Supervising Attorney - Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit

MANHATTAN LEGAL SERVICES

SUPERVISING ATTORNEY – FAMILY LAW UNIT

About Our Organization:

Manhattan Legal Services (MLS) is seeking a supervising attorney to join our Family Law Unit. 

MLS is part of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the largest provider of free civil legal services for low-income people in the country. The Manhattan office is dedicated to providing high-quality legal services in the areas of housing, family law, public benefits, employment, immigration, consumer, education, and disability rights. The Manhattan program has designated units serving particularly vulnerable populations including intimate partner violence survivors, people living with HIV, and people identifying as LGBTQ.  We work in close collaboration with low-income communities in NYC.

As a community-centered, social justice organization, MLS is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where staff and clients feel welcome.  Through our various affinity groups and committees, we actively work to foster collegial relationships among staff and allow staff to explore, grow in our understanding of and challenge barriers to opportunity within our organization and through our legal work.  All employees are expected to learn about and seek to understand, identify and overcome barriers to justice, from individual preconceptions to structural obstacles, and work to realize our organizational goals and mission.

The Role: 

MLS’ Family Law Unit focuses on survivors of intimate partner violence and is an interdisciplinary team of attorneys, a social worker, and a paralegal whose mission it is to provide holistic and culturally competent services to empower survivors of intimate partner violence to live free of abuse. Our attorneys provide direct legal representation to intimate partner violence survivors in the full range of family law cases, including divorce, custody/visitation, orders of protection, and child support. Furthermore, we conduct outreach and work in partnerships with community groups to ensure that we are best serving the community. This is a great opportunity to practice holistic family law in underserved communities in Harlem and Upper Manhattan.  

This supervising attorney position will be two-fold: they will have a smaller caseload of their own, providing legal advice and representation in a broad range of the most complex legal matters stemming from a survivor’s abuse, and not limited to family law representation. For example, in consultation with MLS’ other units, the attorney can work on economic justice matters such as public benefits or housing, or immigration matters that affect the client’s independence and safety from abuse. In addition, this position will aid victims of crime, including providing information about Crime Victims' Assistance and assisting clients in applying for benefits and compensation through the Office of Victims Services. 

This position will also oversee the work of staff attorneys, providing legal guidance, mentorship, training, and performance evaluations to ensure compliance with legal standards and best practices in client representation. This position offers a unique opportunity to lead a dedicated team and make a significant impact in the lives of survivors of intimate partner violence in underserved communities. 

In addition, there is a community outreach component to the work, including doing client intake at regular outreach clinics, sometimes after-hours; establishing relationships with community-based organizations that serve survivors of intimate partner violence; and attending community-centered meetings and events, occasionally, after-hours and on weekends; and representing clien...