Join NLS Today!

About NLS 

Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (NLS) is a nonprofit public interest law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and others facing barriers to stability, safety, and access to justice. Through advocacy, legal advice, representation, and community education, NLS helps clients address urgent civil legal needs involving housing, public benefits, family, disability, and related matters. 

With more than 120 staff working across offices in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Lockport, and Batavia, NLS is one of the largest providers of civil legal services in Western New York. Our work is carried out by attorneys, paralegals, advocates, support staff, managers, and administrative professionals who share a commitment to fairness, dignity, and meaningful access to justice 

For an HR professional, joining NLS means supporting the people who deliver critical civil legal services across Western New York. HR at NLS is not just paperwork; it is part of the infrastructure that helps employees do difficult, mission-centered work with reliable systems, clear communication, and a workplace grounded in fairness, dignity, and respect. 

The Opportunity 

NLS is seeking a Human Resources Generalist to serve as a primary HR operations owner across the employee lifecycle. This is a true Generalist role for someone who is ready to manage core HR workflows with independence after ramp-up, including leave administration, recruitment administration, onboarding and offboarding coordination, HRIS/ADP maintenance, standard reporting, routine benefits/vendor support, payroll coordination, and employee communications. 

The ideal candidate is organized, detail-oriented, service-minded, and comfortable balancing employee support with compliance, confidentiality, deadlines, and accurate documentation. This role is a strong fit for someone who enjoys practical HR operations and wants meaningful responsibility in a mission-driven nonprofit environment. 

What You Will Do 

• Employee support: Serve as a primary HR point of contact for employee and supervisor questions related to benefits, leave, ADP/timekeeping, time off, onboarding, employment processes, and general HR procedures. 

• HR inbox and follow-through: Monitor the HR inbox, identify urgency, respond within approved guidance, route items when needed, and track follow-up through completion. 

• Leave administration: Manage routine leave administration after ramp-up, including leave intake, date tracking, documentation, vendor/payroll/benefits coordination, and employee follow-up. 

• Leave/pay calculations: Calculate leave-related time and compensation, including PTO usage, paid/unpaid leave periods, pay differentials, benefit premium impacts, and payroll-log updates. 

• Benefits and vendor support: Respond to routine benefits questions and assist with vendor-access issues such as HRA/FSA, medical, dental, vision, enrollment, and related troubleshooting. Assist with open enrollment coordination. 

• Recruitment and hiring: Coordinate the recruitment and hiring lifecycle, including job postings, external vendor posting, candidate communications, interview scheduling, reference checks, job-fair participation as assigned, offer letters, hiring documentation, and handoff to onboarding. 

• Onboarding and employee lifecycle coordination: Coordinate operational onboarding steps, new hire paperwork, HR onboarding components, IT/system access notices, payroll/ADP steps, benefit enrollment information, and supervisor communications. 

• Offboarding administration: Coordinate routine separation/offboarding steps, including separation paperwork, benefits/COBRA-related forms, ADP status updates, payroll coordination, IT offboarding notices, and supervisor checklists. 

• ADP/HRIS and reporting: Serve as the primary HR-side user for routine ADP/HRIS employee data, records, reports, and updates; run and review standard HR reports; validate employee lists, finance/grant data, ACA-related information, census reports, and other recurring HR data requests. 

• Process reliability: Use checklists, templates, SOPs, and source documents to ensure accuracy, consistency, confidentiality, and timely follow-through, while helping identify process gaps. 

• Escalation and judgment: Independently handle routine matters and escalate unusual, high-risk, legally complex, or policy sensitive issues to HR leadership when appropriate. 

What We Are Looking For 

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, organizational development, public administration, or a related field required. 

• Minimum of two years of full-time Human Resources experience required, preferably in HR generalist, HR operations, benefits, recruitment, payroll coordination, HRIS, leave administration, or employee lifecycle work. 

• Hands-on experience with lifecycle recruitment administration and employee orientation/onboarding processes. 

• Experience using, maintaining, and reviewing HRIS/payroll or employee-record systems; ADP experience preferred. 

• Working knowledge of federal and New York State employment and leave concepts, including FMLA, New York Paid Family Leave, New York disability benefits, wage/hour concepts, employee records, and confidentiality requirements. 

• Ability to independently calculate leave-related time, pay impacts, PTO offsets/differentials, benefit-premium impacts, and other routine HR/payroll coordination items after training on NLS-specific procedures. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft clear, professional employee and candidate communications. 

• Demonstrated organization, attention to detail, critical thinking, analytical ability, and ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines. 

• Ability to interpret and apply policies, checklists, benefit/vendor guidance, CBA provisions, and HR procedures to routine matters, while recognizing when escalation is required. 

• Comfort using Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook, Teams, shared-document platforms, and HRIS/reporting tools. 

• Commitment to fairness, respect, cultural humility, public service, and access to justice. 

Preferred Experience 

• Experience in a nonprofit, legal services, public interest, unionized, or mission-driven environment. 

• Hands-on experience with leave administration, benefits/vendor coordination, HR reporting, recruitment administration, onboarding/offboarding, or payroll coordination. 

• Experience supporting HRIS process improvements, reporting, modules, data-quality practices, or workflow documentation. 

• SHRM-CP, PHR, or progress toward a relevant HR certification is welcome but not required. 

• Second language skills are a plus but not required. 

Why Join NLS? 

• Mission-driven impact: Support the staff who provide free civil legal services to individuals and families across Western New York. 

• Meaningful HR ownership: Help strengthen HR systems, employee experience, communication, process reliability, and operational trust. 

• Collaborative team environment: Work closely with HR leadership, Finance/Payroll, supervisors, and staff across programs and offices. 

• Work-life balance and benefits: NLS offers a 35-hour work week, reduced summer hours, telework options where applicable, comprehensive benefits, paid time off, professional development, pension plan, HRA/FSA options, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility where applicable. 

Working Conditions 

• Work is performed primarily in an office environment and includes regular use of a computer, telephone, copier/scanner, and related office equipment. 

• May require coordination with staff across multiple NLS offices and occasional travel or in-person meeting support as assigned. 

• Must be able to maintain confidentiality while working with sensitive employee, payroll, benefits, leave, medical, and organizational information. 

• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds occasionally. 

Disclaimer 

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, or working conditions associated with the position. Duties may change at any time with or without notice based on organizational needs. 

Equal Employment Opportunity 

Neighborhood Legal Services is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, compensation, and training, are made without discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, domestic violence victim status, prior arrest or conviction record, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to qualified applicants with disabilities to support participation in the application and hiring process. Email [email protected] for assistance.  

Neighborhood Legal Services is a not-for-profit public interest law firm providing free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals. Its mission is to seek equitable justice by providing access to 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.  It is the largest non-profit provider of civil legal services in Western New York.  Neighborhood Legal Services provides counsel for housing, prevention, family/divorce, public benefits, disability advocacy, student loans, and health insurance. This position is in our Niagara Falls office.

The staff attorney will positively impact clients by maintaining a caseload of public benefits matters. The attorney will assist clients in obtaining or maintaining benefits including Temporary (cash) Assistance, SNAP, assistance with emergencies including homelessness, and overpayments from the Niagara County Department of Social Services.  Case work includes reviewing notices and other documents, advising clients about their benefits, negotiating with NCDSS, representing clients at Administrative Fair Hearings, and litigation. The Attorney will learn the substantive law, develop advocacy skills, and learn to identify and work on systemic issues. Training will be provided – whether you just passed the bar with admission pending or you are an experienced attorney.

Essential Responsibilities/ Functions:

• Handle all aspects of legal representation including client contact, pleading preparation, research, file maintenance, hearing and trial work, and work with support staff;
• Fulfill all grant and contract requirements through casework, time-keeping, and record-keeping;
• Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the areas of law that impact our clients;
• Identify other legal needs of clients to ensure that NLS can provide holistic representation and referrals;
• Collaborate and coordinate with other NLS staff and community partners to ensure effective referrals and holistic service delivery;
• Identify systemic problems that affect our clients’ rights;
• Conduct community outreach, education and training;
• Demonstrate cultural competency to work with clients of every race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and limited English proficiency;
• Maintain a current knowledge of developments in civil procedure and civil litigation law; and
• Develop an understanding of the social and economic forces that create poverty and inequality in our community.

Qualifications

• J.D. and NYS Bar Admission (considered if applicant has passed the bar exam with admission pending – training will be provided)
• Demonstrated commitment and cultural sensitivity to low-income and underserved
• Strong writing skills and verbal communication.
• Strong behavioral competencies.
• Strong attention to detail and follow up skills.
• Previous experience working with low-income and/or underserved communities preferred
• Second language fluency preferred

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Work in an office environment including working at workstation, attending meetings;
• Traveling to meetings and hearings off-site;
• Use of computer and other office machines such as fax, photocopiers and telephones; and
• Ability to work in the evenings and weekends as required to serve clients.

Salary:

The salary range for this position is $71000.00 – $120,913.76 depending on experience, with generous benefits, paid time off and opportunity for student loan forgiveness.

Salary is based on bar admission and years of experience. (Steps 1 through 22) Step 1 of the salary scale correlates to the first year of admission to the bar of any state, and date of commencement of the practice of law in that state. Each progressive step equals an additional year of experience.

Prior credited experience is calculated from the date of admission to the bar and the date of commencement of the practice of law in that state. If the Employee did not begin practicing law within six (6) months of being admitted, the prior experience shall be calculated on the date they began practicing law.

Current salary steps include but are not limited to:
Step 1 – $ 71,000.00
Step 5 – $ 78,156.78
Step 10 – $ 90,338.62
Step 15 – $101,873.70
Step 22 – $120,913.76

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.

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]