The New York City Law Department is accepting applications from experienced attorneys for the position of Assistant Corporation Counsel for many of its divisions to address the needs of our current matters as well as for new initiatives to address the affordability crisis and protect and advance the needs of New Yorkers. The Law Department’s culture of excellence and dedication seeks applicants who are committed to public interest and providing the finest legal representation to the City of New York in furtherance of the operation of its government.
A majority of the current openings are in our litigating divisions: Administrative Law and Regulatory Litigation, Affirmative Litigation, Commercial and Real Estate Litigation, Environmental Law, General Litigation, Labor and Employment Law, Special Federal Litigation, Tax and Bankruptcy Litigation, Tort, and Workers’ Compensation. Assistant Corporation Counsels in these divisions engage in the day-to-day work of state and federal court litigation, including drafting motions, conducting depositions, exchanging discovery, settlement analyses and negotiation, and appearing in court and at depositions.
In addition, we are accepting applications for attorneys in the following divisions: Appeals, E-discovery, Ethics and Compliance,
Executive Litigation and Policy Group, Family Court, Legal Counsel, and Risk Management.
A few positions are also available in the transactional divisions of Contracts and Real Estate and Economic Development. Attorneys in these divisions concentrate on transactional matters such as reviewing leases and contracts and providing counsel for a wide range of challenging and complex projects.
To learn more about the Law Department’s legal divisions, you can read the descriptions of the divisions at https://www.nyc.gov/site/law/divisions/legal-divisions.page. Most divisions have information on their webpage for lateral applicants.
The Law Department sets salaries for experienced attorneys based on their years of legal experience after law school, which is generally consistent with their law school graduation year. Salaries for new hires generally fall within the following salary bands: for 0-5 years of legal experience, from $87,737 to $122,300; for 5-10 years of legal experience, from $122,300-$137,188; for 10-15 years of legal experience, from $137,188-$159,521; for 15-20 years of legal experience, from $159,521-$180,791. Candidates may be hired at a slightly higher rate than others with similar levels of legal experience if they have specialized and unique experience and are hired for a role that requires that specialized and unique experience, or if they are hired for a position that is deemed hard to fill. You may contact the Legal Recruitment Office with any questions at recruitment@law.nyc.gov.
After the completion of orientation, attorneys hired by the Law Department will have the opportunity to elect to work from home under one of the following two programs. The first option allows attorneys to work remotely on a limited and irregular basis. The second option is a Citywide pilot program, which allows participants to select two set days to work from home each week. The two days will need to be approved by the attorney’s division and take into consideration the needs of the division, as the pilot program requires more than 50% staff coverage each day. In addition, if an attorney needs to appear in court, a client meeting or other in-person work related event on a set work from home day, they will need to attend to those in-person responsibilities and will not be able to work from home that day. Participants in the pilot program must set one work from home location where they will work remotely. This pilot program is currently being tested Citywide to determine its efficacy for City agencies and is not yet a permanent program.
To apply, please upload your cover letter and resume as one document under “resume.”
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The Law Department looks for candidates who are committed to public service, pursuing justice, and serving the common good. To best serve the City we represent, the Law Department seeks individuals from a variety of backgrounds who can bring different perspectives to contribute to the work of the office. The Law Department also seeks candidates who want to contribute to a work environment that values teamwork, inclusion, and respect. Finally, as many of our attorneys work in litigating divisions, the Law Department seeks candidates who have litigation experience.
Applicants must be graduates of ABA approved law schools and either admitted to practice law in the State of New York or be in the process of becoming admitted to the New York State Bar. Applicants should also have a demonstrated interest in the type of law of the division that they are applying to. If the candidate is interested in a division that practices in federal court, the candidate should be admitted in, or immediately available to apply for admission in, the Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York.
In their cover letter, candidates must note what division(s) they are interested in. To learn more about the specific type of work that each division does, please visit our website at https://www.nyc.gov/site/law/divisions/legal-divisions.page.
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