About the job
About the Agency:
The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is dedicated to fostering quality, affordability, and diversity in the city's housing landscape. Our mission is to ensure that every New Yorker has access to a safe and affordable home in a neighborhood they cherish.
- We prioritize building and resident safety and health.
- We create opportunities for New Yorkers through enhanced housing affordability.
- We actively engage with residents to strengthen and celebrate the diversity of neighborhoods.
Your Team:
The Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services (OENS) spearheads HPD's initiatives to collaborate with various divisions and community partners to identify distressed buildings, evaluate their conditions, and devise effective strategies for improvement. We work closely with responsible property owners to restore their buildings to sound financial and physical health, employing enforcement tools from our various divisions.
The OENS encompasses several divisions, including Data Management & Technology (DMT), Division of Neighborhood Preservation (DNP), Administration & Internal Compliance (AIC), Housing Litigation Division (HLD), Division of Code Enforcement (DCE), Emergency Operations and Enhanced Enforcement Division (EOD), and Division of Emergency Housing Services (EHS).
Your Impact:
The Housing Litigation Division (HLD) is responsible for initiating legal actions against property owners in Housing Court to enforce compliance with the New York City Housing Maintenance Code and New York State Multiple Dwelling Law. HLD seeks to obtain corrective orders for violations, civil penalties, access warrants, and appoints 7-a Administrators while participating in tenant-initiated proceedings.
Your Role:
As an Agency Attorney L-2 within the Lead Unit, under the guidance of the Assistant Commissioner or Supervising Attorney in the Housing Litigation Division, your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
- Representing HPD’s Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services (OENS) in litigation to enforce the NYC Housing Maintenance Code and NYS Multiple Dwelling Law, primarily within the Housing Part of New York City Civil Court and occasionally in NYS Supreme Court.
- Conducting complex negotiations on behalf of the agency.
- Researching and drafting intricate briefs, motions, legal opinions, affidavits, memoranda, and other legal documents for presentation in Housing Court.
- Preparing for and conducting trials, which includes preparing witnesses and collecting documentary evidence.
- Providing legal advice and support to various stakeholders.

