Legal Affairs
Collections Attorney
$92,525 to $121,000 a year
Posted until September 30, 2026 · posted September 1, 2026
Requirements
Other requirements
Exam
Non-competitive title
A job title where a competitive exam is not practical, so the agency checks that your qualifications meet the standard instead. You apply directly. On our job pages this shows as "No exam for this title".
From ≈ $44.48 an hour · $3,559 every 2 weeks, before taxes (40-hour weeks).
NYC minimum wage is $17/hr. This beats it by $27.48/hr, with health insurance and a pension on top.
What you'd have made
$3,546 If you'd started this job 2 weeks ago, at this pay, before taxes.
An hour of this job pays for about 14.8 subway rides ($3 fare).
Price anything in hours of this job
Overtime added $2,622 on average that year, and it isn't guaranteed. 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
- Admission to the New York State Bar; and either "2" or "3" below.
- One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar; or
- Six months of satisfactory service as an Agency Attorney Interne (30086).
Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.
In addition to meeting the minimum Qualification Requirements:
To be assigned to Assignment Level (AL) II, candidates must have one year of experience at Assignment Level I or two years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment.
Read the rest of the requirements
To be assigned to AL III candidates must have two years of experience in Assignment Levels I and/or II or three years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment.
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.
NYC Department of Finance (DOF) is responsible for administering the tax revenue laws of the city fairly, efficiently, and transparently to instill public confidence and encourage compliance while providing exceptional customer service.
Read the rest, from the posting
DOF’s Legal Affairs Division serves as the in-house legal department for DOF, providing professional and comprehensive legal advice and services supporting a full range of city tax and other revenue-related matters.
Legal Affairs Division attorneys and staff handle various legal issues, including real property taxes and exemptions, business income and excise taxes, collections, parking violations, treasury, land registry, Conciliation Bureau conferences, FOIL, and employment law.
Legal Affairs’ Collections Law Unit supports the agency’s collections efforts, handling the collection of tax warrants, bankruptcy issues, collections related legal matters, and violations and other debt collected by the agency.
The Collections Law Unit is seeking an experienced collections attorney to join its team and represent DOF in a broad range of debt collection matters.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Collections Law, the selected candidate ‘s duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following:
- Perform legal research and draft memorandum, legal documents and other written analyses related to complicated, important or high value debt collection matters. Provide legal advice and counsel to DOF’s Collections Division and other agency-operating divisions and prepare legal responses to inquiries as needed.
- Research and review debt for collections.
- Advice on bankruptcy issues. Work collaboratively with the Law Department and DOF operating divisions to resolve bankruptcy and collections matters.
- Prepare, review and/or sign legal collection and enforcement documents, including executions and restraining notices.
- Reviewing offers using compromise applications, addressing inquiries and matters from outside collections firms.
- Handle mortgage foreclosure matters and submits surplus money claims in court.
- Provide legal counsel and support on issues concerning Public Improvement Liens, bonds and levy issues.
- Collect debt, including ECB and tax warrant debt, and provide legal services in support of debt collections efforts.
- Prepare required legal documents and advise the Sheriff’s Office on executions, restraining notices, information subpoenas and other documents as needed.
- Draft, analyze and review legislation, policies, regulations, statutes as well as agency forms and guidance. Work with staff in the Collections Division on collections projects and matters.
- Handle general legal matters and special assignments including representing the agency in court and administrative proceedings as needed.
- Research and draft legal responses to claims or actions filed against the agency as needed.
- Working with the Director and other attorneys as needed, provide legal counsel to the agency’s operational staff. Assignments may include CPLR related legal matters, collections issues, judgment and docketing, ECB and other City related debt and other matters as needed.
Additional Information:
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.
This position may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program agreed between the City and the Collective Bargaining Unit representing employees serving in the civil service title.
Skills they'd like
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Strong legal research skills, and experience handling detailed and complex matters.
- Experience with legal collections and bankruptcy is a plus.
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.
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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