Legal Affairs
Assistant Corporation Counsel - Appeals
$87,737 to $188,235 a year
Posted until October 30, 2026 · posted August 31, 2026
Requirements
Other requirements
Exam
Exempt title
A job, usually working closely with an agency head, where the agency sets the qualifications and picks who it hires. No civil service exam.
From ≈ $42.18 an hour · $3,375 every 2 weeks, before taxes (40-hour weeks).
NYC minimum wage is $17/hr. This beats it by $25.18/hr, with health insurance and a pension on top.
What you'd have made
$3,363 If you'd started this job 2 weeks ago, at this pay, before taxes.
An hour of this job pays for about 14 subway rides ($3 fare).
Price anything in hours of this job
Base salary of active employees paid a yearly rate, fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025). Source: NYC's payroll data
Check yourself
What they actually ask for.
Other requirements: read them on the posting
The Appeals Division is dedicated to providing outstanding appellate advocacy on behalf of the City. Accordingly, the Division seeks exceptional candidates committed to public service and capable of tackling challenging legal work. Applicants must demonstrate excellent writing, research, and analytical skills.
Candidates must have graduated from an ABA accredited law school and be members in good standing of the New York State Bar or be in the process of admission.
Quoted word for word from the official posting. The label above is ours, read from this text; if they disagree, this text wins.
The work
What the job is.
-
Some remote work
“Work From Home Options Following orientation, attorneys may elect to participate in one of two remote work programs:”
Read from the posting. Tap one to see the line it came from.
The New York City Law Department is seeking applicants for the position of Assistant Corporation Counsel in its Appeals Division. The Appeals Division litigates appeals arising from nearly all of the Law Department’s practice areas and prepares amicus briefs in matters affecting the City’s interests.
Read the rest, from the posting
Attorneys in the Division practice before both federal and state appellate courts, briefing and arguing a broad range of cases-from routine municipal matters involving a city of more than eight million residents to complex appeals presenting cutting edge legal issues and significant questions of public policy.
The Division’s extensive docket provides attorneys with a unique vantage point into the workings of City government and the opportunity to engage in high level appellate practice that shapes legal developments impacting the City.
Working both independently and collaboratively with supervisors, trial attorneys, client agencies, and executive staff, attorneys in the Division handle a substantial number of appeals each year.
Salary Information The Law Department sets salaries for new attorneys based on their post law school legal experience, which typically aligns with their law school graduation year.
For 0–5 years of legal experience:
$ 87,737-$122,300
For 5-10 years of legal experience:
$122,300-$137,188 For 10-15 years of legal experience:
$137,188-$159,521 For 15-20 years of legal experience:
$159,521-$180,791
For 20+ years of legal experience:
$180,791-$188, 235
Candidates with highly specialized experience may qualify for salaries slightly above these ranges when a role requires such expertise or the position is considered hard to fill.
Work From Home Options Following orientation, attorneys may elect to participate in one of two remote work programs:
- Flexible Remote Work: Allows limited, irregular work from home days.
- Citywide Pilot Program: Allows attorneys to work remotely on two set days per week, subject to Division approval and staffing needs. Participants must maintain a single designated remote work location, and in person obligations take precedence over scheduled remote days. This pilot is currently being tested across City agencies and is not yet permanent.
To apply, click the Apply Now button. Upload your cover letter and resume together as one document under "cover letter."
Upload your writing sample and a list of three professional references (with contact information) together as one document under "resume."
Skills they'd like
Prior appellate experience, whether through legal practice or an appellate clerkship, is preferred but not required.
Before you apply
The fine print.
Where you have to live
NYC residency not required
New York City Residency is not required for this position
How to apply, from the posting
To apply, click the Apply Now button.
Upload your cover letter and résumé together as one document under "cover letter."
Upload your writing sample and a list of three professional references (with contact information) together as one document under "resume."
Sources
Straight from the city.
Updated every day from the city's job data (last city update September 21, 2026). You apply through the official posting.
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