Paralegal I, Managing Attorney Office - New York, NY

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. Our practice includes direct appeals of judgment convictions as well as collateral litigation such as 440 motions, Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act resentencing applications, and Sex Offender Registration Act hearings and appeals.

CAB has an opening for a Paralegal I to support the unit, with a particular focus on obtaining court records and archiving closed case files. Responsibilities include scanning court files, obtaining exhibits from the District Attorney's Offices, ensuring internal databases are updated appropriately, handling the detailed logistics for moving closed files to offsite archival storage, and general administrative support. The successful candidate should be highly organized, detail-oriented, able to interact effectively with court personnel, and willing to work closely with a team of attorneys, paralegals, and other support staff to assist CAB.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Copy court files from courthouses throughout the five boroughs
• Scan files and other documents, organize them, and upload them to our internal database
• Request exhibits from the District Attorney's Offices and diligently follow up to ensure that we receive necessary exhibits
• When available, pick-up exhibits from District Attorney's Office and scan and ensure internal databases are updated appropriately

• Develop relationships with clerks and counterparts in the District Attorney's Offices
• Identify changes in courthouse procedures and work with CAB supervisors to adjust workflow as needed
• Ensure that CAB filings are attached to internal databases
• Perform data entry and word processing as needed, including helping to update internal databases and correct errors

• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• Eligible candidates must have at least one of the following:
  
  
  
  • A high school diploma / GED
  • At least 2 years of work experience
  
  
  
  
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, particularly Excel and a PDF program required
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, particularly Excel and a PDF program required
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to multi-task and manage a large workload
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to interact effectively and independently with courts and related criminal justice agencies, and with Legal Aid attorneys, paralegals, and other support staff
• Ability to problem-solve

Preferred qualifications:

• Some knowledge of New York criminal law and criminal procedure a plus but not required

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $53,295 - $81,795

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Click here to read more about benefits.

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

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 via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

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.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

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 (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.