"Tenants Advocacy Staff Attorney Tenants Advocacy Program - Cornell Law School"

Tenants Advocacy Staff Attorney Tenants Advocacy Program - Cornell Law School

Founded in 1887, Cornell Law School is a top-tier law school. We offer a 3-year JD program for about 200 students per class, a one-year LLM program for about 90 students from countries throughout the world, and a doctoral (JSD) program for about 2-3 new students per year. Cornell Law School has 41 tenured and tenure-track faculty, including 20 with chaired faculty positions; and 15 clinical professors in the legal research and writing program and in clinics at the local, national, and international level. Our faculty is consistently ranked among the top in the country for scholarly productivity and influence, and has pre-eminence in many areas, including quantitative and qualitative empirical legal studies, international and comparative law, and robust doctrinal scholarship in core fields. Our school is committed to being recognized as the leader among law schools at combining inspiring theoretical, doctrinal, and experiential teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a supportive, intellectually rich community, so that our graduates can achieve excellence in all facets of the legal profession.

Reporting to Cornell Law School's Director of the Tenants Advocacy Program, William Niebel, and the Tenants Advocacy Supervising Attorney, Kathryn Krause Wozer, the Tenants Advocacy Staff Attorney will have primary responsibility for reviewing and accepting cases from the Tenants Advocacy Program Hotline, dedicated to providing legal services to support low-income tenants. The Tenants Advocacy Staff Attorney will:

• Work independently to accept cases and focus on developing an expanded reach for the hotline, across Allegany, Chemung, Monroe, Tioga, Tompkins, Schuyler, and Steuben counties, with a special focus on tenants at or below the poverty line, and tenants unable to be served by Legal Assistance of Western New York (including individuals present in the U.S. without legal status).
• Conduct affirmative outreach to service providers across these seven counties, in partnership with the Program Director and Supervising Attorney, to build the Hotline and expand the scope of representation.
• Provide expanded representation to Hotline clients, including negotiation, drafting letters, and representation in eviction court.
• Supervise pro bono students on the Hotline and work closely with the Tenants Advocacy Program Director to expand the number of cases the Hotline accepts. Work closely with pro bono student volunteers on their cases.
• As appropriate, work with students from the Tenants Advocacy Practicum on active matters, helping these students become familiar with legal issues related to housing justice in upstate New York and to otherwise aid in their professional development.

The attorney will work collaboratively with the Program Director, Supervising Attorney, and Tenants Advocacy Practicum students, although they will not have any formal teaching responsibilities.

This position is ideal for a candidate who is eager to use their prior litigation and housing advocacy backgrounds to help prevent eviction and displacement in the upstate New York. It calls for someone entrepreneurial, who is willing to help shape a new model for the delivery of the Program and the Hotline's important services.

This grant-funded appointment is for a one-year term and is benefits eligible. Reappointment is possible based on performance and funding availability. The selected candidate may choose to work a hybrid schedule, with part of the work taking place remotely (pending university approval if working outside New York State) and part of the work taking place in person. The selected candidate must be available and willing to travel to any and all required court appearances.

Responsibilities

• Develop partnerships with service providers across seven counties (Allegany, Chemung, Monroe, Tioga, Tompkins, Schuyler, and Steuben) and with Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. to close the gap in services for tenants facing eviction and homelessness.
• Collaborate with the Program Director, Supervising Attorney, local housing attorneys, Practicum students, tenants' unions, and advocacy groups to enhance the impact of the Program's work, researching legal and factual questions, drafting research memos, working with clients and witnesses, drafting legal papers, presenting oral argument, and counseling and training pro bono students and attorneys.
• Travel as required for litigation, conferences, speaking engagements and trips to each of the seven counties the Hotline covers.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must have a J.D. or equivalent and be admitted to the New York bar. Applicants should have excellent communication skills, both oral and written; excellent analytical skills; and the temperament to develop and work effectively with a network of tenants' advocacy groups and legal aid organizations, private volunteer attorneys, and advocacy organizations. Applicants should also have the skills necessary to supervise and mentor law students and work collaboratively in a team-based environment. The applicant must also be a "self-starter" and have the ability to operate on their own, with light supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to candidates who have experience in housing justice advocacy; supervising other lawyers or law students; have strong relationships with organizations that the Practicum is likely to partner with--local service providers, legal aid organizations, legal aid tech nonprofits, and tenants unions across the five counties.

To Apply

To ensure maximum consideration, please submit all application materials by January 31, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to early applicants.

The expected starting salary for this position is $78,000.