Program Description:
Brooklyn Legal Services (BLS) is the Brooklyn branch of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the nation’s largest civil legal services provider. Our mission is to fight poverty and seek racial, social, and economic justice, and our citywide force of over 500 staff helps more than 110,000 low-income New Yorkers annually. BLS, LSNYC’s largest program, stops evictions, preserves affordable housing and homeownership, helps people access essential public benefits, identifies and redresses abusive lending and discrimination in housing, mortgage lending, student loans, and other consumer practices, protects borrowers from abusive and illegal collection tactics, empowers victims of domestic violence, represents students in disciplinary proceedings and ensures access to educational supports, assists Brooklyn residents who are LGBTQ or HIV+ in gaining access to the services they need, supports community groups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, and promotes the rights of immigrants, veterans, the disabled, and older adults.
LSNYC and BLS pride themselves on their 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. LSNYC provides numerous opportunities for growth and professional development.
Rresponsibilities:
The responsibilities of this position include all of the duties under Executive Secretary II as described in the collective bargaining agreement. These include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting with escrow and other fiscal-related requests;
- Assisting in the maintenance of client and office-related files;
- Providing administrative support for litigation and advocacy;
- Scheduling appointments and drafting basic correspondence;
- Providing information and referrals to clients and community members;
- Other tasks as assigned which are consistent with the collective bargaining agreement.
Qualifications:
The successful candidate must have strong written and oral communication skills and be able to relate with a wide range of people including low-income clients, case handlers, and representatives of community organizations. They must be able to maintain a calm demeanor in a stressful and fast-paced environment. The candidate must also be skilled in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook, internet research, and be comfortable learning and adapting to new technologies.
- Prior experience providing litigation/administrative support in a legal setting is required.
- Prior experience working with and putting together legal/court papers is strongly preferred.
- Ability to draft basic legal (for example, adjournment/referral letters) and client correspondence (for example, case closing letters and requests for information) is required.
- Proficiency in Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Russian, or another language commonly spoken in Brooklyn is preferred;
- Prior experience working in direct client, non-profit, or social services settings is strongly preferred.
The Executive Secretary II will be supervised by the Director of Administration.
How to Apply:
Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and two writing samples to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please write “EXECUTIVE SECRETARY” in the subject line of the email.
Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone calls, please.
BLS offers excellent benefits, including health, dental, and vision plans; contributions to a 403(b) plan; and generous leave time. BLS offers a highly competitive public interest salary commensurate with experience.
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 reasons.
Brooklyn Legal Services 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 welcome and encouraged to apply. We are committed to race, gender, and economic justice in our work and within our workplace.
Staff members who are not managers are members of the LSSA/NOLSW UAW Local 2320. BLS acknowledges that applicants from groups that have been historically marginalized are less likely to apply for positions unless they feel that they meet 100% of a job description’s qualifications. We understand that the ideal candidate might not completely meet the criteria listed above or be equally proficient in each area; we especially encourage applicants who are impacted by LSNYC’s work to submit their application anyway
Salary Range (Based on years’ experience):
- Step 1-10: $51,883 - $64,096
- Step 11-20: $65,124 - $73,922
- Step 21+: $76,723 - $83,706