Staff Attorney, Government Benefits Unit

Description:

Manhattan Legal Services seeks Staff Attorneys to represent low-income clients in Government Benefits matters.
Program Description:
This office is part of A Non-Profit Organization, the largest provider of free civil legal services for low-income people in the country. We are dedicated to fighting poverty by providing high-quality legal services in areas such as housing, family law, public benefits, employment, consumer, education, immigration, and disability rights, with special units serving particularly vulnerable populations including survivors of domestic violence, people living with HIV, and LGTBQ community members. We are committed to working in partnership with community-based organizations in the low-income communities we serve in order to address the causes of poverty.
The Government Benefits Unit fights to retain, obtain, or increase critical public benefits, including cash public assistance, SNAP/Food Stamps, WIC, and rental subsidies (such as FHEPS and CityFHEPS). We also specialize in health law issues, helping people obtain or retain public health insurance and services such as Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care.
While representing our low-income clients in various public benefits matters, the Staff Attorney will also work to continue to grow our public benefits practice, provide community education, and engage in public policy advocacy on public benefits issues. The attorney will participate in working groups focused on making institutional changes in agency practice that better serve benefits recipients in our City and collaborate with other LSNYC Benefits Units to initiate and continue systemic positive change. We are looking for a candidate who is excited to work in a fast-paced environment, work daily with our clients and communities, and use creative strategies in the pursuit of justice.
Responsibilities:

• Work in partnership with housing attorneys to prevent evictions, maximize benefits in the household, and eliminate barriers to promote longer-term stability for families and individuals
• Assess potential clients for public benefits eligibility by conducting intake and interviewing Manhattan tenants at Housing Court who are referred to MLS through the right-to-counsel initiative in NYC housing courts
• Advocate with administrative agencies to challenge denials, reductions, or terminations of public benefits
• Conduct community education and outreach
• Engage in case advocacy, including housing subsidy applications, public assistance applications, and administrative hearings
• Direct representation of clients in administrative proceedings, Civil Court, Supreme Court, and federal court

Qualifications:

• At least 1 year of experience as a legal services attorney, including public benefits or housing benefits work
• Experience and expertise in One-Shot Deals, SNAP, and other public benefits
• Demonstrated communication habits that are consistently prompt and highly responsive
• Collaborative orientation, capacity to work in a team, and solution-oriented approach
• Strong organizational skills
• Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
• Experience working with underserved communities
• Strong cultural or personal ties to the communities we serve
• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to the New York Bar
  

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