Overview
SORA Staff Attorney Jobs in New York, NY at National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Title: SORA Staff Attorney
Company: National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Location: New York, NY
Position Description
ABOUT US
The Center for Appellate Litigation (CAL) is a leading holistic legal services organization dedicated to providing high-quality appellate representation to low-income New Yorkers. We are committed to ensuring that every individual has access to fair and just legal representation in the appellate courts and in a full panoply of post-conviction litigation grounded in our client’s humanity. Our team of dedicated attorneys, paralegals, and staff work tirelessly to advocate for our clients’ rights and uphold the principles of justice.
Position Overview
CAL is seeking to hire an attorney for its Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) Practice. The attorney will be a member of the bargaining unit.
Members of CAL’s SORA team represent individuals on the “sex offender” registry in proceedings related to the duration of their registration and level of community notification. CAL’s SORA attorneys appear frequently in trial courts in the Bronx and Manhattan, in addition to representing clients in occasional appellate cases. Effective representation entails dynamic oral advocacy at adversarial hearings, as well as the submission of comprehensive motions that combine legal research with mitigation writing to counter the dehumanizing effect of the registration and carceral systems. Each SORA attorney works closely with clients and the rest of the SORA team, developing an expertise in a burgeoning field at the intersection of criminal and civil law.
At CAL, we pride ourselves on adopting dynamic approaches to serve our clients and challenge the status quo. Outside of the courtroom, we work tirelessly to center and protect our clients’ well-being through the work of our Anti-Racism Working Group, Legislative Advocacy Committee, and array of Client Support Service projects. Our clients are among society’s most disenfranchised—people who have been convicted and imprisoned–and we work hard to live up to the trust our clients place in us. Our mission is to fight injustice through exceptional advocacy and enduring compassion for each client. We envision a post-conviction process grounded in our clients’ humanity.
LOCATION
The position is based at CAL’s New York City office. CAL has a hybrid remote office policy and attorneys are permitted to work remotely 8-14 days per month.
SALARY
Starting salary will be between $90,047 for a 2025 graduate and $110,160 for a 2017 graduate, with an additional $3,000 differential for candidates fluent in a foreign language regularly used in the practice. CAL offers comprehensive medical benefits, a retirement account, and generous vacation time, holidays, personal, and sick days.
EQUITY AND INCLUSION
At CAL, we embrace and value our staff’s diversity, recognizing that our differences strengthen our community and advance our mission. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, orientations, experiences, and communities to apply. CAL is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, arrest or conviction record, caregiver status, citizenship status, color, credit history, creed, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, marital status, partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion, salary history, sexual and reproductive health decisions, sexual orientation, status as a covered veteran or active military service member, or status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, and sex offenses in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
