On #GivingTuesday, help us reach our $10,000 match goal!

November 29, 2016 is #GivingTuesday, a holiday that kicks off the giving season using the power of social media! After an eventful year, what a welcome holiday. It's time to use our newsfeeds to spread some cheer!

An anonymous donor is challenging our community to raise $10,000 on #GivingTuesday. If and only if we reach that goal on November 29, they'll make a $10,000 gift as well. 

Here's how to take part in the growing #GivingTuesday tradition and help us raise $20,000! 

LEARN. Take a look at our year-end campaign and video.  
GIVE. Any amount is appreciated and will get us closer to our goal*!
SHARE. Post our campaign on social media, telling friends about why you support Open Hands and inviting them to join you. Tag Open Hands on Facebook and Twitter and use the hashtags #WhyIGive and #GivingTuesday.
CELEBRATE. Watch your joy and generosity become contagious!

Thank you and happy #GivingTuesday!
* If giving by check, let us know at info@openhandslegalservices.org so we can count your gift toward the match.

We're looking for a volunteer photographer!

We're recruiting a professional photographer to capture portraits of ~15 volunteer attorneys who serve at our mobile legal aid desks throughout NYC and ~15 clients whose lives have been impacted by that service. S/he will help craft an uplifting visual story about the mutual transformation of volunteer attorneys and clients through service and relationship. We anticipate 3-4 shoots throughout October 2016 (see proposed dates below) and approximately 10 hours of editing. Deliverables are due November 4, 2016.

About OHLS

OHLS was founded in 2009 by a group of Christian attorneys who felt God calling them to use their legal skills to serve the city. Recognizing that many problems faced by the poor and the oppressed could be solved by an attorney, the group began going to an East Village soup kitchen to provide legal services.

Since then, we’ve grown dramatically in response to high demand from other soup kitchens and shelters across the city. Currently, we serve approximately 500 low-income New Yorkers annually at eight partner locations throughout the city, including the Bowery Mission, NYC Rescue Mission, and the Father’s Heart. Using the law, OHLS can help the homeless obtain housing, the unemployed obtain a fair chance to work, re-entering citizens to move beyond crippling debt, and more.

We’ve trained hundreds of practicing attorneys in basic poverty law so they can serve the city with their legal skills. Following the model of our founders, we do not wait for clients to find us, but we go directly to where we’re needed the most. You can find our dedicated volunteers out in bad weather, sitting under train overpasses and chatting with homeless people right where they live.

Our goal is that our 2016 year-end campaign, our second visual campaign, will encourage people in our community and remind them that despite the division, injustice and brokenness in the 2016 news cycles, there are still compassionate people laboring away to deliver justice to those in need. A gifted professional photographer/storyteller is essential.

Deliverables

• A photographer who will work with OHLS over 3-4 days to shoot a series of volunteer and client portraits in and around our office in East Harlem (date TBD), the Father’s Heart in East Village on October 8, the Relief Bus in East Harlem on September 17 or October 15, and/or at all Angels’ Church on the Upper West Side on October 18.
• A set of professionally edited, high-resolution images delivered in JPEG or TIFF format.

Process

• Distribution of Prep Materials
• Director of Development & Communications provides background on and goals for the photos (intended usage & number of photos needed).
• Director of Development & Communications and Volunteer agree upon a work plan including: shoot location, dates, length of shoot and materials needed.
• Photo Shoots in October 2016: Volunteer directs photo shoots on agreed upon dates and times.
• Editing: Volunteer edits and color corrects the photos.
• Presentation of Deliverables by November 4: Volunteer delivers high-resolution images.

If interested, please contact Fay Sardjono, Director of Development & Communications, at fay@openhandslegalservices.org. 

Join our Young Professionals Network!

We're recruiting young supporters to join our Young Professionals Network (YPN)! If you want to gain substantive non-profit leadership experience, enjoy networking and socializing for a good cause, and have a desire to direct your peers’ attention to those in need, consider joining the YPN!

Join us on September 21 to meet past and current YPN members, learn how important the YPN is to Open Hands' mission, and find out what the YPN does throughout the year. We'll also answer any other questions you may have. 

Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Playwright Irish Pub
27 West 35th Street, New York, NY
7:00 - 9:00 PM

RSVP

Click here for the application, due Friday, September 30

PLEASE SHARE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND EVENT WITH FRIENDS!

Leadership Announcement

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the Open Hands Legal Services Board of Directors, I am delighted to introduce Kathleen Slocum as Open Hands’ new Executive Director.

Kathleen’s personal, professional and spiritual experiences reveal that God has been preparing Kathleen to take the helm at Open Hands for many years. She has over 15 years of legal experience, ranging from corporate finance to representation of immigrant victims of domestic violence. She is a co-founder of Restore NYC, a faith-based organization dedicated to serving human trafficking victims, and brings a valuable combination of policy, fundraising, and management experience to Open Hands.

Kathleen acts and speaks out against injustice. She serves the people that society ignores. Of her new role, Kathleen says that she is “[h]onored to be a part of Open Hands Legal Services, which following the model of Christ, meets people where they are, advocates on behalf of them to correct injustice, and restores them to the flourishing individual God intended them to be."

Our Board of Directors recently adopted an aggressive and exciting strategic plan for the organization. We believe that growing and deepening Open Hands’ services is imperative to best serve the thousands of low-income New Yorkers that daily face the justice system alone. We are confident that under Kathleen’s leadership, we will move steadfastly towards our vision of “all lives transformed by the power of justice and hope.”

We are deeply grateful to C.J. Masimore for her leadership as Open Hands’ Executive Director over the past five years. During her tenure, our services to low-income New Yorkers have significantly expanded in breadth as well as in depth. C.J. has been instrumental in helping to guide the strategic vision of the organization, and has led with boldness, compassion, and humility. C.J. will assist in Kathleen’s transition through August 2016. We wish C.J. and her family all the best as they prepare to move to London.

Thank you for your friendship and support of this work that the Lord has given to us. We are grateful for His provision, and humbly request your continued prayers for Open Hands, our clients, staff, and volunteers.

Sincerely,
Karen Wu
Chair, Board of Directors

Positions available!

We're growing! Please take a look at the positions we have available and share with friends.

PARALEGAL JOB DESCRIPTION

Open Hands Legal Services seeks a paralegal to support Open Hands attorneys and staff. Our vision is the transformation of all lives through the power of justice and hope. Our mission is to uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed in New York City. We bring free legal services directly to community members at host non-profit organizations throughout the city and break down the legal barriers to their success, enabling individuals to flourish and embody the full persons they are intended to be. More information about us is available at www.openhandslegalservices.org.

Responsibilities

The paralegal will work closely with Open Hands’ staff in the office and at mobile legal aid desks at soup kitchens and shelters across New York City. Legal aid desk assistance involves setting up and breaking down, maintaining supplies, coordinating operation of the Legal Aid Desk, and conducting initial screening of applicants. Other responsibilities include: processing preliminary case information into the case management system; serving as a liaison between attorneys and clients; handling client correspondence; obtaining court files and other documents; maintaining case files; preparing and assembling court papers; conducting client interviews; making field visits and other duties as assigned. The paralegal may also draft legal memoranda, assist with case preparation, prepare written reports and memoranda, serve subpoenas and other legal documents.  

The ideal candidate possesses an entrepreneurial and sacrificial spirit, a deep love for our clients and a demonstrated commitment to Open Hands’ mission and values. S/he is a self-starter and responds well to quickly changing demands with flexibility. The ability to handle a high volume of cases and take initiative is critical to this position.  

Qualifications

•    Mature Christian faith as defined by the Apostles’ Creed
•    Strong writing, verbal, organizational and computer skills
•    Proven ability to solve problems independently and creatively
•    Strong interpersonal and advocacy skills
•    Strong written and oral communication skills
•    Demonstrated ability to interact with diverse populations in a sensitive and professional manner
•    Strong entrepreneurial spirit combined with sacrificial service to our clients and team
•    A second language – especially Spanish, Cantonese or Mandarin – is strongly preferred

Terms

•    This a full-time position which requires Saturday morning and weeknight meetings throughout New York City.
•    Salary commensurate with experience

How to apply

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to recruiting@openhandslegalservices.org with “Paralegal” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and must be received by February 26, 2016.

LAW STUDENT INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Open Hands Legal Services offers law student internships throughout the year. Our vision is the transformation of all lives through the power of justice and hope. Our mission is to uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed in New York City. We bring free legal services directly to community members at host non-profit organizations throughout the city and break down the legal barriers to their success, enabling individuals to flourish and embody the full persons they are intended to be. More information about us is available at www.openhandslegalservices.org.

Position description  

The intern will work with Open Hands to provide Christ-centered, holistic legal services to low-income New Yorkers. The intern will conduct legal research, regular client intake and, under attorney supervision, will provide clients with legal advice in areas relating to landlord-tenant law, consumer law, family law, and re-entry, among other things.

Qualifications

The applicant should either be enrolled in law school or have already graduated. S/he must have an interest in social justice and legal issues, and serving low-income New Yorkers in a fast-pasted and energetic start-up environment. S/he should have excellent written, oral and interpersonal skills and be responsible, flexible and hard-working.

Terms
•    Interns are expected to work a minimum of 10 hours per week (Tuesday, Wednesday and/or Thursday) over a 10 to 12-week internship period. 

•    Open Hands' internship program provides students with a rich learning experience, but does not provide monetary compensation.

How to apply

To apply, please submit a resume and letter of interest (no longer than one page) to recruiting@openhandslegalservices.org. Please write “Open Hands Law Student Intern Application” in the subject line of the e-mail. For spring and summer 2016, one position is available. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.