Director, Mental Hygiene Legal Service

Duties

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT STATE OF NEW YORK
UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM

ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 52520

POSITION TITLE: DIRECTOR, MENTAL HYGIENE LEGAL SERVICE JG: NS

LOCATION: MENTAL HYGIENE LEGAL SERVICE, SECOND JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT (Location to be determined)

BASE SALARY: $189,000 - $195,000 + $4,920 LOCATION PAY (NYC, NASSAU, SUFFOLK, WESTCHESTER &
ROCKLAND COUNTY)
+ $2,460 LOCATION PAY (ORANGE, PUTNAM & DUTCHESS COUNTY)

CLASSIFICATION: EXEMPT/CONFIDENTIAL

QUALIFICATIONS: Admission to the New York State Bar and seven (7) years of social casework, legal, or administrative experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. To be qualified for this position, you must have a valid driver’s license and a properly registered automobile for use in performing
official duties away from your assigned station.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF WORK: A Director, Mental Hygiene Legal Service develops policies and oversees all activities of the Service, which provides legal representation to patients who are under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Mental Hygiene. The Director supervises a large staff of lawyers, social workers, and support personnel located in the central and branch
offices of the Judicial Department, and performs other related duties.

ASSIGNMENT: The Mental Hygiene Legal Service (“MHLS”) provides legal representation and advocacy to individuals with mental and developmental disabilities, and those alleged to be in need of mental health services, in a broad array of statutorily determined legal matters including civil and criminal commitment, treatment over objection, guardianship, sex offender civil management,
assisted outpatient treatment, and related appeals.

MHLS is an ancillary agency of the Appellate Division, Second Department. Under the direction of the Presiding Justice, the Director of MHLS is responsible for establishing the policies of the agency, including the nature and extent of the services provided; the determination of work priorities and allocation of staff resources among twenty regional field offices located throughout the ten
counties of the Second Judicial Department; representing MHLS at Legislative hearings and meetings with state agencies, public interest groups and other stakeholder organizations; researching and analyzing complex legal issues and proposed legislation affecting people with mental disabilities; and recruiting, hiring, training and overseeing MHLS’s professional staff. The MHLS Director is responsible for formulating the agency’s annual budget request for inclusion in the Unified Court System budget; and addressing issues associated with human resources, fiscal, operational, facilities and automation needs. Extensive working
knowledge of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law and related statutes and regulations; superior interpersonal, written and oral communication skills; and the ability to handle highly sensitive matters in a confidential manner are required.

GENERAL INFORMATION: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by persons assigned to this title. They do not include all job duties performed by employees in the title, and every position does not necessarily require these duties. Although a position is available and situated at a specific location, the appointee may be subject to reassignment to any position in the same title in this promotion unit dependent upon the needs of the Unified Court System. All applications received from this announcement may be used to fill any vacancies in this title that may occur in this court or agency
within the next six (6) months. Position(s) available at the present time: 1 .

APPLICATION PROCEDURES: All interested persons meeting the minimum qualifications are encouraged to submit a UCS-5
Application for Employment form (obtainable from any administrative office in a court building or on the web at
www.nycourts.gov/careers/UCS5.pdf), a cover letter, and resume by email to: AD2-Postings@nycourts.gov with the appropriate
announcement number in the subject line or by mail to:
APPELLATE DIVISION, 2ND DEPARTMENT
45 MONROE PLACE
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11201
ATTENTION: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENTAPPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPLETE THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY DATA COLLECTION FORM.

POSTING DATE: April 1, 2025
APPLICATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED OR RECEIVED BY: April 22, 2025

The New York State Unified Court System is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy and gender identity or expression), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

Salary

• $189,000 - $195,000/year

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS: Admission to the New York State Bar and seven (7) years of social casework, legal, or administrative experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. To be qualified for this position, you must have a valid driver’s license and a properly registered automobile for use in performing official duties away from your assigned station.

Other Information

The New York State Unified Court System is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy and gender identity or expression), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

How to Apply

APPLICATION PROCEDURES: All interested persons meeting the minimum qualifications are encouraged to submit a UCS-5
Application for Employment form (obtainable from any administrative office in a court building or on the web at
www.nycourts.gov/careers/UCS5.pdf), a cover letter, and resume by email to: AD2-Postings@nycourts.gov with the appropriate
announcement number in the subject line or by mail to:
APPELLATE DIVISION, 2ND DEPARTMENT
45 MONROE PLACE
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11201
ATTENTION: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENTAPPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPLETE THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY DATA COLLECTION FORM.
POSTING DATE: April 1, 2025 APPLICATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED OR RECEIVED BY: April 22, 2025