Admitted Attorneys Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find out about available attorney positions?
How do I apply for a position?
What can I expect at the interview?
Can attorneys work from home?
What is the salary range for admitted attorneys and how are salaries set?
What types of training and professional development programs are provided to attorneys?
Are experienced attorneys subject to the Law Department's three-year commitment requirement?
Is there a City residency requirement?
Is there a U.S. citizenship requirement?
Must applicants be admitted to the New York State bar?
What are the salary and benefits for a Law Department Attorney?
Does the Law Department permit transfers between divisions?

How do I find out about available attorney positions?
Vacancies for admitted attorneys are regularly posted on our website and on the City’s careers website. In addition, attorneys who would like to be notified as positions become available at the Law Department may input their contact information on our job notification listserv. The Law Department will retain email addresses for six months and will advise candidates of job postings during that time only. 


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How do I apply for an attorney position?
Applications should be submitted in response to advertised vacancies posted on our website and on the City's careers website. Cover letters should be addressed to:

Director of Legal Recruitment
New York City Law Department
100 Church Street
New York, NY 10007

Initial applications require only cover letters and resumes. Writing samples, transcripts and references may be requested later in the process.  Questions may be submitted to recruitment@law.nyc.gov.

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What can I expect at the interview?
Applicants will meet at least three attorneys from the division where they are interviewing. An applicant recommended for further interviews will meet with the Director of Legal Recruitment and the First Assistant Corporation Counsel on a subsequent date.

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Can attorneys work from home?
After the completion of orientation, attorneys hired by the Law Department will have the opportunity to elect to work from home under one of the following two programs.  The first option allows attorneys to work remotely on a limited and irregular basis.  The second option is a Citywide pilot program, which allows participants to select two set days to work from home each week.  The two days will need to be approved by the attorney’s division and take into consideration the needs of the division, as the pilot program requires more than 50% staff coverage each day.  In addition, if an attorney needs to appear in court, a client meeting or other in-person work related event on a set work from home day, they will need to attend to those in-person responsibilities and will not be able to work from home that day.  Participants in the pilot program must set one work from home location where they will work remotely.  This pilot program is currently being tested Citywide to determine its efficacy for City agencies and is not yet a permanent program. 

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What is the salary range for admitted attorneys and how are salaries set?
The NYC Law Department sets salaries for new attorneys based on their years of legal experience after law school, which is generally consistent with their law school graduation year.  In situations where candidates worked in a non-legal role in a field unrelated to the work that they would do at the Law Department, those years will not count towards their years of legal experience.  Conversely, candidates may be hired at a slightly higher rate than others with similar levels of legal experience if they are hired for a supervisor role, or if they have specialized and unique experience and are hired for a role that requires that specialized and unique experience, or if they are hired for a position that is deemed hard to fill.  In addition to the below salary bands, the Law Department has set salaries for certain supervisor positions. 

Salaries for new hire attorneys generally fall within the following salary bands –

0-10 years of legal experience: $84,975 – $132,870

10-20 years of legal experience: $132,870 - $175,100

20+ years of legal experience: $175,100 - $182,310

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What types of training and professional development programs are provided to attorneys?
The professional development of our Assistant Corporation Counsels is a high priority.  Attorneys hired laterally are assigned a mentor in their division. The Law Department is an accredited Continuing Legal Education provider and offers live and recorded courses free of charge to all its attorneys. The Law Department offers courses as diverse as its practice. The Law Department also allows attorneys to attend CLE programs at the Practicing Law Institute (PLI). Learn more about professional development at the Law Department.

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Are experienced attorneys subject to the Law Department's three-year commitment requirement?
Attorneys with fewer than three years of experience are required to commit to work at the Law Department for three years. Attorneys with more than three years of experience are required to make only a two-year commitment. These employment commitments give us the time to train our attorneys to take primary responsibility for important and complex cases.

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Is there a City residency requirement?
No.

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Is there a U.S. citizenship requirement?
No.

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Must applicants be admitted to the New York State bar?
Applicants must either be admitted or be eligible for admission without having to take an examination. That is, we can interview a candidate who has passed the New York State bar, and is awaiting admission, or who is eligible to waive into New York from another State.

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What are the salary and benefits for a Law Department Attorney?
Salary levels are commensurate with experience. Benefits offered to Law Department attorneys include:

• 18 days of annual leave
• 10 days of sick leave
• 11 paid holidays
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave for birth, adoption, or foster care of a child
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Life and long-term disability insurance
• Pre-tax health and dependent care spending programs
• Pre-tax "Transit Chek" programs
• Deferred compensation 401K plan
• Deferred compensation 457 plan
• Health club reimbursement
• Domestic partnership benefits
• New York City Employees Retirement System Pension

Find a full description of benefits.

Find information about the City's pension plan.

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Does the Law Department permit transfers between divisions?
An attorney with two or more years of service in a division may request a transfer to another division. Transfers are subject to the needs of the Law Department.

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