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New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc.

Part-Time Intake Paralegal

  • Location

    New York, NY
  • Posted On

    January 11, 2024
  • Job Type

    Part-Time
  • Category

    Other
  • Experience Level

    Not Specified
  • Education Level

    Not Specified
  • Salary

    Not Specified

Job Description

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), a community-driven civil rights organization, seeks a Part-Time Intake Paralegal. The Paralegal will be dedicated to conducting intakes with individuals seeking direct legal assistance or advocacy from our Disability and Health Justice teams.

The work of NYLPI’s Disability Justice Program is founded on principles of equality of opportunity, self-determination, and independence for people with disabilities. In partnership with individuals and community organizations, we use a wide range of advocacy tools to assert the rights of New Yorkers with disabilities to equally access critical services in the community, including education, transportation, housing, and health care.

The Health Justice Program brings a racial justice and immigrant rights focus to healthcare advocacy in New York City and State. In partnership with individuals and community-based organizations, we use a wide range of advocacy tools – including community organizing, coalition-building, individual representation, impact litigation, and legislative advocacy – to advance four broad goals: (1) combat the human rights crisis in immigration detention; (2) promote immigrant access to healthcare; (3) eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination and systemic and institutional barriers that limit New Yorkers’ access to healthcare; and (4) address the social determinants of health so that all New Yorkers can live healthy lives.

About the Role
Reporting to the Intake Manager and the Supervising Immigration Attorney, the Intake Paralegal will play a critical role in the direct legal and advocacy services offered by NYLPI’s Health and Disability Justice programs. Some of our campaigns include: UndocuCare, offering immigration representation and healthcare advocacy to undocumented and seriously ill New Yorkers so as to make them eligible to enroll in state-funded health insurance; TGNCI+ project, providing direct legal services and health advocacy to transgender, gender-nonconforming, intersex (TGNCI) and undocumented individuals living with HIV, and; Special Education, promoting the educational rights of students with disabilities through advice and technical assistance, pre-litigation advocacy, and direct representation.

RESPONSIBILITIES
-Conduct pre-screenings and in-depth intake interviews (primarily by telephone) with individuals seeking support through our programs, by gathering relevant facts and documentation.
-Compile and provide resources and referrals to callers as appropriate.
-Keep records and enter data in case management system.
-Triage and direct calls and questions to appropriate staff members, identifying urgent matters for immediate attention.
-Provide weekly summaries of all referrals and intakes to the Disability and Health Justice teams.
-Engage compassionately and respectfully with all callers in a culturally competent manner.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required
-Excellent and consistent client interviewing, writing, and communication skills.
-Proficiency with technology – including case management software, Excel, Word, and email – and comfort with learning new programs.
-Ability to work with people from a range of backgrounds—including low-income clients, people with disabilities, and people from immigrant backgrounds.
-Demonstrated communication skills that are consistently prompt and responsive.
-Excellent organizational skills.
-Spanish language fluency.

Preferred
-Bachelor’s degree, Associate’s degree, and/or paralegal certification.
-1-5 years of experience as a paralegal, intake specialist, or comparable experience.
-Experience or exposure to any of the following also a plus:
—Healthcare systems and/or Medicaid;
—New York City or State government benefits;
—Working with people with disabilities; and
—Working with immigrant communities.

This is a part-time position of 19 hours per week with an hourly rate of $25-30, depending on experience.

This hybrid position requires in-person work from our New York City office for a minimum of two days per week, with additional in-person work as duties required. NYLPI requires that all employees demonstrate proof of vaccination against COVID-19 and a current booster dose.

About NYLPI
For more than 45 years, NYLPI has been a leading civil rights advocate for New Yorkers opposing marginalization based on race, immigration status, poverty, disability, and a range of intersectional identities.  NYLPI pioneered the practice of community lawyering in the five boroughs of New York City.  These communities shape our priorities, and their struggles for justice demand innovative solutions.  Our interdisciplinary teams of advocates use every tool available – community organizing, impact litigation and individual representation, policy advocacy, media, pro bono partnerships, and public education – to solve seemingly intractable problems, develop leaders, and build collective power to achieve justice.  We strive to create equal access to health care, achieve equality of opportunity and self-determination for people with disabilities, ensure immigrant opportunity, strengthen local nonprofits, and secure environmental justice for frontline communities. To learn more about NYLPI, visit www.nylpi.org.

How to Apply

Please send applications to jobs@nylpi.org with the subject line: “Attention:  Part-Time Intake Paralegal.” Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and must include the following:

1)Detailed cover letter explaining your interest, and experience, and answering the following question: How has your background or experience, professional or otherwise, prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural competency and diversity, equity, and inclusion? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences. Please also mention where you saw this posting.

2)Resume

We strongly encourage candidates from historically oppressed groups to apply. We are committed to advancing social justice and civil rights in our advocacy, and we value the dynamism and perspective that staff diversity brings to the work and culture of the office. We strive to promote behaviors, attitudes, and policies that enable us to work inclusively and effectively in cross-cultural situations with clients, co-workers, and community partners. We actively recruit and seek to grow and maintain a staff that is diverse along many axes, including race, ethnicity, and national origin; disability; socioeconomic background; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

When applying, mention you saw this opening listed on Disability Scoop.