Kinship Caregiver Legal Project - Staff Attorney

Staff Attorney – Kinship Caregiver (Family) Law Project

Mobilization for Justice (MFJ), a non-profit legal services organization that provides a wide range of free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers, is seeking a staff attorney for its Kinship Caregiver Law Project. The Kinship Caregiver Law Project represents grandparents and other kinship caregivers raising children who are not their biological children in adoption, custody and guardianship proceedings. The project also assists these families in obtaining public benefits and immigration status, among other legal matters. The goal of the project is to help stabilize families, promote greater permanency for children, and prevent children from entering the foster care system. In addition to managing their own caseload, the attorney will work on updating and drafting project materials, as well as working on policy and state legislative initiatives.

MFJ’s mission is to achieve justice for all. MFJ prioritizes the needs of people who are low-income, disenfranchised, or have disabilities as they struggle to overcome the effects of social injustice and systemic racism. We provide the highest-quality free, direct civil legal assistance, conduct community education and build partnerships, engage in policy advocacy, and bring impact litigation. MFJ also promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace, and understands the need to eliminate all racial disparities to achieve justice for all. We assist more than 14,000 New Yorkers each year, benefiting over 24,000. MFJ has a staff of more than 165 attorneys, paralegals, social workers, and support staff. It is a diverse, unionized, and collegial workplace where staff share the organization’s mission to achieve social justice.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct client intake and interviews in person, on the telephone, and at community-based organizations, sometimes in the evenings.

• Research legal issues and draft memoranda.

• Represent kinship caregivers, primarily petitioners, in Family Court in guardianship,

custody and private placement adoption proceedings, and special immigrant juvenile

status petitions.

• Provide advice and representation on public benefits to kinship caregivers.

• Provide advice and counsel to self-represented litigants at off-site clinics.

• Recruit, train, and mentor pro bono attorneys from law firms to represent clients with

guardianship, custody, and private placement adoption matters.

• Conduct community outreach, trainings, and advocacy campaigns, sometimes in the

evenings.

• Identifying issues for impact or class action litigation or policy initiatives, including

drafting white papers and engaging in legislative advocacy campaigns.

• Advocating in various forums on kinship care issues, including drafting testimony for and

testifying at public hearings.

• Prepare comprehensive training manuals and participate in NYC Kincare Task Force.

• Inputting and maintaining records in case management system.

Requirements:

• Demonstrated interest in family law.

• Admission to the NYS bar.

• Excellent research and writing skills.

• Ability to balance individual caseload, mentoring pro bono attorneys, and advocating for

legislative or policy changes, as well as traveling to the five boroughs of New York City.

• Willingness to conduct clinics and trainings throughout the five boroughs of New York

City, sometimes in the evening.

• Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage competing deadlines

and priorities.

Preferred:

• Up to three years’ experience in family court matters.

• Experience working with diverse and multi-cultural populations is preferred.

• Fluency in Spanish, a Chinese dialect or another language spoken by immigrant

populations in New York City.

Salary is pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement with excellent fringe benefits. The salary

range for this position is $76,000.00 - $88,196.21.

Applicants should submit cover letter, resume and writing sample and three references to recruitment@mfjlegal.org copying Jacqueline Adorno, Managing Attorney for Pro Bono & Volunteer Programs, and transmit by e-mail to jadorno@mfjlegal.org by September 13, 2024. We encourage all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your background or experience might contribute to the diversity and perspective of our office. Early applications are appreciated. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. No telephone inquiries please. Please indicate where you found this ad and include “KCLP STAFF ATTORNEY” in the subject line.

For further information about MFJ, please go to www.mobilizationforjustice.org.

MOBILIZATION FOR JUSTICE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, religion/creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. BIPOC, women, people with disabilities, and LBGTQIA+ candidates are encouraged to apply