Staff Attorney - RHY

Position: Staff Attorney – Runaway Homeless Youth Clinic

Reports to: Deputy Director of Legal Services

The Door is an unparalleled model for youth development, offering a comprehensive range of integrated services within a single site for nearly nine thousand New York City youth each year. Our mission is to empower young adults to reach their full potential by providing comprehensive youth development services in a diverse and caring environment. At The Door, youth can access health care and education, mental health counseling and crisis assistance, legal assistance, college preparation services, career development, housing supports, arts, sports and recreational activities, and nutritious meals – all for free and under one roof. By providing participants with our suite of integrated services, we seek to provide any motivated young person with the tools, resources, and opportunities needed to successfully transition to adulthood.

The Door’s Legal Services Center (LSC) advances the rights of youth by providing direct legal services in areas such as immigration, public benefits, family law, and housing. Situated within the larger Door community, the LSC addresses legal problems in a holistic and client-driven manner. The Staff Attorney will focus on immigration cases but will provide comprehensive civil legal services in connection with the LSC’s expansion to serve unhoused or unstably housed youth. 

Responsibilities:

• Oversee weekly drop-in legal clinic for runaway/homeless youth and develop and coordinate additional limited scope clinics for youth
• Support the pro se SIJS project at Resources, Opportunities, Connections and Community (ROCC) through document review and coordination of representation of youth
• Develop and conduct Know Your Rights trainings for youth
• Interview youth and review intakes to make determinations regarding eligibility for immigration relief and conduct follow-up legal screenings as needed
• Appear as counsel and Friend of Court at immigration court 
• Provide full representation to youth as needed in immigration matters such as asylum, SIJS, adjustment of status, and applications for U and T non-immigrant status
• Facilitate internal and external referrals to education, health care, and other services
• Lead initiatives advancing the legal rights of unhoused and unstably housed youth and facilitate opportunities for youth engagement
• Assist with legal education efforts, including planning and conducting workshops, producing legal education materials, and conducting outreach to social service and community-based organizations
• Document and report service delivery to ensure compliance with funding requirements
• Supervise paralegals, interns, volunteers and mentor pro bono attorneys
• Other responsibilities as assigned by Managing Attorney, Deputy Director and/or Director

Qualifications and Requirements:

• J.D. degree and admission to New York State Bar
• At least 1 year of experience in immigration law, including removal defense, SIJS, and asylum.
• Interest in a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of young people
• Creative thinker with superior communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills, time management and record keeping skills, including the ability to work independently, assess priorities, take initiative, handle multiple assignments and meet deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively and to effectively interact with young people, management and program staff
• Experience working with unhoused youth preferred
• Professional proficiency in French required

Work Schedule: Full time, 35 hours per week.

Salary: $74,000 - $84,000

Multilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Proficiency in French, Spanish, or Arabic preferred.

COVID -19 POLICY

The Door and Broome Street Academy follow the CDC and NYS recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Door and Broome Street Academy are now requiring all new hires to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have a qualified exemption.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community. We support a broadly diverse team who will contribute to our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.