Join NLS Today!

Organization Overview:

NLS provides free legal services to low-income individuals and people with disabilities. Substantive practice areas include housing, public benefits, family, and disability law. An annual budget of over $15 million supports 100+ staff working primarily among five offices in Buffalo, Lockport, Niagara Falls and Batavia. NLS staff are supported by the Buffalo Office of Legal Service Workers (BOLSW) Union which covers the majority of staff including staff attorneys, staff paralegals, and support staff. Non-union staff include approximately 25+ management and administrative personnel. NLS receives a mix of Federal, State, local and foundation support as well as earned income through attorney’s fees and contributions.

Job Summary:

HR Director is responsible for overseeing the efficient operation of the Human Resources function. Working closely with the Executive Director and Director of Finance, this individual is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of employee records and reporting, assisting Management staff regarding personnel related matters and identifying opportunities to enhance the overall employee experience within the organization.

Human Resource Management
1. Identify, evaluate and assist in solving hiring challenges
2. Assist in recruiting top talent to Management positions
3. Mediating and resolving employee performance related issues and related disputes
4. Compiling compensation and benefit related information to assist Finance team
5. Conduct staff and management training
6. Oversee and maintain NLS employee related policies and procedures
7. Ensure compliance with all Federal and State regulations for all areas of HR including hiring and
reporting requirements.
8. Manage the annual open enrollment process including ADP portal, staff communications and
broker relationship
9. Work closely with BOLSW leadership to maintain a positive relationship with the Union
10. Establish and maintain training programs
11. Review and recommend process improvements and system enhancements

Human Resource Supervision
1. Oversee all Human Resources operations including recruiting, on and offboarding of staff, benefit
administration as well as staff and management training.
2. Supervise and manage the workflow of staff responsible for a variety of day-to-day HR related tasks.

Qualifications
1. Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or Human Resources with 7+ years of experience HR, preferably with 4+ years in a management role,
2. Labor law experience, J.D. or Labor Attorney preferred
3. Extensive supervisory/coaching experience
4. Union experience a plus
5. Commitment to best practices in human resource management, with a deep understanding of employee life cycle management
6. A successful track record setting priorities; keen analytic, organization, and problem solving skills which support and enable sound decision making
7. Excellent communication and relationship building skills with an ability to prioritize, negotiate and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
8. Able to multitask in a fast-paced environment with diverse teams
9. Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, empathy, and dedication to the mission of NLS

Salary and benefits
Annual salary is competitive and dependent on experience. Position in Buffalo Court Street office location. Thirty-five (35) hour work week with generous benefit package including holiday, leave time, health, dental, HRA and retirement benefits.

To Apply:

Please submit your confidential resume, including your salary requirements to [email protected]

NLS is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply. Employer recruits without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, ancestry, sex, gender (including identity or expression), sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or protected veteran status and any such candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Neighborhood Legal Services seeks an outstanding strategic and collaborative leader to serve as its next Executive Director.

Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) is a not-for-profit public interest law firm founded 49 years ago to provide free legal services to low-income individuals and families, and persons with disabilities, in Western New York.  With offices in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Batavia, and Lockport, we provide services in a range of areas of urgent legal need, including public benefits, disability law, housing, and family law.  Our mission is to pursue equitable justice by providing access to client-specific legal advice, representation, and education to those in our community who, due to financial vulnerability, disability, discrimination, or abuse, require protection and advancement of their civil legal rights.

The Executive Director has the opportunity to lead our exceptional staff of 115 people, including our experienced managers and senior leaders.  In 2024, we closed 8052 cases, benefitting 16,580 individual clients and members of their families.  We have grown significantly over the years – our current budget is approximately $18 million/year – giving us a solid foundation to meet the needs of our client populations.

This position is an excellent opportunity for a leader, team-builder, connector and communicator who is passionate about the delivery of justice to marginalized communities.

More about NLS:

Each year, NLS provides free civil legal services to over 8,000 individuals and families in Western New York who cannot afford to hire an attorney. We provide high-quality and innovative legal representation, advice, and community education to countless community members to help with some of life’s greatest challenges: from violence within a family, to a threat to stable living with disabilities. NLS knows that one legal problem can quickly impact other aspects of a client’s life, and our advocates apply a collaborative approach to provide holistic services.  Because the need for free legal services outstrips our capacity, we also provide plain-language materials to explain common legal problems to those in our community with unmet legal needs.

While the bulk of our work consists of individual client representation, NLS is also committed to innovating the traditional legal services model to expand our reach. As an example:  our Family Law Unit has partnered with the University at Buffalo Law School Family Violence and Women’s Rights Clinic to develop DIY Divorce forms tailored to specific case types. Taking it a step further, NLS attorneys operate legal clinics where they present on the divorce process and the forms to help people fill them out themselves.  Such innovations help accommodate both NLS’ limited capacity to provide full representation and the outsized need in our community for legal assistance in family matters.

NLS also prioritizes collaboration with other nonprofits to facilitate access to our services. We work closely with other providers of legal services in Western New York.  We are governed by a 15-member Board of Directors that includes lawyers working in our geographic service area, people who are eligible for NLS’s services, and other community members.

For more information about Neighborhood Legal Services, visit:  www.NLS.org

Responsibilities of NLS’s Executive Director include:

NLS’s Services & Advocacy

• Ensure and oversee the delivery of high-quality legal services to eligible clients through our staff’s legal representation and counsel, facilitation of community legal clinics, and outreach and engagement with client groups and community providers.
• Ensure the continued development and targeting of our work to meet the legal needs of specific populations as identified through regular needs assessments, outcome measurement, and evaluation.
• Provide agency-wide leadership, supporting our staff in centering our mission in all our work, and collaborating closely with the management team.

Community Relations & Resource Development

• Oversee NLS’s fund development and actively engage volunteers, Board members, event committees, community partners, and funders.
• Ensure development and effective deployment of an annual fundraising plan.
• Serve, along with the Board Chair, as a primary spokesperson for the organization.
• Ensure and support a strong process to maintain and develop diverse funding sources, ensure compelling, detailed reporting and compliance to maintain strong relationships with funders.

 Governance, General Policies and Corporate Compliance, and Strategic Positioning

• Support and guide the Board of Directors and its Committees.
• Ensure the development and implementation of corporate compliance and operational procedures in accordance with Board policy, applicable laws, regulations and contractual obligations.
• Assist the Board in developing and implementing strategic positioning and actions, in accordance with our Strategic Plan.
• Develop annual organizational goals and reporting to the Board and its leadership in progress towards those goals.

Human Resources

• Select, support and supervise senior leadership and management.
• Lead the management team, including setting team goals and supporting the team in its coordination, communication, and work towards its goals.
• Ensure effective organizational talent acquisition, onboarding and professional development both directly and through senior leadership and management.
• Promote a positive, respectful, equitable and safe workplace environment for staff and clients that attracts, retains, and motivates top quality/diverse people.
• Ensure the development and maintenance of forward-facing organizational policies.
• Continue development of a collaborative working relationship with NLS’s union staff, including negotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• Ensure organizational resilience including leadership development and succession plans.

Financial Management

• Supervise NLS’s Finance Director and ensure that the day-to-day fiscal affairs of the organization, including accounting and cash management, are managed with the highest integrity with respect to fiduciary responsibilities, regulations, and Board policy.
• Oversee the development of the organization’s annual budget and ensure regular tracking and reporting of fiscal performance against budget.

Race Equity and Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Work

• Ensure that NLS continues to develop and deploy an internal culture and external services that elevate diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Provide and ensure adequate and ongoing resources for DEI activities and training.

Desired/ideal qualifications of the Executive Director:

• Experience as an effective organizational leader or senior manager with direct supervisory and program management responsibilities. (Membership in the New York Bar and/or other legal experience preferred but not required.)
• Deep understanding of and vision for the delivery of legal services to clients in need.
• Demonstrated passionate commitment to equal justice for all, and experience protecting and advancing the rights of marginalized and disadvantaged populations.
• An established record of organizational leadership, resource development and personnel management.
• A demonstrated commitment to supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace.
• Experience and willingness to lead an organization with unionized staff.
• Skill in building and supporting teams and collaborations, gathering input and feedback, and making and communicating decisions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience with public speaking to diverse audiences, and communicating effectively with staff across an organization.
• Ability to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders including bar associations, judiciary, social services agencies, funders, and community groups and their leaders, and a commitment to elevating the voices of client communities.
• Ability to manage wide-ranging responsibilities and to direct others in managing their responsibilities in a demanding environment.
• Experience working with a finance team and Board to oversee and manage a large organizational budget.
• Experience in developing and maintaining government and private revenue streams, including federal, state, and local grants, as well as building and leading fundraising efforts.
• Ability to work effectively with a volunteer Board of Directors.

The Executive Director is expected to reside in (or be willing to relocate to) the Western New York area.

Compensation

The salary for the Executive Director is budgeted from $190,000 to $240,000, depending on experience.  The Executive Director is also offered excellent benefits, including leave, health and retirement benefits.

Application Process:

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.  To receive full consideration, candidates are urged to submit their application by March 28, 2025.

Applicants should e-mail a resume with a cover letter that explains why you are interested in the Executive Director position, and why you feel you could be successful in the position.  Applications should be e-mailed to [email protected].

NLS is committed to the support of an inclusive and diverse workplace and providing Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action to all applicants. We seek to build diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging within our organization, and in partnership and allyship with the communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ, veterans, people who have experienced poverty or homelessness, people who have had prior contact with the juvenile, criminal, or child welfare systems, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Organization Overview
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (NLS) is the largest provider of civil legal services in Western New York with two offices in Buffalo, including the central office and offices in Batavia, Lockport, and Niagara Falls. This position is based in Buffalo. NLS advocates for thousands of clients each year, including clients who are facing eviction, families who have no money for food or rent, survivors and victims of domestic violence, members of the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities. We invite you to join our team and to use your talents and skills to help people and change systems.

Housing Staff Attorney 

Two Openings Available – Buffalo

Summary of Responsibilities:
Maintains a caseload serving low-income clients relating to Housing law, including evictions, conditions and discrimination. Handles all aspects of legal representation including client contact, pleading preparation, research, file maintenance, working with support staff, and hearing and trial work. Implements grant and contract requirements through casework and fosters pro bono involvement with the private bar.

For more information on the Housing Staff Attorney listings, please visit: Housing Staff

NLS VOLUNTEER ATTORNEY PROGRAM (VAP) offers attorneys a chance to volunteer their time and expertise.  No experience in the particular field is necessary and we will train you in the area you volunteer.

You can volunteer to assist with individual clients on an as-needed basis or with one of our Attorney of the Morning Programs (AMP). NLS staffs AMPs at Buffalo City Court (Tuesday and Thursday mornings) and Niagara Falls City Court (dates vary) to assist low-income tenants facing eviction.

Volunteers must be attorneys licensed to practice law in New York State, and in good standing with the Office of Court Administration (OCA).   Volunteers must immediately notify NLS of any changes in their status. Attorneys who register with NLS and are in good standing with OCA are covered under the NLS malpractice insurance policy for the NLS cases they accept.

In order to participate with NLS, you agree to:

• Represent clients referred by NLS and in accordance with the New York State Rules of Professional Conduct;
• Respond to periodic requests for updates by NLS;
• Complete all required NLS forms;
• Notify NLS upon completion of a matter, including the amount of time spent and the tasks completed;
• Notify NLS of any changes to the attorney’s contact information or areas of interest.

If interested, please contact [email protected]

NLS accepts student volunteers throughout the year in our various offices and areas of practice.  Undergraduate students and law students are encouraged to apply.  NLS also participates in externship programs and pro bono scholarship programs (such as the Buffalo Public Interest Law Program at UB Law School).

REQUIREMENTS  NLS requires students to treat their internship/externship/volunteer opportunity like a job.  Students must be punctual, professionally dressed and reliable.  Students must act in a professional manner with staff, clients and court personnel.

STUDENT PRACTICE ORDERS  NLS generally applies for student practice orders for law students who have completed at least two (2) semesters of law school and are volunteering for a semester or the summer.  The student practice order allows the students to appear in court under the supervision of an NLS attorney.

50 HOUR PRO BONO REQUIREMENT  NLS accepts law student volunteers who wish to complete their fifty (50) hour pro bono requirement to be admitted in New York State.

If interested, please email [email protected]