New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) helps New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies through preparedness, education, and response. NYCEM is responsible for coordinating citywide emergency planning and response for all types and scales of emergencies. We are staffed by more than 200 dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, including individuals assigned from other City agencies.

The Office of the Chief Counsel provides legal advice to NYCEM executives and staff regarding critical, strategic, legal and policy issues facing the agency, engages in transactional work in support of the NYCEM mission and coordinates with the NYC Law Department, Office of the Counsel to the Mayor, and other local, state and federal counsels regarding various legal issues ranging from emergency events to litigation, which impact the agency. The Office of Chief Counsel is comprised of the Legal Affairs Unit, Disability, Access, and Functional Needs (DAFN) Legal Unit, and the Records Management Unit.

Under the direction of the Deputy Chief Counsel and in coordination with the Senior Disability and Civil Rights Counsel, the selected candidate will, among a wide range of other duties, provide legal support to the Legal Affairs Unit and be responsible for the oversight of the activities necessary to maintain compliance with a Federal Court Settlement Order. The settlement required the enhancement of The City’s emergency preparedness plans and response and recovery activities related to people with access and functional needs, which includes people with disabilities, older adults, and others who are vulnerable during an emergency. To accomplish this, the selected candidate will be responsible for:
- Continued legal compliance with the terms of the BCID Settlement Order.
- Coordination with the DAFN staff and all NYCEM units for compliance with Local Laws, state, and federal civil rights mandates.
- Working closely with all NYCEM units, many City Agencies and other partners to ensure remediation measures are being implemented timely and in legal accord with the BCID Settlement Order and otherwise.
- Liaise with the Corporation Counsel’s Office as needed, in coordination with senior DAFN Legal staff.
- Research and review of materials as applicable to emergency planning and response in the context of the Disability and Access and Functional Needs (DAFN) populations.
- Collect progress data from NYCEM bureaus, units, and other agency DAFN personnel.
- Work with the Agency Disability Services Facilitator (DSF) and help resolve any received ADA Grievances.

*PLEASE NOTE: The selected candidate will be assigned to an on-call Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team and will be expected to work non-business hours during some emergencies. These non-business hours include nights, weekends, holidays, and extended week hours outside of a 9AM-5PM schedule. The selected candidate will also participate in trainings to build skills and competencies in emergency response; will participate in drills and exercises associated with the on-call EOC team; and may volunteer to assist with Ready NY emergency preparedness presentations to external groups. EOC teams are on call for three weeks at a time, with six weeks off in between.

Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

- Knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and related State and local civil rights laws and regulations pertaining to people with disabilities, the elderly and other protected classes, and knowledge of concerns of other potentially vulnerable populations. - Knowledge of employment, human rights and labor law - Admission to and a member in good standing of the New York State Bar - Federal legal experience and/or prior litigation experience - Prior experience making presentations to stakeholders and leadership, either virtually or in person - Relevant experience in Compliance - Excellent writing and interpersonal skills - Superior knowledge of Microsoft applications including PowerBI, Powerpoint/Powerpoint Online, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel and familiarity with Westlaw and/or Lexis/Nexis software. - An informed perspective on applying a racial equity lens in policymaking Incumbent must remain a member of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

New York City Residency is not required for this position

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.