The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice is seeking a Supervising Attorney for its Decarceration Project. The Decarceration Project is a first-of-its-kind unit that reimagines how public defenders confront pretrial detention. Through strategic litigation, policy advocacy, and early intervention, the Decarceration Project fights to ensure as many of our clients return to their communities after arrest as possible.
Attorneys in the Decarceration Project are Legal Aid’s in-house experts on bail and pretrial detention. They directly litigate pretrial detention matters with the potential for broader systemic impact, while also providing complex release advocacy and strategic support, drafting model papers and guides to enhance the practice of trial attorneys, and monitoring pretrial detention trends to inform broader policy and systemic litigation priorities.
The Supervising Attorney will work closely with and report to the Director of the Decarceration Project. The Supervising Attorney will help implement Decarceration’s citywide litigation and policy agenda. The Supervising Attorney will also offer supervision to other attorneys, paralegals, legal interns, and social workers in the unit; initiate new litigation strategies; and collaborate with public defenders and specialized attorneys across Legal Aid to identify and address systemic legal issues affecting pretrial detention; support policy advocacy through expert analysis and coalition building; and act as a representative of the Legal Aid Society in coalitions and with external stakeholders.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Supervision and Litigation Development
- Provide proactive, compassionate line management to staff attorneys, paralegals, interns, and social work staff within the Decarceration Project.
- Working closely with the Director of the Decarceration Project, direct and implement the strategy of the Project and provide leadership within the team.
- Identify opportunities for new litigation strategies
- Assist with the training and development of new Decarceration staff
Implement Decarceration’s Advocacy and Policy Priorities
- Support policy reform at the city and state levels, working closely with the Director of the Decarceration Project and the Policy Unit.
- Represent the Legal Aid Society in coalitions and develop and maintain relationships with coalition and other external partners
Professional Development and other duties as assigned
- Participate in continuous professional development
- Continuously learn about forms of bias in the workplace and demonstrate affirmative behaviors that support an inclusive work environment
- Other duties as assigned
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
Required qualifications:
- Admission to the New York State Bar
- Minimum 7 years legal experience, including at least 4 years in felony trial level defense
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience in policy development, coalition work, and legislative advocacy is preferred
- Prior supervisory experience is preferred but not required
- Litigation experience implicating constitutional or civil rights issues preferred
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
Position Based Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Comprehensive understanding of New York’s bail statute and the constitutional law pertaining to pre-trial detention
- Experience with and passion for litigating issues involving pretrial detention
- Recognition of the various institutional and societal barriers to pretrial release
- Excellent written and oral advocacy skills
- Enthusiasm for innovative approaches to release advocacy and the ongoing growth and development of the project
- Familiarity with habeas law
Organizational Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Unwavering commitment to the Decarceration Project’s abolitionist mission to end pretrial detention
- Interpersonal and communication skills that enable healthy and productive working relationships
- Ability to perform duties with the highest regard for confidentiality, integrity, and respect
- Commitment to Legal Aid Society’s mission and values
Physical, environment, travel, and other duties required:
- Mostly sedentary, significant time using a computer and monitor; communicating and meeting using video
- Hybrid position; requires travel for court appearances and in-person client/family meetings
- Other duties as required
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.
- Cover Letter
- Resume
SALARY TRANSPARENCY
The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.
Salary Range/ Salary: $99,444 – $163,507
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if an offer is made.
Click here to read more about the benefits of working at The Legal Aid Society
HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOAN FORGIVENESS
The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs.
Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.
hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
WORK AUTHORIZATION
All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.
As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.