General Volunteer - Pro Bono - New York, NY

The Legal Aid Society works with volunteers to expand our ability to provide legal services to a greater number of clients and communities. Our Volunteer Program is based on the current needs of our clients and on Legal Aid staff capacity to train and supervise. Most volunteer placements are for Attorneys with experience that match or complement our practice areas and projects. We regret that we cannot accept every applicant.

Attorneys at law firms with an established relationship with Legal Aid should contact pro bono leadership at the firm to access volunteer opportunities. For more information about establishing a relationship with Legal Aid, contact ProBono@legal-aid.org

Student Information

This position is not intended for students. The Legal Aid Society does have robust internship programs for law, graduate, and undergraduate students in all our Practices. Students interested in internship opportunities should visit the Internship Program section of our website for more information.

50-hour Admission Requirement Information

We are currently unable to accommodate potential volunteers seeking to fulfil the fifty-hour Pro Bono requirement for bar admission.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Duties and responsibilities are based on current client needs, volunteer experience, and may include research, writing, interviewing, assisting clients and various levels of litigation preparation
• Volunteer opportunities are only available during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 9am to 5 pm, unless the supervising Legal Aid staff member has made a specific request
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• Volunteers are expected to commit to a minimum of 6 months of part-time service or 3 months of full-time service

SALARY AND BENEFITS

As a volunteer position, this role has no salary and is not benefits eligible.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one's internal deeply-held sense of one's gender which may be the same or different from one's sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one's name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.