The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, holistic defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an experienced Family Defense Attorney with a commitment to public defense to work as an Appellate Attorney in our Family Defense Practice (FDP).
Founded in 1997, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that has developed a nationally recognized model of representation called holistic defense, which provides people with teams of lawyers, social workers, and advocates to defend them zealously in court as well as to address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement.
Since opening our doors, we have grown into an organization of more than 400 staff members defending nearly 20,000 New Yorkers each year in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings who face incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation, among other devastating consequences.
Today we are reimagining the role of public defense even further, using community organizing and engagement, legislative advocacy, and impact litigation to partner with the communities we represent to bring about long-lasting systemic change.
We also share our model and lessons learned with current and future public defenders. We run two legal clinics at NYC law schools and train public defenders from one end of the country to the next on how to move to a holistic model of representation.
Family Defense Practice
As residents of the most heavily disinvested borough in the city, families in the Bronx experience the highest rates of family policing and parent-child separation. We serve as the primary institutional provider defending parents and caretakers against the painful and unnecessary removals of their children in the Bronx. Together, our attorneys, social workers, and parent advocates provide the legal defense and support necessary to keep families together and interrupt generational cycles of family court involvement.
Responsibilities
Reporting directly to the FDP Legal Director, the Legal Counsel will carry a reduced caseload while collaborating with the Legal Director and FDP leadership to build core legal competencies, mobilize swift legal/tactical responses to emerging challenges, and develop strategy and legal analysis that advance practice innovation. The Legal Counsel will research and analyze legal issues, and prepare memos, motions, model motion templates, briefs, and guidance materials. Legal Counsel will also support attorney training and coaching efforts and serve as a resource to attorneys and staff seeking feedback and guidance.
Legal Counsel
Support the Legal Director and FDP leadership to identify and define core legal competencies for the practice, and build tools that operationalize those competencies (e.g., checklists, templates, guides)
Mobilize, draft rapid-response practice guides for, and coordinate rapid legal/tactical responses to emerging challenges and urgent matters
Develop strategy and deliver rigorous legal analysis that advances practice innovation
Research and analyze statutes, case law, regulations, and court rules to inform litigation and advocacy
Draft clear, well-supported legal memoranda on complex issues
Prepare motions and model motion templates to standardize high-quality filings
Author trial and appellate briefs as needed
Create concise practice guidance materials for internal use
Support the design and delivery of trainings to build core competencies and advance practice innovation
Provide one-on-one and group coaching
Offer timely feedback and case consultations to attorneys and staff
Collaborate with attorneys in our Criminal Defense, Immigration and Civil Action practices as a part of our holistic, interdisciplinary legal defense model
Collaborate with FDP and Appeals team to develop legal issues for appeals and participate in development and drafting of amicus briefs in relevant cases
Monitor legal decisions and developments in the New York courts relevant to our practice
Maintain and keep up-to-date the FDP library of memos, motions, and practice guides
Maintain structured datasets and trackers on legal issues and practice systems
Direct Representation
Zealously represent parents in ACS investigations and child protective proceedings in Bronx Family Court and any concurrent matters including custody, visitation, and termination of parental rights cases
Litigate legal matters in abuse and neglect proceedings in hearings and trials in family court – orally and in writing
Effectively communicate and negotiate with judges, caseworkers, attorneys for the child(ren), and representatives of the Administration for Children’s Services on behalf of parents
Assist parents in accessing appropriate resources and services to restore full parental rights
Collaborate with social workers and parent advocates in the Family Defense Practice, as well as attorneys and advocates in the criminal defense, civil action and immigration practice on enmeshed issues that arise in other venues
Collaborate to provide co-counseling and coverage for cases to ensure that all client needs are met
Maintain client case files and data in BxD’s case management system
Provide mentorship to junior attorneys and co-counsel support
Supervise and train interns and externs
Participate in hiring and recruitment as requested