Family Defense Practice Court Liaison

Overview

The Bronx Defenders (BXD) - an innovative, progressive, holistic defense office in the South Bronx- seeks a thoughtful, creative, and energetic individual to fill a position as a Family Defense Practice Court Liaison.

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 Legal Administrative Manager of the Family Defense Practice, the FDP Court Liaison will manage the court office and be responsible for providing information and support to the parents represented by our office.

Support the People We Represent Navigating Bronx Family Court

• Greet and assist parents in navigating the courthouse
• Notify lawyers and advocates when the people they represent have arrived
• Explain the intake process to parents arriving for their first appearance at Bronx Family Court
• Address the non-legal concerns of parents and help answer any questions they may have about family court
• Connect parents to support and resources at The Bronx Defenders
• Provide translation services/coordinate with court translators
• Provide notary services to the people we represent, attorneys and advocates

Liaise between The Bronx Defenders and Bronx Family Court

• Respond to inquiries by the Court regarding the whereabouts of Bronx Defenders attorneys
• Manage case coverage for emergencies and attorneys who are double booked
• Manage the intake process by ensuring that intake attorneys know about new petitions

Manage Intake and Information Management

• Communicate with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) and our intake team regarding the number of petitions and parents expected to come to court
• Check for potential representation issues by running the names and dates of birth of potential new clients in our case management system and notifying the intake supervisor when any potential conflicts arise
• Electronically open new cases in our case management system, PIKA
• Ensure that all new cases for the month are entered in a timely fashion so that monthly reports can be submitted on time
• Create Discovery and Demand Motions
• Create affidavits of service for discovery and demand motions served on adversaries
• Enter all ancillary petitions including visitation, custody, and termination of parental rights in our case management system

Provide Administrative Support

• Answer the office phone
• Ensure that the office is furnished with office supplies

Qualifications

To be eligible, candidates must have:

1. Two years of relevant experience
2. Fluency or high-level proficiency in Spanish, validated objectively

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Commitment to supporting the work of advocates who defend parents in abuse and neglect proceedings
• Experience working in and with racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized communities 
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences 
• Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment 
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles
• Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters

Approximately 70% of The Bronx Defenders' staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO). This position is within the bargaining unit.

• This position is non

exempt. By law, nonexempt employees are compensated hourly based on their annual rate and therefore are entitled to over-time, whereas exempt employees are not.

Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 2-5 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be approximately $69,250 - $71,500. Full-time employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; and a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy.

To apply, please click APPLY TO THIS JOB ONLINE and upload your resume and a cover letter in one document. Your cover letter should share why you want to do this work at our office as well as some key lived and/or professional experiences that have prepared you for this position. If selected for the position, your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience listed; you should therefore include all relevant professional experience on your resume. Please note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a workplace that embraces staff with a diversity of backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We acknowledge the ways in which systemic oppression and injustice can undermine access to professional opportunities and are committed to conducting hiring and promotion processes that are equitable and accessible to those commonly excluded from the workforce. We do not discriminate against and in fact specifically encourage applicants from marginalized communities to apply, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled, neurodivergent, and those directly impacted by criminal, civil, family, and immigration legal systems. We value lived as well as professional experience and particularly welcome applications from the Bronx community that we serve.

Fluency or high-level proficiency in Spanish, validated objectively