Community Liaison (Citywide) - Bronx, NY

The Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Practice is seeking a full-time City-Wide Community Liaison to join its Early Intervention Team. This role is essential in supporting clients involved in the Decarceration Project, the Early Intervention Team and the city-wide Social Work Unit.

The Community Liaison will be responsible for providing reliable and timely transportation for clients to court appearances, service appointments, and other critical engagements. This position plays a key role in ensuring clients' access to resources and services during the early stages of their legal proceedings, while promoting client stability and engagement with support systems.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Appear in court and at detention centers to meet with clients upon release and ensure successful transitions to community-based programs
• Escort clients to appointments and act as a liaison between clients, community-based programs or court officials
• Travel extensively throughout New York City, as well as to locations in upstate New York and the Tri-State area. When necessary, arrange for and operate rental vehicles, particularly for locations not accessible via public transportation or when transporting clients
• Work directly with clients experiencing major mental illness and/or drug intoxication; respond to crisis situations and use de-escalation techniques with volatile individuals
• Conduct follow-up with clients after placement in community-based programs to ensure continuity of care and compliance
• Accompany social workers and other staff members on home and community visits
• Attend regular team meetings and collaborate with the Early Intervention and Decarceration Project staff to support client needs and case strategies
• Pick up and deliver client records, reports, and other legal or medical documents as needed
• Provide general clerical support, including filing, retrieving records, transporting medication, preparing case files, making copies, and assisting with reception duties
• Maintain and update the unit's community appointment calendar
• Work effectively within a team-based model to ensure comprehensive client support
• Perform other duties as assigned to support program goals and client well-being

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• GED or equivalent work experience (GED certificate, high school diploma, four years of responsible work experience, or some combination of work and education)
• Valid driver's license
• Experience working with individuals with mental health issues and substance use challenges
• Knowledgeable about procedures of community-based programs; transportation systems, alternate routes, and City neighborhoods
• Able to collaboratively trouble-shoot problems
• Comfortable working with clients and their families
• Able to interact effectively with courts, community, and governmental agencies

Preferred qualifications:

• Proficiency in a second language preferred

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $53,295 - $81,795

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Click here to read more about benefits.

Higher Education and Loan Forgiveness

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.

studentaid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

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.)

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.

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.