The Role
Provides trauma-informed legal intake, safety planning, referrals, litigation support, document preparation, research, victim compensation claims, translation and interpretation assistance, case maintenance, data entry, grant reporting, and client advocacy for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence. Collaborates with attorneys, internal teams, and community partners serving underserved populations in family, matrimonial, and immigration matters.
Summary Generated by Built In
About NYLAG:
Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.
Job description
New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks a Temporary Paralegal for its Domestic Violence Law Unit (DVLU), an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and paralegals advocating on behalf of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in New York City. DVLU provides safety planning, advocacy, advice, and representation to survivors in matrimonial and family law matters (including order of protection, custody/visitation, contested divorce, uncontested divorce, child/spousal support proceedings, and related appellate proceedings), and domestic violence-based immigration applications (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U visa, T visas, adjustment of status, and related applications). DVLU believes that access to trauma-informed, client-centered representation is crucial for our clients’ paths towards self-determination, safety, and security, and we are seeking a Paralegal that shares and models these values.
The Temporary Paralegal will primarily conduct comprehensive family, matrimonial, and immigration law intakes with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and other clients referred for assistance. The position also requires providing litigation support to attorneys in their representation of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in family and matrimonial litigation cases (including orders of protection, contested and uncontested divorces, custody, visitation, child and spousal support, matters related to special immigrant juvenile status and some abuse/neglect proceedings), and domestic and gender-based violence based immigration matters (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U-visas, T Visas, SIJS petitions, and applications to adjust status). The Temporary Paralegal will also assist survivors in submitting compensation claims based on their victimization.
The person in this role will also collaborate internally across projects and externally with community-based partners, and will work to expand access to services for communities who face disparate obstacles in accessing assistance.
This role reports to a Supervising Attorney in the Domestic Violence Law Unit. This temporary position will go through June 30, 2027.
Duties and Responsibilities
Qualifications
NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.
Employment type:
☒ Temporary
Professional Level:
☒ Entry Level
Salary Range: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. This role is temporary, covering a staff member’s leave. The current salary range for this position is between $67,793 and $72,442 pursuant to NYLAG’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, pro-rated for the period of employment.
Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.
Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter on one pdf.
Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.
NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.
Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.
Job description
New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks a Temporary Paralegal for its Domestic Violence Law Unit (DVLU), an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and paralegals advocating on behalf of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in New York City. DVLU provides safety planning, advocacy, advice, and representation to survivors in matrimonial and family law matters (including order of protection, custody/visitation, contested divorce, uncontested divorce, child/spousal support proceedings, and related appellate proceedings), and domestic violence-based immigration applications (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U visa, T visas, adjustment of status, and related applications). DVLU believes that access to trauma-informed, client-centered representation is crucial for our clients’ paths towards self-determination, safety, and security, and we are seeking a Paralegal that shares and models these values.
The Temporary Paralegal will primarily conduct comprehensive family, matrimonial, and immigration law intakes with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and other clients referred for assistance. The position also requires providing litigation support to attorneys in their representation of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in family and matrimonial litigation cases (including orders of protection, contested and uncontested divorces, custody, visitation, child and spousal support, matters related to special immigrant juvenile status and some abuse/neglect proceedings), and domestic and gender-based violence based immigration matters (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U-visas, T Visas, SIJS petitions, and applications to adjust status). The Temporary Paralegal will also assist survivors in submitting compensation claims based on their victimization.
The person in this role will also collaborate internally across projects and externally with community-based partners, and will work to expand access to services for communities who face disparate obstacles in accessing assistance.
This role reports to a Supervising Attorney in the Domestic Violence Law Unit. This temporary position will go through June 30, 2027.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Conduct comprehensive family, matrimonial, and domestic violence-based immigration law intakes with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and other clients referred for assistance;
- Provide individualized safety planning with survivors;
- Assist clients and callers in identifying and obtaining appropriate referrals for legal and non-legal needs;
- Provide litigation support to attorneys in their client representation, including but not limited to, client interviewing, performing research, drafting documents and forms, obtaining documents and evidence, and compiling applications;
- Investigate, prepare, and file compensation claims for crime victims;
- Assist unit attorneys and case handlers with document translation and verbal interpretation;
- Engage with internal and external colleagues to ensure access to services for clients within the communities that we serve;
- Assist in program administration including file and case maintenance, assisting with grant reporting, and other administrative tasks as assigned by Unit Director and supervising staff;
- Manage data entry in internal and external data management systems and assist with generating reports;
- Fluency in a second language, particularly Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic, is strongly preferred;
- Ability to work collaboratively, communicate effectively, manage multiple tasks, and creatively problem solve; and
- Other duties as needed.
Qualifications
- College degree, paralegal certificate, or 2-3 years in a client/customer facing role preferred;
- Strong organizational and administrative skills are required;
- Experience working with survivors of trauma, immigrant communities and/or underserved communities is preferred;
- Demonstrated commitment to public interest work;
- Excellent computer skills (Word, Excel, internet research); and
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently.
NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.
Employment type:
☒ Temporary
Professional Level:
☒ Entry Level
Salary Range: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. This role is temporary, covering a staff member’s leave. The current salary range for this position is between $67,793 and $72,442 pursuant to NYLAG’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, pro-rated for the period of employment.
Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.
Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter on one pdf.
Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.
NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.
Skills Required
- Strong organizational and administrative skills
- Demonstrated commitment to public interest work
- Excellent computer skills, including Word, Excel, and internet research
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently
- College degree
- Paralegal certificate
- Two to three years of experience in a client-facing or customer-facing role
- Experience working with survivors of trauma, immigrant communities, or underserved communities
- Fluency in a second language, particularly Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic
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The Company
What We Do
NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis.
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