Civil Action Practice Paralegal

The Bronx Defenders (BxD)—an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx—seeks someone with a commitment to public defense to serve as a paralegal in the Civil Action Practice (CAP). 
 
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.   
 
Civil Action Practice 
 
A sweeping array of civil punishments are triggered the moment someone faces arrest, deportation, or family separation. The people we represent risk losing their jobs, homes, income, property, and basic civil rights – struggles that can be more devastating and long-lasting than the charges themselves. Last year, we helped 4000 people obtain concrete benefits like maintaining their jobs, homes, income, property, and rights.   
 
Housing Justice & the Right to Counsel   
   
Recognizing the challenges to accessing affordable, quality and safe housing in New York City, The Bronx Defenders has a team exclusively dedicated to providing tenants at risk of losing their homes with defense attorneys for their Housing Court cases. Our Right to Counsel Housing Team was developed in response to the 2017 New York City Right-to-Counsel initiative, which provides tenants facing eviction in Housing Court, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) administrative proceedings and other civil fora with access to free legal representation. The Bronx Defenders is part of the NYC Right to Counsel Coalition.  
   
Our team works with civil social workers and benefits specialists to supplement their legal defenses and provide additional services, support and resources. We’re committed to a Housing First perspective–an approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to unhoused people quickly and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. As a provider of the Right to Counsel in the Bronx, we regularly staff in court intake where people appear to challenge evictions.  
   
Responsibilities  
   
The CAP Paralegal will be an integral part of CAP’s work and The Bronx Defenders. Reporting to the Managing Director of Administration, the CAP Paralegal will support attorneys and advocates across the practice, in the Housing RTC Team, civil holistic, benefits and social work teams by coordinating and executing administrative tasks to facilitate and support the services we provide.    
 
Client, Case, and Staff Support  
   
Open, close, associate, and transfer cases in the case management system   
Organize and maintain client case files in compliance with grant requirements  
Create and organize client folders in SharePoint; scan and upload documents; ensure folders are updated, named consistently, and tagged with appropriate metadata in accordance with practice-wide document management protocols  
Create and organize physical client files  
Maintain CAP file storage and manage user access to CAP calendars and iBxD systems as needed.  
Maintain the CAP calendar to track key deadlines, court appearances, hearing dates, staff offboarding schedules, and practice-wide meetings  
Close and retrieve archived files  
Perform case conflict checks   
Share inactive case information with staff and supervisors, support staff to maintain current and accurate cases in the case management system  
Support workflow automations for attorney and advocate intake and assignments, including automated client intake forms, folder creation, and notification systems  
Communicate directly with clients about updates on their cases including, but not limited to, court appearances, change of court date, reassignment of counsel, and the closing of cases  
Assist with e-filing of case documents in New York State Courts Electronic Filing (NYSCEF) system  
Assist with in-court motion, pleading and other document filing  
Request and copy court files and case records   
Provide clerical support such as faxing, scanning, and copying documents  
Assist with mailings, including time-sensitive, same day and overnight mail requests  
Provide affidavits of service   
Obtain information using online tools such as the Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) website, Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS), Department of Buildings website, eTrack, CRIMS and webCRIMS  
Order and retrieve court and administrative hearing transcripts  
Request production of incarcerated or detained clients for CAP counsel visits and civil court appearances  
Provide notary services  
Assist with CAP’s hotlines and community intake calls by managing log and opening/entering information/closed cases in case management system   
Provide coverage of other CAP administrative roles as needed  
Cover urgent administrative requests for client needs and time sensitive projects  
Provide CAP with additional services and administrative support, as necessary  
   
Intake  
   
Prepare tracker, materials and equipment for intake  
Assist with client interviews, enter case data, and collect client documents during intake  
Screen prospective clients for eligibility in person and by telephone  
Perform conflict checks  
Help create & mail intake packets  
Create profiles and upload documents for clients  
Assist with retainer documentation  
Open, update, and close cases with requisite data  
Retrieve & copy court files, as requested  
Assist with setting up client appointments with CAP staff including Benefits & Social Work when approved 
   
 Appeals  
   
Mail notices  
File Notices of entry & notices of appeal  
Assist with assembly and filing of briefs and/or follow ups with publisher/printer