Associate Director

Job Description

Job DescriptionAbout 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 over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

Job description
New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks an Associate Director for its Domestic Violence Law Unit (DVLU), an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and paralegals advocating on behalf of survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in New York City. DVLU provides safety planning, advocacy, advice, and representation to survivors in matrimonial and family law matters (including order of protection, custody/visitation, contested divorce, uncontested divorce, child/spousal support proceedings, and related appellate proceedings), and domestic violence-based immigration applications (including VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, U visa, T visas, adjustment of status, and related applications). DVLU believes that access to trauma-informed, client-centered representation is crucial for our clients’ paths towards self-determination, safety, and security, and we are seeking an associate director that shares and models these values.

The Associate Director must be a skilled and dynamic leader that will work alongside the Director of DVLU. They will oversee overall unit operations, providing legal and programmatic oversight to DVLU and engaging with communities and other stakeholders to ensure services responsive to community need. The job requires substantive knowledge and experience in all of the areas of law that DVLU practices, complex litigation, supervising staff, working in a unionized environment, and managing grants and programs.

The Associate Director must function as supervisor of designated staff, including supervising attorneys, attorneys, paralegals, volunteers, and clinical students. Job responsibilities include training staff, managing staff caseloads, evaluating staff, fundraising and development, project management, representing NYLAG at public forums and meetings, and conducting job searches. The Director may also delegate any other appropriate and necessary responsibilities.

The Associate Director will report to the Director of DVLU.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Work with the Director to develop and manage unit priorities, develop long-term strategies, manage unit growth, identify and respond to programmatic issues, develop trainings protocols, and policies, and other responsibilities as needed to ensure we are able to fulfill DVLU’s mission and strengthen an internal workplace in which our staff feel supported and are able to thrive
• Manage special projects as needed.
• Provide supervision, mentorship, and support the work and training of staff at all levels in the unit.
• Manage the day-to-day functioning of programs.
• Supervise and evaluate staff on their day-to-day assignments, performance and learning.
• Examine community needs and work with the Director to evaluate delivery of services.
• Develop and manage relationships with community-based organizations and funders.
• Develop collaborative opportunities with partners with the Director.
• Participate in the maintenance of current projects development of new projects with the Director, including collaborating with finance and development teams to manage funding, grants, and budgets.
• Select cases for representation and assign to staff.
• Oversee onboarding structure and support the professional growth of DVLU staff through ongoing training and other opportunities as needed.
• Serve as an internal resource to other NYLAG Units on issues related to domestic violence, trauma-informed services, family law, and domestic violence-based immigration work.
• Participate in conferences, meetings, taskforces, and trainings both internally and externally as needed to further the work of DVLU.

Qualifications

• Member in good standing of the New York Bar is required.
• At least six years’ experience as an attorney, at least four of which should include working with survivors of domestic violence practicing family and/or matrimonial law. Individuals who have experience practicing family appellate law and/or domestic violence-based immigration law will be strongly considered.
• Demonstrates understanding and commitment to providing client-centered, trauma-informed services, and providing support for vicarious trauma faced by staff engaged in this work.
• Dedication to advancing survivors’ rights, race equity, and social justice issues.
• Demonstrates and supports a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Experience in managing projects and grants and supervising teams.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Highly organized and able to juggle multiple priorities.

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:
☒ Managerial

Salary Range: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current annual salary range for this position is between $134,255 and $139,433.

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.

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