Staff Attorney

• Serve as part of a team – including volunteer attorney and law student interns – that delivers high-quality legal services to pro se litigants at different stages of federal litigation, including by providing: information and brief advice on the applicability of federal law to claims at issue, and on federal court procedure and individual judges’ rules; brief advice on case strategy, discovery and motion practice, and preparation for trial; explanation of court orders and rulings; mediation and settlement practice; and assisting with the review, drafting, and/or editing of pro se discovery and motion practice documents (note: FedPro-SDNY does not represent litigants in court, but may represent some litigants for settlement purposes).
• Meet with litigants served by FedPro-SDNY either by virtual or in-person consultation at FedPro-SDNY’s courthouse office in downtown Manhattan (and perhaps also on occasion at the Southern District’s White Plains courthouse) and, where applicable, collaborate with a social work support team that provides additional supportive services for some pro se litigants on a case-by-case basis.
• Stay abreast of changes and updates to the law and to Court rules and procedures, and assist in supervising pro bono volunteers and interns to provide FedPro-SDNY services.
• Provide professional legal and administrative support to FedPro-SDNY’s Director, including by helping to: ensure the quality of FedPro’s scope and services; collect case data and create periodic reports for both CBJC and the Court; where appropriate, coordinate referrals for litigants who may need access to other legal services; and perform other duties and tasks as requested.

• Must be a New York and S.D.N.Y. bar member in good standing with at least two years of federal litigation experience, including litigating employment and civil rights, and/or experience delivering high-volume client services or clinical legal services.
• Excellent writing and editing, oral communication, and organizational skills; ability to work both independently and with others, and to effectively and collegially collaborate with and/or train and mentor an interdisciplinary team comprised of other attorneys, legal assistants and interns, social work support team members, and pro bono volunteers.
• Detailed-oriented self-starter with solid legal judgment, an ability to work respectfully and effectively with Court personnel, and a capacity to manage multiple cases, litigants, and projects.
• Excellent people and client counseling skills, including a desire and capacity to effectively interact with members of the public in a respectful and sensitive way, some of whom are suspect of institutions and the legal profession, and some of whom experience legal problems compounded by cognitive processing struggles or mild to severe mental health struggles.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365, and the ability to quickly learn and effectively use LegalServer and other technology.

Powered by JazzHR