Staff Attorney - Housing Unit (Tenant Rights Coalition)

Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, we have challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and provided legal services that help our clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC is the largest civil legal services provider in the country; our staff of more than 600 people in neighborhood-based offices and outreach sites across all five boroughs helps hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers annually. We partner with scores of community-based and client-run organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness. Our work fights discrimination and helps to achieve equity for all low-income New Yorkers. LSNYC employees have numerous opportunities for growth and professional development, including access to our internal Justice Learning Center, which provides opportunities to earn free CLEs and gain experience as a trainer. STAFF ATTORNEY – HOUSING UNIT Tenant Rights Coalition (TRC) Staten Island Legal Services (across the street from the ferry) , seeks a full-time Staff Attorney to join the Tenant Rights Coalition (TRC) team in our Housing Unit. Program Description Staten Island Legal Services (SILS) fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. SILS provides high-quality, innovative representation to address the pressing legal needs of Staten Island’s diverse low-income populations. SILS focuses on the problems that have the greatest impact on our clients —preserving affordable and decent housing, preventing foreclosures, representing survivors of domestic violence, assisting in obtaining government benefits, obtaining immigration status and preventing deportations, and advocating for the LGBTQ community, students with educational needs and people with disabilities. SILS is a part of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), which is the largest provider of civil legal services in the country. We partner with scores of community-based and client-run organizations, elected officials, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness. Our work fights discrimination and helps to achieve equity for all low-income New Yorkers. LSNYC employees have numerous opportunities for growth and professional development, including access to our internal Justice Learning Center, which provides opportunities to earn free CLEs and gain experience as a trainer. The Opportunity We are looking for a candidate who is excited to work in a fast-paced environment and to use creative strategies in the pursuit of justice. The Housing Unit works to preserve affordable housing and fight family displacement through representation of low-income tenants in eviction proceedings and affirmative litigation to challenge abusive and discriminatory conduct, particularly on Staten Island’s North Shore. The TRC team collaborates with individuals and tenant groups to prevent evictions, secure necessary repairs, pursue harassment claims, and support collective tenant action, sometimes in partnership with community-based organizations. Roles and Responsibilities The Staff Attorney’s responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following: • Representing clients in individual housing matters, including eviction defense proceedings. • Litigating multi-plaintiff affirmative cases addressing repairs, overcharges, harassment, and other housing-related issues. • Appearing in civil, supreme, and federal court, as well as in administrative proceedings. • Collaborating closely with tenant organizers, tenant associations, and community partners to id