Appellate Advocates is a nonprofit public defender organization, based in New York City, providing high-quality representation of individuals who have been convicted of crimes in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island and cannot afford private lawyers. We are a group of attorneys from diverse backgrounds who are experienced in criminal law and believe in fighting for every person’s constitutional right to a fair trial and in working to overturn unjust convictions and sentences and provide other post-conviction services.

Appellate Advocates is deeply committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. To this end, we seek to:

Hire staff that reflect the full range of racial, ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic identities of the communities we represent, particularly those communities disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system;
Ensure a workplace where diversity and inclusion is fostered and different perspectives are valued and freely exchanged; and
Ensure that all staff members feel welcome, respected, and have equal opportunities to thrive and advance within the organization.

Position Description: We have an immediate opening to hire a paralegal to provide administrative and clerical assistance to our Domestic Violence Survivors Justice (“DVSJA”) Practice and other staff attorneys. The DVSJA Practice represents clients who are typically serving long prison sentences after experiencing varying degrees of trauma and seeking to reduce their sentences. Paralegal responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Working closely with the DVSJA Practice Supervisor on DVSJA case intake, including communicating with courts, other institutional providers, and clients and their families prior to cases being assigned to an attorney;
Updating and monitoring the DVSJA client database, including attorney assignments and upcoming court dates;
Requesting transcripts, records, and other documents from courts, prison facilities, and state/city agencies;
Creating digital and physical case files;
Conducting initial assessment of DVSJA claims;
Maintaining and updating internal DVSJA resources and procedures
Traveling, as needed (approximately one or more times per month), with attorneys to prisons for client interviews;
Attending bi-monthly DVSJA team meetings;
Preparing court filings by, among other things, drafting the cover, table of contents, and affirmation of service, creating the table of authorities, formatting documents, compiling the exhibits/records, and assembling and formatting the PDFs for electronic filing;
Electronically filing motions, briefs, stipulations, and other documents to the courts;
Coordinating with the mailroom to print and serve filings on the District Attorney’s Office, our clients, and the courts;
Scheduling legal calls or visits on behalf of attorneys and social workers;
Proofreading and redacting documents;
Other administrative tasks as needed.

Qualifications:

Experience representing or providing advocacy services to survivors of domestic violence or family trauma strongly preferred;
Sensitivity to medical and mental health issues;
Very strong organizational skills and rigorous attention to detail;
A self-directed ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks;
Well-developed interpersonal communication skills;
Bi-lingual capabilities valued;
Familiarity with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and Access; Wordperfect; and Adobe Acrobat.

Appellate Advocates

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DVSJA Paralegal Position