Family Defense Practice Staff Attorney

Overview

The Bronx Defenders (BxD) is an innovative, progressive public defense office in the South Bronx. We are seeking an experienced attorney dedicated to the representation of parents in family regulation proceedings to fill a position as a Disability Justice Attorney in our Family Defense Practice.

Founded in 1997, BxD 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 and address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement.

Our office now has more than 400 staff members who defend nearly 20,000 New Yorkers facing incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation (among other devastating consequences) in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings each year.

We continue 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 on how to move to a holistic model of representation with current and future public defenders throughout the country.

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

• Zealously represent parents in 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, child attorneys, 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 coverage for cases to ensure that all client needs are being met
• Maintain client case files and data in BxD’s case management system
• Provide mentorship to junior attorneys
• Supervise and train interns and externs
• Conduct internal trainings in conjunction with the FDP Training Department

Qualifications

To be eligible, candidates must have:

• Two years of family defense or related experience
• Graduate of an ABAaccredited law school
• and barred attorney with the ability to practice in New York

Applicants must demonstrate:

• Commitment to directly defending parents charged with abuse and/or neglect in child welfare 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
• Commitment to fierce advocacy, and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of clients
• Strong research, writing and courtroom advocacy skills
• Strong analytical skills and capacity to employ non-legal resources in cases
• 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

Preferred, but not required:

• Spanish language proficiency validated objectively
• Experience working in the family regulation system, in the field of Family Law, or a related field

Applicants not yet admitted in New York, if hired, must:

• Sit for the New York State Bar Examination (if applicable at the time), OR
• Submit the materials necessary for NYS bar admission or admission on motion

This is a hybrid position that will require at least 21 hours/week of in-person work.

• Salary is commensurate with experience.  For candidates with 210 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be
• approximately $89,004

114,577. 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 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.