Overview

Job Title: Litigation Assistant

Department: Family Defense Practice

Location: Harlem

Reports To: Discovery Supervisor

 

 

Core Purpose of the Role:

The litigation assistant is an essential part of a client’s interdisciplinary team and will work closely with attorneys, social workers, and client advocates during the pendency of Article 10 and related family court and administrative cases.

Responsibilities

• Provide excellent assistance to the legal defense team with energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to striving for client-centered holistic advocacy throughout the case;
• Assist with all aspects of Article 10, Statewide Central Register, and related custody, visitation, guardianship, paternity, termination of parental rights and other cases;
• Staff intake in court regularly, as assigned, and assist the legal team with emergency hearings;
• Work under high pressure in an atmosphere of frequent emergencies and tight deadlines;
• Engage with clients through telephone contact, in person meetings, and court appearances;
• Maintain thorough and accurate records and client files by timely saving documents in NDS’s cloud server and entering notes and other data into NDS’s case management system
• Prepare, file and serve legal papers and subpoenas and draft legal correspondence in collaboration with attorneys;
• Catalogue, organize and review discovery, i.e., medical records, investigation notes, videos, photographs, etc.;
• Prepare trial binders and organize exhibits for hearings and trials;
• Participate in limited investigative work such as identifying and interviewing witnesses, taking photographs and videos, and obtaining documents and other reports;
• Communicate with court staff, treatment providers, records departments;
• Attend in person mitigation and cross-practice team conferences, staff meetings, trainings, and select community intake days, with the expectation of in-person work at least two days per week;
• Assist practice and cross-practice committees to promote NDS’ holistic representation model;
• Assist Early Defense team with intake as needed. Provide logistical and administrative support to attorneys and non-attorney advocates;

Qualifications

Required

• Applicants must possess:
  • Bachelor’s degree or two years of related administrative experience
  • Excellent interpersonal, analytical, writing, and communication skills
  • Ability to work cooperatively in a team settingStrong organizational skills in order to work independently, think creatively, and triage to manage a high caseload and multi-task in a very fast-paced environment
  • A demonstrated commitment to parents’ rights, indigent defense, social justice issues and/or the Bronx or Harlem communities
  • Ability to learn new skills and willingness to be coached and trained
  • Openness and ability to adapt and respond to changes in the environment
  • Energy, enthusiasm and ingenuity to gather and develop information from a broad spectrum of sources, ranging from community residents to City agencies
  • Proficiency with online platforms such as Microsoft 365/Microsoft Teams/Microsoft Office Suite
• Must be willing to work in-person in Harlem and/or family court satellite offices in Lower Manhattan or the South Bronx
• Must be willing to work shifts before or after court holidays

 

Preferred

• Lived experience with family court, the family policing system, and/or other systems impacting NDS’ clients strongly preferred
• Bilingual Spanish/English candidates preferred
• Experience using Westlaw or other legal research tools preferred
• Experience using a case or data management system preferred
• Experience with Egnyte, NYS Criminal Inquiry System, UCMS, E-Courts/WebFamily, defenderDATA a plus

 

Compensation:

Compensation is commensurate with experience and is in adherence to the NDS compensation scale. For this position, the salary range is posted below. Full medical and dental benefits, as well as other benefits, are provided. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the CBA between NDS and the NDS Union, part of ALAA UAW 2325.

 

SALARY RANGE BASED ON RELEVANT EXPERIENCE 

1 – 5 Years 

$58,162.65 - 63,468.36

6 – 10 Years 

$64,339.70 - 70,749.63

11 – 15 Years 

$72,205.87 - 78,530.51 

16 – 20 Years

$79,973.65 - 85,746.18

21 – 25 Years

$87,189.31 – 91,271.63

26 – 30 Years

$92,668.53 – 98,356.11

31 – 35 Years

$99,773.00 – 105,440.58

36 Years+

$106,857.48

 

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample in a single PDF through NDS’s website at neighborhooddefender.org/careers. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

 

MinUSD $58,162.65/Yr. MaxUSD $106,857.48/Yr.