Position:
The Senior Attorney will join African Services Committee’s (ASC) Legal Services Department. This is a full-time position that will require the lawyer to primarily work at the ASC office. The remaining time will be spent attending external meetings or providing presentations to community members or other outreach activities. Days and hours of work are generally 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday - Friday. Additional evening/weekend hours are required to meet court and/or program deadlines or client needs.

Responsibilities:

• Provide direct legal services to clients in the areas of benefits, family, or immigration law as needed to help satisfy contract requirements and deliverables. Prepare and file applications or legal submissions as needed. Represent clients at interviews, hearings or before the appropriate courts as needed.
• Provide supervision to Attorneys, Legal Advocates, DOJ Accredited Representatives, or other staff working on tasks or assignments for clients’ cases in the areas of law in which they have sufficient experience. Review and revise applications or legal filings prepared by subordinates as needed. Aid subordinates in formulating case strategy. Develop strategies and timelines with subordinates to both comply with case deadlines and maximize staff productivity.
• Supervise the provision of legal education and counseling via ASC’s benefits counseling program. Ensure compliance with the funder’s requirements, that contract deliverables are met, and reporting is submitted in a timely manner. The benefits counseling program is for eligible people who are either living with HIV or AIDS (PLWHA) who are currently employed, or are searching for employment, and need assistance with
  understanding how their earned income will affect their benefits, such as SSI, SSDI or HASA. Benefits Counseling services assist PLWHA with enhancing self-management through education and advocacy services regarding the impact of employment and earnings on public benefits. These program elements are goal-driven and focus on improving financial self-management, financial literacy, and skill development.
• The Senior Attorney will help the program’s clients in order to develop client understanding of the impact of working on their benefits, foster client empowerment to make decisions about returning to work and potentially reduce benefit loss and overpayment issues. Attend trainings and courses as needed or required to develop relevant or necessary knowledge for providing services in the program.
• Identify and assess clients’ non-legal needs. Make referrals to either ASC’s internal programs or other agencies for legal or non-legal needs when appropriate. Make associated referrals to services that support clients in linkage to and retention in medical care and other support services to achieve viral suppression and self-management and
  maintain optimal health. Track referrals for enrolled clients.
• Review and provide guidance for legal consultations and advice provided to potential clients by subordinate staff. Review available evidence and information to determine the viability of the potential clients’ cases for representation. Identify and assess potential clients’ non-legal needs. Make referrals to other agencies for legal or non-legal needs when appropriate.
• Provide “Know Your Rights” presentations and accompanying materials in English, French or Spanish to educate and inform both prospective and actual clients in the various areas of law; about issues affecting people living with HIV; as well as any other identified areas of community need or interest.
• Work with Supervising Attorney to supervise and ensure compliance by subordinate staff with data entry and reporting requirements for the contracts funding the programs that provide legal services to PLWHA.
• Work with Supervising Attorney to supervise and ensure compliance by subordinate staff to maintain and update client’s case files and electronic account on ASC legal department’s case management database. Coordinate with the Supervising Attorney to compile information and statistics relevant to the ASC legal department’s internal and external reporting requirements.
• Represent ASC at meetings with other legal service agencies, government agencies, collaborations with other organizations on issues pertaining to people living with HIV, or other topics.

Qualifications: 

• Juris Doctor
• Admission to the New York State bar
• At least three (3) years of post-JD experience as an attorney
• Prior experience supervising attorneys and other subordinate staff
• Prior experience working with either immigrants, or people living with HIV or AIDS preferred
• Experience representing and/or advising clients regarding their benefits issues, especially in the areas of SSI, SSD and/or HASA
• Preference for candidates who also either have experience representing clients before the family court in divorce, child support, and custody; or have experience representing clients in a variety of immigration matters
• Bilingual: Fluency in English and a 2nd language, preferably French or Spanish
• Must participate and complete benefits program certification course as soon as possible
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability and experience working with diverse individuals and communities
• Flexible schedule and availability for occasional evening and weekend work

How to Apply:
Please apply by emailing your resume and salary requirements to Franco Torres at francot@africanservices.org.