Employment Opportunities at ILS
The mission of Indigent Legal Services (ILS) is to improve the representation provided to people facing criminal charges or Family Court proceedings who cannot afford counsel. Our agency’s work is transforming criminal defense and parental representation, while helping people in crisis achieve greater justice in criminal cases and maintain family integrity. Join us to help shape policy and practice statewide and to have a profound impact on justice statewide. Become part of a team of dedicated professionals who share your commitment to a more fair and just society.
Current Openings
Appellate Attorney
Appellate Attorney
The New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services (ILS) seeks to hire an Appellate Attorney for the Statewide Appellate Support Center at ILS in Albany, New York. The Appellate Attorney will be part of a team that includes the ILS Director of Quality Enhancement for Appellate and Post-Conviction Representation, two Supervising Appellate Attorneys, two other Appellate Attorneys, an Assistant Appellate Attorney, a paralegal, a Special Assistant for Investigation and a Special Assistant for Mitigation. The Center helps fulfill the agency’s statutory mission to “improve the quality of services provided pursuant to article 18-B of the county law” and its vision for an innovative resource office for attorneys providing mandated criminal and Family Court defense statewide. The Appellate Attorney will help develop statewide initiatives and provide individual consultation services to improve mandated appellate and post- conviction representation.
Salary: $109,180
Application Deadline and Instructions: Applications are due by December 2, 2024. Please review the full vacancy announcement and application instructions here: https://statejobs.ny.gov/public/vacancyDetailsView.cfm?id=162954.
Assistant Counsel, Family Representation
Assistant Counsel, Family Representation
The Assistant Counsel will assist in the efforts undertaken by the Office of Indigent Legal Services (“ILS”) to improve the quality of representation in family court proceedings under County Law Article 18-B (“Family Representation”). The incumbent of this position will work in concert with other members of the Family Representation Unit at ILS and serve as one of the Family Representation Attorneys, reporting to the Director of Quality Enhancement for Parent Representation (“Director of Parent Representation”), who works under the guidance of the Director of ILS (“Director”) and agency Counsel (“Counsel”). All case-related information and knowledge obtained in the performance of these duties is highly confidential and may be subject to attorney-client privilege.
Specific responsibilities would include:
• Working closely with other members of the Family Representation Unit, county officials, legal service providers and other affiliated organizations and individuals to address the obstacles to high quality legal representation provided for parents and other legally responsible adults in Family Court matters, pursuant to Family Court Act § 262;
• Serving as a point person, assisting in the development and implementation of programs, initiatives, and grant proposals to fulfill ILS’s responsibility to make efforts to improve the quality of representation provided to parents in Family Court matters;
• Assisting in the development of curricula and training materials for the representation of parents in Family Court matters;
• Utilizing technology such as podcasts, webinars, and other electronic delivery methods to deliver educational content for the legal representation of parents in Family Court matters;
• Assisting with the planning, conducting, and evaluation of a biennial state-wide conference and an annual consortium for ILS Family Defense grant recipients;
• Monitoring and developing content for the ILSFAM listserv, such as, periodic case digests and legislative updates, training opportunities, and current events;
• Assisting in the drafting and updating of Standards of Practice of legally mandated Family Court representation;
• Working in concert with others at ILS, including the Research Unit, to collect Family Court representation data;
• Assisting in the preparation of reports as needed in support of ILS’s responsibility to examine, evaluate, and monitor provision of legally mandated representation in family court proceedings; and
• Undertaking such other activities as may be requested by the Director of Quality Enhancement for Parent Representation, the ILS Director and Counsel in furtherance of the Office’s overall responsibility to improve the quality of indigent legal services representation under County Law Article 18-B.
Salary: $109,180
Application Deadline and Instructions: Applications are due by November 15, 2024. Please review the full vacancy announcement and application instructions here: https://statejobs.ny.gov/public/vacancyDetailsView.cfm?id=165232