Job Description

The Criminal Defense Practice has an opening for a Mitigation Specialist in its Staten Island office. This hybrid position will work jointly with the Social Work Unit and The Pre-Arraignment Project to provide client services. The Mitigation Specialist will interview clients, pre and post arraignment, and collaterals with the goal of gathering a life history to highlight mitigating circumstances such as mental illness, drug addiction, trauma and/or chronic poverty leading to a client’s involvement in the criminal justice system. The Mitigation Specialist will be responsible for screening, assessing and addressing the needs of attorney referred clients while securing the least restrictive legal status for them; community referrals; advocating for an alternative to detention, an alternative to incarceration, or lesser sentence, based on mitigating factors; bail applications and written and oral advocacy; providing crisis counseling and intervention to clients. The Mitigation Specialist collaborates with legal and court staff to help clients navigate both legal and social service systems while facing criminal charges.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Interview pre and post arraignment clients and complete psychosocial and intake assessments
• Provide crisis intervention, brief treatment, or short- term counseling services to individuals
• Identify and interview collateral sources of information. Collateral interviews are done with family members, friends, teachers, social workers, community members, and others connected to the client
• Request, review, and analyze life history records (i.e., school, medical, psychiatric) to document specific arguments within written reports
• Assist in case preparation and casework plans with the legal team to develop alternative sentencing plans, create treatment plans, create bail apps/packages
• Assess a client's readiness for treatment and make appropriate referrals, i.e. substance abuse treatment, individuals who are victims of domestic and intimate partner violence, mental health counseling, shelters, etc
• Provide oral advocacy and/or testimony in court
• Conduct in-person visits to clients in the community and at jails, detention centers or hospitals
• Conduct training for LAS staff, social work interns, treatment providers, and criminal justice personnel
• Maintain a caseload
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• An MSW degree and New York State (NYS) certification in social work (LMSW or LCSW). Proof of NYS Social Work License must be provided before final decision of employment.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience
• Strong assessment skills and experience working with clients with the following special needs: mental health and substance use, intellectual and other developmental disabilities, neurological disorders, etc.
• Ability to interface with Judges, District Attorneys, and Correctional Personnel
• Ability to negotiate with community-based organizations with the goal of increasing access for our clients to receive supportive services
• Excellent written and oral communications skills
• Excellent organizational and time management skills. Candidate must be able to manage a diverse caseload and prioritize tasks
• Proficient in using Microsoft 365
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team

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: $83,631 - $125,627

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 TalentAcquisition@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.

Qualifications

ic protected by law.