Nonprofit
Published 10/1/25 3:24PM

Homicide Practice Group Mitigation Specialist

On-site, Work must be performed in or near Bronx, NY
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  • Details

    Job Type:
    Full Time
    Application Deadline:
    October 29, 2025
    Education:
    Master's Degree Required
    Experience Level:
    Mid-level
    Salary:
    USD $94,004 - $114,015 / year
    Cause Areas:
    Children & Youth, Family, Immigrants or Refugees, Legal Assistance, Policy

    Description

    Overview

    The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an experienced candidate to join us as a Mitigation Specialist in our Homicide Practice Group.

    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.

    The Criminal Defense Practice

    The Bronx is one of the most aggressively policed boroughs in New York City. As a result, we represent thousands of people each year, nearly 40% of whom are charged with low-level offenses such as shoplifting, traffic offenses, and drug possession. As part of our holistic approach, we spend time getting to know the people we represent and gaining a deeper understanding of their lives and needs. With that understanding, we advocate for people by thoroughly investigating their cases, raising novel legal arguments, using creative tools of persuasion and storytelling, and addressing needs that go beyond the scope of their cases.

    Homicide Practice Group

    The Homicide Practice Group (HPG) is made up of a team of experienced criminal defense attorneys, social workers, mitigation specialists, and investigators who specialize in homicide cases. Homicide investigators participate in client interviewing, form relationships with the family and friends of our clients, collaborate in collecting evidence for mitigation reports that advocate for reduced sentencing, and collaborate with attorneys to discuss how their investigation informs case theory and strategy.

    Responsibilities

    The Mitigation Specialist works as an integral member of the interdisciplinary defense team in the homicide practice group and sits within both the Criminal Defense Practice and the broader Social Work Practice. In close collaboration with attorneys and investigators, the Mitigation Specialist develops and implements the mitigation strategy throughout the life of the case and maintains relationships with the people we represent, providing support as they navigate the enormity of facing life sentences.

    The Mitigation Specialist conducts extensive interviews with the people we represent, with their loved ones, and with other community members; requests and digests client records including medical, educational, and institutional records; and compiles the mitigation information gathered into various forms for presentation to prosecutors and judges including by writing lengthy mitigation memorandum. The Mitigation Specialist also consults with other members of the legal team regarding retention of behavioral health experts and the use of psychiatric defenses and connects the people we represent to services while incarcerated or in the community as relevant. This role involves frequent visits to incarcerated people in NYC jail facilities and extensive written work.

    Responsibilities of the HPG Mitigation Specialist include:

    • Partner with attorneys, investigators and legal administrators to advocate for adults, and at times adolescents, charged with homicide and other serious felony offenses
    • Collaborate closely on all aspects of case preparation including development of case strategy and mitigation theory throughout bail application, plea negotiation, trial, and sentencing phases of a case
    • Create and implement mitigation plans, in consultation with the rest of the legal team
    • Gather extensive mitigation information through social history interviews with the people we represent, collateral interviews with their loved ones and community members, as well as through diligent record request, review and digestion and through social science research
    • Organize mitigation information using core documents and identify working mitigation theory and themes
    • Present mitigation information in various formats including persuasive written mitigation reports and oral advocacy
    • Assess the behavioral health status and cognitive functioning of the people we represent, including their competency to stand trial and eligibility for Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) pleas, and share this information with the rest of the legal team
    • Prepare the people we represent for evaluation by external behavioral health experts and liaise with external experts as necessary to obtain evaluations for use in pre-pleading mitigation and/or at trial and sentencing
    • Advocate for the people we represent in court and in related appearances with prosecutors and judges
    • In close consultation with attorneys, support the people we represent through difficult decision-making and trial
    • Provide crisis intervention as needed, including working with clients experiencing suicidal ideation
    • Maintain consistent contact with the people we represent, including regular visits to NYC jail facilities, and provide support and advocacy for connection to medical care, mental health services, and jail-based programming
    • Cultivate relationships with community programs, as well as providers in jail facilities, to increase access to care and support for the people we represent
    • Connect the people we represent with ATD or ATI programming when relevant, support them throughout the pendency of court-mandated programming, and advocate with providers as needed
    • Build and maintain relationships with family members of the people we represent and loved ones to engage the support of their communities
    • Participate in regularly held HPG meetings, as well as Social Work Practice meetings, including co-presenting on cases or current trends in the work and providing feedback to colleagues on their case presentations
    • Maintain current and thorough case records and client files in Bronx Defenders’ informational case management system 

    Qualifications

    To be eligible, candidates must have:

    • A post-graduate degree in a relevant field (e.g. Master of Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Journalism, JD)
    • Experience recognizing signs of mental health conditions, trauma responses, and intellectual or cognitive disabilities and effectively engaging with individuals who are actively experiencing these symptoms, and
    • At least three years of experience working with systems-impacted people, investigating and documenting social histories

    Candidates must demonstrate:

    • Deep commitment to holistic public defense, racial justice, and advocacy for individuals impacted by carceral systems
    • Experience working with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically marginalized communities targeted by carceral systems
    • Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to engage respectfully and effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and identities
    • Experience interviewing and engaging individuals with serious mental health conditions, cognitive impairments, and/or significant trauma histories
    • Ability to conduct crisis intervention, including conducting suicidality assessments, and provide grounded, trauma-informed support during moments of distress
    • Ability to independently map out and implement mitigation plans, manage competing deadlines, and follow through on complex work plans with minimal oversight
    • Ability to collaborate effectively with attorneys, non-attorneys, and expert evaluators in fields such as mental health, substance use, domestic violence, and family systems
    • Strong written advocacy skills, including the ability to identify and develop compelling mitigation theory tailored to each client’s circumstances; draft and edit mitigation and sentencing memoranda; and incorporate feedback from attorneys and other team members to refine content, ensure strategic alignment, and enhance the overall impact of written work
    • Capacity to integrate non-legal resources into legal strategies to support client advocacy
    • Ability to assess clients and develop individualized, client-centered and case-supporting release, treatment, or other ATD and ATI program plans
    • Ability to exercise sound professional judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
    • Openness to constructive feedback, demonstrated introspection, and ability to adjust behaviors accordingly
    • Effective time management, organization, and problem-solving skills in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
    • Ability to work independently and collaboratively, maintaining focus and flexibility under pressure
    • Creative and critical thinking skills, with the ability to find innovative solutions to complex challenges
    • Meticulous attention to detail across all aspects of work
    • Spanish fluency (validated objectively) is preferred but not required
    • Youth work experience is preferred but not required

    This position requires 5 days per week in-person. 

    • Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 310 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be

    approximately $94,004 - $114,015. 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; a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy.

    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 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.

    To apply, please click APPLY TO THIS JOB ONLINE and upload your resume and cover letter in one document. Your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience and should include all relevant professional experience. Applications without a written cover letter will not be considered.

    The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is cultivating an anti-oppressive 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 work with.

    Location

    On-site
    360 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, United States

    How to Apply

    To apply, please click APPLY TO THIS JOB ONLINE and upload your resume and cover letter in one document. Your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience and should include all relevant professional experience. Applications without a written cover letter will not be considered.  

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