of client service and representation
• Ability to communicate effectively with clients, staff, community partners, funders, government agencies, and courts
• Ability to successfully represent and advocate for older adults through a client-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive approach
• Ability to advance Legal Aid's mission through visionary leadership, strategic planning, and a demonstrated commitment to equity, dignity, and justice for seniors

• Commitment to Legal Aid Society’s mission to secure equal justice before the law for all New Yorkers 
• Interpersonal and communication skills that enable healthy and productive working relationships
• Ability to perform duties with the highest regard for confidentiality, integrity, and respect
• Commitment to Legal Aid Society’s mission and values

• Mostly sedentary, significant time using a computer and monitor; communicating and meeting using video 
• Requires occasional or frequent physical movement to perform essential job functions which may include, bending, reaching, pulling, pushing, standing or walking for long periods of time, accessing small spaces  
• May or will require travel within NYC, across the five-borough region  

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.