Education Law Staff Attorney

The Legal Aid Society has an opening for an Adolescent Intervention and Diversion (AID) attorney in the Manhattan Criminal Trials office. AID is an interdisciplinary team model comprised of Staff Attorneys, Mitigation Specialists and Investigators dedicated to representing teenage clients prosecuted in the adult criminal courts. In addition to criminal defense representation, including the specialized practice under the Raise the Age law, the unit provides holistic advocacy in the areas of education, foster care, mental health and substance use. We also engage in policy work to ensure that our clients’ needs are served in the school, mental health, juvenile detention and correctional systems. AID works closely with the staff of our Juvenile Rights Practice, which represents young people in the family court and child welfare system.

Handle adolescent offender arraignments and engage in litigation focused on removing felony cases to family court and litigating the cases that remain in the Youth Part and elsewhere in Criminal and Supreme Court

Engage in collateral systems work for clients including school advocacy, interaction with foster care, youth shelters, mental health, community-based agencies, as well as visiting clients in detention, jail and prison facilities

Collaborate with Juvenile Rights Practice lawyers and social workers as well as CDP practitioners including specialty projects

Full Felony certification required

Experience in mitigation and sentencing advocacy

Interest in working with young people, families and collateral organizations and systems

Interest in area specific training

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

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 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. 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.

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