Paralegal, Taxi Advocacy Project

About NYLAG: Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. During COVID-19, most of our services were virtual to keep our community safe. NYLAG's staff of 380 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year. Job description NYLAG has an immediate opening for a Paralegal to be a part of the dynamic Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) team. CPU represents clients in a wide and exciting range of consumer rights matters by helping low-income individuals fight devastating fraud, predatory lending, and illegal debt collection practices as well as assist those in need of crucial loan modifications and foreclosure defense. The paralegal for this position has the unique opportunity to be a part of the Taxi Advocacy Project which assists NYC's yellow taxi medallion owners in various types of financial transactions and litigation cases. Paralegals will work with lenders to resolve or reduce clients' grueling medallion loan debts. This is a unique chance to work with a dedicated population in desperate need of help, with NYLAG being one of the few agencies addressing medallion loan debt specifically. The Paralegal will focus on providing the crucial screening, resources, information and some legal advocacy (under attorney supervision) for clients; maintaining a client caseload of his/her/their own, and performing important legal intakes with clients and potential clients from a range of referral sources. The Paralegal is responsible for scheduling intakes at the TLC center, communicating with clients regarding their appointments and client data entry. The Paralegal's time may also be spent as needed on a wide range of relevant and necessary tasks for CPU, including conducting legal research; investigating new areas of relevant law; and many other tasks which may arise within and outside the unit. Paralegals working full-time on this project must be prepared to work out of the TLC center located in Long Island City up to 4 days a week, as needed. For the remainder of the days, the Paralegal will be located in our main offices in the financial district, as well as go to court, clinics, work remotely or staff and other locations as needed. Duties and Responsibilities Represent clients in the restructuring of their taxi medallion loans (under attorney supervision) Handle various business transactions for medallion owners Assist the attorneys in the unit with their litigation cases Handle the scheduling of appointments for the project Assist with grant reporting Handle administrative tasks such as copying, scanning, filing etc Conduct thorough client legal intakes Passionately advocate for diverse clients in various legal or financial areas including consumer law, consumer debt, bankruptcy, foreclosure prevention, and other financial related areas of law Investigate facts through interviews and document collection Advocate on behalf of clients opposing or collaborating with various plaintiffs, lenders, organizations, and government agencies Prepare legal documents for own cases as well as to assist other attorneys Provide oral and written translations for attorneys who represent non-English-speaking clients in various scenarios, including court appearances Refer clients to staff attorneys, as appropriate, and assist in scheduling appointments with the staff attorney Perform legal research Create, draft and distribute various outreach materials Conduct and/or provide assistance for community workshops on relevant topics Data entry in client database and other outlets Manage and assign tasks to volunteers as needed Report to supervising attorneys and staff attorneys on cases, advocacy strategies, scheduling, and other matters Work closely with NYLAG's experienced attorneys, supervisors and case handlers and receive both on-the-job and more formal training Other responsibilities as assigned Qualifications Desire to work directly with clients Fluency in any of the following languages is preferred: Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Haitian-Creole, Russian Detail-oriented, organized, excellent time management skills Able to work independently and as part of a team Experience with New York City legal firms, social services organizations, or experience with consumer law preferred A commitment to, and passion for, serving vulnerable New Yorkers and immigrant populations of diverse backgrounds A desire to learn the relevant advocacy strategies and law Passion for public interest and strong desire to help people Excellent communication, research, and writing skills Excellent oral, written, and analytic abilities Strong organizational skills and attention to detail NYLAG's Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply. Employment type: ☒ Full-time Professional Level: ☒ Entry Level Salary Range: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salary range for this position is between $52,571.00 - 58,817.00 Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care. Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter on one pdf. Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG's current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG's offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.

Created: 2024-11-09