The Legal Aid Society, the nation's oldest and largest social justice legal services organization is seeking dedicated, passionate Fellows in the Criminal Defense Practice. To learn more about how our attorneys and legal professionals enhance family and community stability and security please visit our website at https://www.legalaidnyc.org/what-we-do/ . Criteria for eligibility is listed below.

The Criminal Defense Practice runs from its dynamic advocacy of clients in court to its presence and partnership in communities. As the primary public defender in New York City, staff zealously and tirelessly work to protect the rights of the most marginalized and disenfranchised in society. Yet our scope, as the country's oldest and largest public defender, goes beyond any single case or client. Our community engagement, impact litigation, and broader advocacy consistently strive for increased fairness and humanity in the criminal justice system and seeks to reduce the devastating and permanent consequences of system involvement for our clients.

Through the work of our law reform units-the Special Litigation Unit and the Prisoners' Rights Project-we bring impact litigation and conduct advocacy to advance systemic change. And through the work of our post-conviction units-DNA, digital forensics, and others-we apply the latest advances to challenge the government and secure evidence essential to the defense of our clients.

For 2025, we are seeking proposals for the Criminal Defense Practice's law reform units or the practice's postconviction units by July 8, 2024. Areas of interest for proposals include, but are not limited to:

• Intersection of mental health and the criminal legal system (SLU)
• Police surveillance (SLU)
• Protection of rights during incarceration (PRP)
• DNA and Forensic Litigation and Reform (Post-conviction)
• Domestic Violence Survivors Act Litigation Parole Defense release-related litigation, reform, and re-entry advocacy; Wrongful Convictions Unit, post-conviction reform work and litigation (Post-conviction)

The Criminal Defense Practice's law reform units and its post-convictions units will hold a virtual information session via zoom on June 13 from 12:pm-2pm to answer questions about the fellowship process, each respective unit, and each unit's areas of interest. Please register here to receive the zoom link:

Registration Link

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

The fellow will play an integral role in the work of The Legal Aid Society. The fellow's specific responsibilities will depend upon the project but may include:

• Bringing impact litigation and conducting related policy advocacy in their law reform unit
• Active participation in their law reform unit's impact litigation and advocacy agenda
• Bringing litigation and conducting advocacy in their post-conviction unit
• Active participation in their post-conviction unit's litigation and advocacy agenda

• 3L law students, judicial law clerks, and other recent law graduates eligible for fellowship funding
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent legal research, analysis and listening skills
• Ability to effectively navigate client/community concerns and communicate legal issues
• Ability to manage time and multiple tasks and deadlines
• Demonstrated commitment to low-income BIPOC communities
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

Applicants will be notified via email about whether they have/have not been selected for an interview.

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range/ Salary: $81,425.00

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.

Click here to read more about the benefits of working at The Legal Aid Society

HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOAN FORGIVENESS

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs.

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.To learn more, click the links below.

studentaid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

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.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

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.)

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); 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 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.

The fellowship proposal should include a description of the legal project, designed by the applicant for partnership with The Legal Aid Society. The proposal should be 2 - 3 pages in length, describe the need for the project, how the project's goals will further the public interest, and how they will be accomplished within the fellowship year(s). Please include a proposed timeline for the fellowship year. Fellowship applicants will be required to comply with all rules and deadlines.

Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Fellowship Proposal and Unofficial Transcript