Staff Attorney, The Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project

Staff Attorney, The Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project
Apr 26, 2024

The Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Practice (JRP) seeks an entry level staff attorney for the Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project (EAP), which provides education advocacy to Legal Aid clients involved in New York City Family and Criminal Court.

EAP's interdisciplinary staff consists of attorneys, social workers, and paralegals who work closely with staff of JRP and the Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Practice (CDP), parents, foster parents, child welfare staff, probation staff, school staff, and court personnel. EAP provides a wide range of services, including Early Intervention and special education advocacy for clients with disabilities, representation in school suspension proceedings, guidance on general education issues, assistance with educational transitions from incarceratory settings, trainings for parties involved in the child welfare, juvenile justice systems, and criminal justice systems, and systemic advocacy to protect and define the educational rights of court involved children and youth.

Applicants should have a demonstrated commitment to interdisciplinary practice, knowledge of education law and policies, and experience working with children, youth, and families who are involved in the child welfare, PINS and delinquency systems.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the primary point of contact for JRP and CDP staff regarding a wide range of educational issues affecting children and youth involved in the child welfare and criminal justice systems
• Provide consultation and advice to both JRP and CDP staff members on a wide range of educational issues affecting school aged clients
• Collaborate with JRP staff, CDP Staff and other court players, particularly when educational issues are essential to resolution of the underlying court case
• Interview clients, caregivers, school personnel, medical and mental health professionals, and other relevant players
• Obtain and analyze educational records
• Assess clients' school functioning and special needs
• Visit and evaluate schools and other educational programs
• Advocate for clients at school meetings, special education meetings, and manifestation determination reviews
• Develop educational plans to meet client needs and court concerns
• Utilize negotiation and advocacy skills (both oral and written) to ensure that clients receive the educational services and placements to which they are entitled under federal and state law and regulations
• Represent clients in school suspension hearings, manifestation determination reviews, special education due process hearings and appeals
• Assist clients in obtaining appropriate educational services while incarcerated
• Facilitate appropriate educational transitions for children entering/exiting/changing foster homes and for clients of all ages entering/exiting incarceratory settings
• Assist clients in obtaining school transfers, access to credit-recovery programs, high school equivalency degree programs, vocational training programs and other specialized educational programs
• Assist with training various Family Court players about educational issues
• Assist with policy initiatives, as needed
• Other duties as assigned
• The position requires significant field work in all five boroughs

Bronx - Juvenile Rights Practice Office

• Admission to the New York State Bar or Bar Exam Passage
• 1 to 3 years legal advocacy and or litigation experience
• Relevant clinical program or work experience preferred
• Commitment to children's issues and youth justice
• Demonstrated commitment to anti-racism and serving racially and socioeconomically oppressed communities
• Ability to work effectively with children, adolescents, and their family members
• Strong written and oral advocacy skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a high-volume practice

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: $80,619 to $88,678

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.

HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOAN FORGIVENESS

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs.

Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice.To learn more, click the links below.

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.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

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 .

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.

Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Writing Sample