Our Organization:
Staten Island Legal Services (SILS) fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. SILS provides high quality, innovative representation to address the pressing legal needs of Staten Island’s diverse low-income populations. SILS focuses on the problems that have the greatest impact on our clients — preserving affordable and decent housing, preventing foreclosures, representing survivors of domestic violence, assisting in obtaining government benefits, obtaining immigration status and preventing deportations, and advocating for the LGBTQ community, students with educational needs and people with disabilities.
SILS is a part of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), which is the largest provider of civil legal services in the country. LSNYC provides numerous opportunities for growth and professional development and prides itself on its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) efforts. As a social justice organization, we are committed to fighting for a workplace that is as diverse, equitable, and inclusive as possible for everyone. Our DEIB committee and numerous affinity groups work to foster collegial relationships among staff and allow staff to explore and advocate for racial justice and anti-oppression growth within our organization and through our legal work. All employees are expected to learn about, seek to understand, and work to realize our DEIB goals. The Director of Litigation’s duties will include actively working to advance LSNYC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals.
Role & Responsibilities:
The Director of Litigation will report to the SILS’s Project Director, and collaborate with SILS’s Directors and staff across all legal units to develop and file impact litigation, provide supervision and support on complex cases, engage in policy and issue advocacy, and establish protocols for litigation and advocacy supervision within the office.
- Develop, supervise, and provide substantive litigation support for system-change and impact and law-reform litigation, and policy advocacy;
- Approve and provide supervision and support for appellate litigation;
- Join LSNYC's city-wide team of borough-based Directors of Litigation to lead system-changing litigation and advocacy endeavors addressing client needs, guided by LSNYC’s Chief of Litigation and Advocacy;
- Provide leadership and mentorship to advocates throughout SILS, helping advance our advocates’ professional development in the areas of litigation, policy and legislative advocacy, campaigns and coalition work, and community lawyering.
- Develop communication strategies in collaboration with LSNYC’s communications department to bolster advocacy endeavors;
- Actively work to advance LSNYC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals;
- Develop and oversee protocols for litigation and advocacy in supervision;
- Secure and collaborate with pro bono attorneys within litigation cases and projects in partnership with LSNYC’s Director of Pro Bono Services;
- Assist the Project Director and Unit Directors in program and grant development; and
- Supervise staff as directed by the Project Director.
Experience & Qualifications:
- Be admitted to the bar of the State of New York and Federal Court;
- At least 8 years of litigation experience, with at least 3 years in housing litigation;
- Substantial experience in state court litigation, including housing court, family court, federal court, and/or supreme court;
- Substantial experience and comfort in all significant aspects of civil litigation, including oral advocacy, discovery, and motion practice, with a strong preference for applicants who have substantial experience with appellate litigation in New York state courts;
- Experience working with low-income New Yorkers and litigating poverty law cases, with a strong preference for applicants with experience in more than one of SILS’s substantive practice areas;
- Experience with and understanding of community lawyering;
- Experience providing supervision and mentorship to other attorneys, including thinking through legal problems, identifying potential solutions including both litigation and non-litigation strategies, determining potential causes of action, and overseeing cases through all phases of litigation;
- Experience and interest in working on impact litigation and/or policy advocacy on behalf of underserved communities;
- A deep and broad practical understanding of the Rules of Professional Responsibility;
- Excellent legal writing, litigation and advocacy skills, including experience editing writing;
- Excellent supervisory, management, and problem-solving skills, including skills that encourage the professional growth of advocates;
- Have excellent interpersonal skills;
- Understand the oppressive systems that inform our clients’ experiences with the agencies they are forced to interact with;
- Be able to work effectively with elected officials, government agencies and community-based organizations;
- Be client-centered and able to communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and conduct community outreach in low-income neighborhoods;
- An ability and desire to work with people of all different backgrounds and experience levels and a dedication to helping mentor and build skills for staff and advocates of all levels;
- A deep understanding of the systemic conditions that create and sustain poverty and racial inequality in New York City;
- A deep understanding and appreciation for the role (and the limits of the role) of legal services providers in broader community-driven movements and coalitions for social and racial justice and equity; and
- A dedication to promoting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and providing and modeling leadership around Diversity Equity Inclusion, and Belonging.
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. Hybrid remote work policy and excellent benefits package.
How to Apply:
Email a resume, cover letter and writing sample to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please write “Director of Litigation” in subject line.
Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. Please no telephone calls.
Inclusion Statement: Studies have shown that women and people of color are more hesitant than others to apply for jobs where they fear they may not fully meet every single qualification listed. While this list of qualifications represents the qualities that we are looking for in an applicant, we are looking for the best candidate for the job. If you are interested in this position and have substantial relevant experience, we encourage you to apply even if you do not fully meet every criterion listed above.
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 reason.
Additional information about the practice may be found on our website, www.legalservicesnyc.org. Legal Services NYC is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, and people over the age of 40 are strongly encouraged to apply.
Salary Range (Dependent on years of experience): $135,192 - $215,688