REFERRAL COUNSELOR (Legal Non-Profit)
Remote work opportunity - Full-time
FLSA Status: Non-exempt
Start Date: August 10, 2026
The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. The City Bar’s mission is to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world.
THE POSITION
Do you enjoy finding ways to help others who need legal assistance? Would you like to work remotely from your home 100% of the time (with the option to attend a few in-person meetings per year)?
We are in the business of public service. For more than 80 years, we have made it our mission to help individuals and businesses find the right lawyer to meet their legal needs. Established in 1946, the New York City Bar Legal Referral Service (LRS) is the oldest lawyer referral service in New York State, and the first one in New York City approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Reporting to the Supervising Attorney, the Referral Counselor will join a team of counselors, contributing to our longstanding commitment and service.
We welcome those with a strong interest in public service and law who are: licensed lawyers in any jurisdiction; candidates holding or pursuing a J.D. or LL.M.; and matriculated undergraduates with an interest in pursuing a legal career -- are all welcome to apply! This position does not provide any legal advice or represent clients in any capacity.
AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY include, but are not limited to:
Respond to high volume of calls and emails from the general public
Triage legal issues and direct clients to participating lawyers and other legal resources
Provide basic legal information to the public
Assisting the department with other secondary duties, such as assisting with recruiting lawyers to join the service, light research for our legal topics webpages, assisting with grass roots marketing and recruiting research, public relations at public events, etc.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS/REQUIREMENTS
A strong interest in helping the public by working in a legal, nonprofit setting
A learning mindset and curiosity about topics that impact the profession, law, and helping the public, such as changes to the law, nonprofits’ strategic use of technology to boost efficiencies in providing help to the public, and evolving delivery of legal services models General knowledge of New York law and legal resources available to New Yorkers, preferred
Bilingual fluency in the English language (spoken and written), and Spanish language (spoken required, written preferred)
At least one year of employment in a legal environment/organization
Excellent phone manner, customer service and written/verbal communication skills
Must be able to deal effectively with challenging individuals
Ability to stay calm in stressful situations
Ability to use multiple windows and/or computer programs simultaneously and efficiently
Strong PC skills, including Microsoft Office 365 products (principally, Outlook, Word, OneDrive, and Teams), Zoom, VOIP or soft-phone technologies, and basic web-based programs. Familiarity with or ability to use other O365 apps with little training (such as SharePoint, Excel, One Note, and CoPilot) would be a plus.
This position is open to those residing in the Mountain, Central, and Eastern time zones of the U.S.
Candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S.
COMPENSATION/BENEFITS
Starting compensation is $30.22 - $32.97 per hour (based on experience), which is equivalent to an annualized salary range of $55,000 - $60,000 for full-time employment (generally 35 hours per week).
The LRS Department at the City Bar is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and is closed daily from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Assigned work schedules may vary, and start and end times will be determined based on operational needs.
We provide a competitive benefits package, for full-time employees, including generous paid time off (vacation, personal, sick time, holidays including closing between Christmas and New Year’s day, day off each year for volunteer work, some extra time off in summer (if employment begins no later than June), choice of medical plans, dental, vision, 401K, life insurance, Employee Assistance Program, short-term/long-term disability insurance, employee discounts, and complimentary City Bar membership/many CLE programs/City Bar events.
HOW TO APPLY:
In addition to completing the questionnaire and submitting a resume, it is recommended that qualified candidates submit a cover letter explaining your interest in this role.
We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds and unique experiences to apply, especially those candidates belonging to historically under-represented communities. We welcome diversity of all kinds. It is the policy of the Organization to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, creed, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, disability, arrest or conviction record, pregnancy, credit history, salary history, caregiver status, marital status, partnership status, or status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, religion, sex, genetic information, military status, unemployment status or any other characteristic as protected by law. With regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related laws, the organization will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations for persons due to their religious beliefs, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition or because the individual was a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking.
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