Staff Attorney - LGBTQ/HIV Unit

Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, we have challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and provided legal services that help our clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC is the largest civil legal services provider in the country; our staff of more than 600 people in neighborhood-based offices and outreach sites across all five boroughs helps hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers annually. We partner with scores of community-based and client-run organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness. Our work fights discrimination and helps to achieve equity for all low-income New Yorkers.

LSNYC employees have numerous opportunities for growth and professional development, including access to our internal Justice Learning Center, which provides opportunities to earn free CLEs and gain experience as a trainer. 

MANHATTAN LEGAL SERVICES SEEKS A STAFF ATTORNEY FOR OUR HIV/LGBTQ ADVOCACY UNIT 

 

About Our Organization: 

 

Manhattan Legal Services is seeking a staff attorney to join our HIV/LGBTQ Advocacy Unit. The HIV/LGBTQ Advocacy Unit provides comprehensive civil legal services to people living with HIV and to low-income LGBTQ New Yorkers. The Unit provides representation in a broad range of civil legal issues. 

 

Manhattan Legal Services is part of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the largest provider of free civil legal services for low-income people in the country. The Manhattan office is dedicated to providing high-quality legal services in the areas of housing, family law, public benefits, employment, immigration, consumer, education, and disability rights. The Manhattan program has designated units serving particularly vulnerable populations including domestic violence survivors, people living with HIV, and people identifying as LGBTQ. We work in close collaboration with low-income communities in NYC.  

 

The Role:  

 

The staff attorney will be responsible for litigation, advocacy, community outreach, and education throughout Manhattan and sometimes in other boroughs when collaborating with our community partners.  The attorney will focus on litigating issues that particularly impact queer and trans New Yorkers and PLWHA, including discrimination in housing, employment, and in public accommodations. The attorney will also contribute to developing a practice to support TGNC folks who are denied healthcare coverage for gender-affirming care. There is a community outreach component to the work, including doing client intake at regular outreach clinics, sometimes after-hours; establishing relationships with community-based organizations that serve PLWHA and LGBTQ populations, including attending community-centered meetings and events after-hours and on weekends; and representing clients in a number of courts and administrative fora.  

   

 

Required Qualifications and Skills 

 

• License to practice law in New York State with a minimum of four (4) years of legal experience; 

• Substantial experience working with communities affected by HIV/AIDS and/or the LGBTQ community; 

• Competency at working respectfully and effectively with BIPOC transgender, queer, and nonbinary people, those living with disabilities including HIV/AIDS, and those with low or no income. 

• Substantial experience with civil litigation where you were either lead counsel or the sole lawyer for your clients; 

• Ability to use litigation, advocacy, and alternative dispute resolution to advance clients’ interests; 

• A keen understanding of power and privilege, and a willingness to accept input and feedback, especially from clients; 

• Ability to work and finish tasks independently, and independently set and meet internal deadlines; 

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, juggle multiple deadlines, keep clear records, communicate proactively, and remain accountable to your commitments; 

• Strong legal research, analysis, writing, and public speaking skills; 

• Applicants must be able to conduct outreach and education events in low-income neighborhoods. 

• Demonstrated passion for racial, social and economic justice;  

 

Preferred Qualifications and Skills 

 

• Capacity to think creatively and strategically about how to balance litigation goals with individual client needs; 

• Experience providing direct legal services from a trauma-informed lens; 

• Experience litigating affirmative cases in New York State Supreme Court, federal court, and/or other types of litigation/advocacy to create systemic change; 

• Experience litigating New York City and State Human Rights Laws and the American with Disabilities Act; 

• Experience supporting folks living in the New York City shelter system and litigating issues on behalf of people in shelter; 

• Experience in cases before the Social Security Administration; 

• Experience conducting and managing discovery; 

• Proficiency with case management software. 

 

All employees are strongly encouraged to continue to receive and maintain up-to-date COVID vaccinations unless they are unable to for medical or religious reasons.

Legal Services NYC is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, people over 40, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are strongly encouraged to apply.