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SalaryThe Legal Aid Society’s Parole Revocation Defense Unit (PRDU) has an opening for a skilled Investigator to work closely and collaboratively as a member of the PRDU Team which includes staff attorneys, case handlers, social workers, administrative support staff, supervising attorneys and the Unit’s director. The Parole Revocation Defense Unit provides representation to all persons on parole accused of violating their conditions of community supervision at every stage of the parole violation process from recognizance hearings to appeals. PRDU also offers legal assistance and advice to persons under NYS DOCCS community supervision in the New York City area. Some clients are detained in a New York City-located detention center, while others remain in the community pending the outcome of their parole violation matter.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
- Locate and interview witnesses; including visiting detention centers and locations outside NYC when needed
- Investigate relevant locations and alleged crime scenes
- Document scenes (photographs, video, diagrams, measurements, etc.)
- Create crime scene sketches/diagrams/maps
- Prepare written summaries of investigation results via our case management system
- Conduct background checks, internet, and social media investigations/research
- Use databases to retrieve relevant case information (e.g., CLEAR, DMV, ACRIS, etc.)
- Accompany defense players to crime scenes and relevant locations
- Organize and conduct investigations independently and as part of a team effort with attorneys, social workers and case handlers.
- May witness or review lineups and other police procedures (e.g., Ballistics test, examination of evidence at DA’s offices, vehicular inspection at NYPD Auto Yards, etc.)
- Discover and manage physical and digital evidence (e.g., cellphones, surveillance video, social media, etc.)
- Locate and extract surveillance footage from varying locations and buildings
- Communicate with other city agencies as necessary
- Provide accurate, detailed reports on investigations and other necessary documents (e.g., chain of custody, witness statements, investigation summaries etc.)
- Travel within borough as well as out-of-borough as needed
- Communicate with client and client’s family and friends, as needed
- Communicate with other members of staff/team to effectively analyze and discuss cases
- Review detailed and voluminous discovery
- Serve subpoenas, motions and other legal documents, as needed
- Perform field work during office hours as well as during irregular hours as directed
- Testify as a defense witness in Parole Revocation hearings
- Other duties as assigned
- Bachelor's degree in criminal justice or in a related field or demonstrated work experience
- Prior experience conducting investigations on criminal cases preferred, including investigative internships
- Commitment to obtaining justice for indigent persons and zealous defense representation required
- Additional training/certifications relating to criminal investigations preferred
- Ability to analyze and evaluate facts, as well as integrity and discretion
- Ability to effectively manage time and plan on a daily/weekly basis while conducting multiple investigations
- Skill in the use of Microsoft Office
- Proficiency in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms
- Good listening and questioning skills
- Excellent written skills
- Skillful interpersonal interactions
- Requires field work during office hours as well as at irregular hours
- Ability to travel 95% of time
- Familiarity with NYC neighborhoods
- Spanish language fluency strongly preferred
- Notary License preferred
- Candidates must be prepared to become a licensed process server and a notary.
- A valid driver’s license in NY (tri-state region) and access to a vehicle for daily field work is required
SALARY TRANSPARENCY
The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.
Salary Range/ Salary:$57,241 to $81,375
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.
As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.
