Paralegal

Housing Paralegal

One-Year Temporary Position

Mobilization for Justice (MFJ), a non-profit legal services organization that provides a wide range of free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers, is seeking a paralegal/legal services assistant to work with a team of lawyers and paralegals to preserve decent and affordable housing for poor and working poor tenants through eviction defense, affirmative litigation, anti-harassment work and policy advocacy. The paralegal will be part of a team that represents tenants in Manhattan, Bronx, and Brooklyn Housing Court, state Supreme Court, federal court, and administrative proceedings. The paralegal will be seated in our Bronx office.

MFJ’s mission is to achieve social justice, prioritizing the needs of people who are low-income, disenfranchised or have disabilities. We do this by providing the highest quality direct civil legal assistance, conducting community education, building partnerships, engaging in policy advocacy, and bringing impact litigation.MFJ is a 145-person staff comprised of attorneys, paralegals, social workers, and support staff. It is a diverse, unionized, and collegial workplace where staff share the organization’s mission to achieve social justice, prioritizing the needs of people who are low-income, disenfranchised or have disabilities.

The paralegal will be responsible for providing litigation support to a busy team of attorneys and, when appropriate, for representing clients in administrative proceedings. Litigation support encompasses a wide range of duties, including, among other things, engaging in case development; preparing and prosecuting housing subsidy and public assistance applications; conducting client intake and follow-up; and assisting clients with benefits advocacy. Additional duties include conducting intakes in a variety of forums and via telephone and other electronic means; assessing potential clients and providing legal guidance with the assistance of attorneys; staffing on- and off-site clinics; engaging in community education and outreach and building-wide advocacy support. Occasional evening and weekend outreach may be necessary.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Providing attorneys with case development and litigation support.
• Communicating with clients.
• Engaging in benefits advocacy.
• Staffing offsite legal clinics.
• Representing clients in administrative hearings.
• Conducting client intake in person, on the telephone, or virtually and at our offices or outside the office, including in court, at community-based organizations, at the offices of elected officials, etc.
• Providing advice, counsel, and brief services to tenants seeking assistance in housing and government benefits and other matters and assisting pro se tenants bring actions to enforce housing standards and tenancy rights.
• Conducting outreach and education to other community-based organizations, service providers, and government agencies.
• Organizing and facilitating tenant meetings, usually at community-based organizations or out in the field.
• Creating and updating community educational and training materials.
• Preparing and presenting testimony to administrative agencies and legislative bodies.
• Inputting and maintaining detailed records in office database.

Requirements:

1. 1. College degree.
   2. Experience working with low-income communities.
   3. Fluency in Spanish or another language spoken by MFJ’s client population strongly preferred.
   4. Experience with community-based organizing and/or advocacy strongly preferred.
   5. Well-organized and capable of managing competing responsibilities.
2. Willing to see clients and organize and conduct trainings, clinics, and tenant meetings throughout New York City, sometimes outside of usual business hours.
   1. Excellent writing and communication skills.

BENEFITS &PERKS:

Work Life Balance:

Employees have the ability to work flexible hours and are able to work two days a week from home.

Paid Leave:

Parental Leave: Employees are granted up to 75 days of parental leave and may use sick and vacation days if they have them.

Summer Fridays: MFJ offices close early every Friday at 2 p.m. starting Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Employer-Paid Healthcare Premiums:

MFJ provides employees with health, dental, and vision insurance at no cost to the employee. MFJ also provides additional benefits, including commuter benefits, FSA, HRA, and an Employee Assistance Program.

Salary is pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The salary range for this position is

$63,654.00 to $110,049.33.

Applicants should submit cover letter, resume and writing samples addressed to Donna Chiu and Rick Kahn, Directors of Housing Litigation, and transmit by e-mail to View email address on click.appcast.io with “Temporary Legal Services Assistant (Paralegal)” in the subject line. We encourage all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how their background or experience might contribute to the diversity and perspective of our office. Early applications are appreciated, and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. No telephone calls please.

For information about Mobilization for Justice, please go to

MOBILIZATION FOR JUSTICE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender, age, religion, national origin, citizen status, marital status, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.