Job Description
The Criminal Appeals Bureau (CAB) of The Legal Aid Society is the largest post-conviction public defender in New York City, annually providing holistic, client-centered representation to over 1,000 people with misdemeanor, felony, and homicide convictions. We represent low-income people in all five boroughs who are challenging their criminal convictions on appeal or in other post-conviction proceedings, such as 440 motions, Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act resentencing applications, and Sex Offender Registration Act hearings and appeals.
The Criminal Appeals Bureau (CAB) of The Legal Aid Society has an opening for a Supervising Paralegal to assist with the administration of the Bureau and, in particular, the Managing Attorney’s Office (MAO). MAO consists of the Managing Attorney, two Assistant Managing Attorneys, a Supervising Paralegal, and about 15 other paralegals and support staff. MAO is responsible for communicating with courts, clients, and attorneys to ensure that records are complete and cases progress efficiently so that our clients’ rights are protected. MAO attorneys and paralegals are integral to CAB’s mission of mitigating the long-term devastating impact of mass incarceration on our communities.
The Supervising Paralegal will oversee the paralegals and support staff, checking in with them, troubleshooting issues, and providing feedback. The Supervising Paralegal will also be responsible for, among other things, opening new cases; ensuring that cases advance through the record collection, screening, and assignment process; coordinating pick-up and copying of court files; and supporting the monthly reporting to our funders.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
• Supervises paralegals and support staff, providing training and support.
• Reviews cases that have been screened by the MAO paralegals and ensures case is advanced to the next step (e.g., requesting missing minutes, drafting an administrative motion, advancing for attorney screening).
• Opens cases on case management system for new assignments.
• Coordinates with courts and MAO staff to ensure records are copied and scanned.
• Helps create and update procedural manuals.
• Reviews and sorts correspondence that comes into the Managing Attorney’s Office.
• Uses discretion and sound judgment to help troubleshoot issues and resolve non-routine matters.
• Other duties as assigned.
Required Documents
PLEASE SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS AS A SINGLE PDF THROUGH OUR ONLINE PORTAL: RESUME, COVER LETTER, THREE REFERENCES
Deadline: Open Until Filled
Location
Manhattan - Legal Aid Society Headquarters
Requirements
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS/ REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field.
• Excellent computer and word processing skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a fast-paced environment under time-sensitive circumstances.
• Ability to interact effectively and independently with courts and related criminal justice agencies, as well as work with Criminal Defense Practice and Criminal Appeals Bureau attorneys, paralegals, and other support staff.
• Experience in and/or commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people and people of color required.
• Some knowledge of New York criminal law and criminal procedures strongly preferred.
• Notary Public or willing to become a Notary Public.
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required.
• A minimum two-year commitment is required.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: PLEASE SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS AS A SINGLE PDF THROUGH OUR ONLINE PORTAL: RESUME, COVER LETTER, THREE REFERENCES
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
The leadership of 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, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
COVID VACCINATION INFORMATION
The Legal Aid Society is taking precautions and implementing safety measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to comply with New York City's requirements concerning Covid-19. All members of the Legal Aid community have a shared responsibility to support and comply with policies and protocols to protect the health and safety of our community. Learn more about our COVID-19 policy by visiting our website.
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.
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; one’s gender identity may be male, female, neither or both, e.g., non-binary), gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not be distinctively male or female and 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.