Civil Action Practice Civil Legal Advocate

Civil Action Practice Civil Legal Advocate

Overview

The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks a passionate advocate with a commitment to public defense to fill a position as a Civil Legal Advocate in our Civil Action Practice.

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 2,200 people obtain concrete benefits like maintaining their jobs, homes, income, property, and rights.

Responsibilities

The Civil Legal Advocate will be a part of a collaborative interdisciplinary defense team of attorneys, social workers and other advocates providing client-centered, holistic representation. They will carry a caseload and respond to referrals from the criminal, family, immigration and civil action practices.

• Interview and correspond with clients to learn about the civil legal problems they’re facing and provide client-centered advocacy and support
• Conduct research and fact investigations into the civil legal problems our clients routinely face to know how to best assist them
• Collaborate with and support attorneys, social workers and other referring advocates in the course of advocacy, litigation and settlement of legal matters for our clients
• Provide information, services, advocacy and representation in various administrative fora and other settings including, but not limited to:
• Advocating for the return of property seized by police and prosecutors to our clients
• Helping clients apply for, access and defend against the denial of public and disability benefits
• Advocating to prevent eviction and homelessness, and enhance access to the shelter system
• Preserving our clients’ rights as it pertains to police misconduct
• Correcting criminal records errors and helping clients gain access to tools for reentry and reintegration
• Assisting with accessing vital records and documents, such as birth certificates and identification cards
• Enter and update client information and advocacy in case management system
• Prepare communications and documents for correspondence with clients, adversaries and agencies
• Assist in developing educational and outreach materials for internal and external audiences
• Support, help plan and participate in staff training, community education and clinics
• Support and participate in pipelines, including intern trainings, supervision and mentorship
• Help identify systemic problems that affect our clients while thinking creatively about strategies and solutions to alleviate and eliminate them
• Support initiatives related to policy, communications, legislation, organizing, and system reform advocacy

Qualifications

To be eligible, candidates must have:

• Minimum of one year of case management/advocacy experience

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Commitment to directly defending people ensnared in criminal, family, civil and immigration legal systems
• 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 the people we represent
• Strong written and verbal advocacy skills
• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique problems
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment 
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
• Spanish fluency (validated objectively) is strongly preferred, but not required

This position is hybrid: 3 days per week in office.

Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 1-5 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be approximately $70,000 to $72,250. 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.

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, non

exempt 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.

Applications will be accepted through September 2, 2026.

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.

Spanish fluency (validated objectively) is strongly preferred, but not required