Administrative Assistant, Padilla Team, Criminal Defense Practice

Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) is seeking an Administrative Assistant to join our Padilla Team in the Criminal Defense Practice.

BDS is a public defense office representing low-income New Yorkers in criminal, family, immigration, and civil legal matters. For nearly 30 years, BDS has worked, in and out of court, to protect and uphold the rights of individuals and to change laws and systems that perpetuate injustice and inequality. Our work with clients is focused on the intersections of these legal systems that disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities living in poverty.

BDS represents thousands of people each year who have diverse, complex, and multi-faceted legal needs. In addition to a zealous legal defense, our interdisciplinary teams of attorneys, social workers and advocates provide a wide range of legal and advocacy services, including for housing, public benefits, education, and employment. BDS staff work collaboratively and across disciplines to deliver high-quality legal services that serve the people we represent, their families and communities.

Named after the landmark Supreme Court decision, Padilla v. Kentucky, BDS’s Padilla Team specializes in the intersection of criminal and immigration law. The Padilla attorneys are embedded within the Criminal Defense Practice and advise criminal defense colleagues and clients on the immigration law consequences of criminal cases. BDS’s Padilla Team collaborates with BDS’s Immigration Practice, which represents people in detained and non-detained removal proceedings as well as complex applications before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Under the direct supervision of the Director of Administrative Support, the Administrative Assistant provides a wide range of administrative support to keep the Padilla team in the best position to advise clients of immigration consequences, maintain family unity and obtain lawful immigration status in the U.S.

Responsibilities:

• Open, update, and close cases, and maintain data quality, in Salesforce-based case management system.
• Review and assign incoming case referrals, identifying and prioritized urgent issues.
• Generate individual and practice wide reports, such as pending caseloads, intake and referral trends, and disposition and outcome information.
• Ensure digital document storage locations are correctly synced with individual cases.
• Organize paper and digital files. Prepare closed files for off-site storage.
• Answer phone calls and other communications.
• Schedule meetings and appointments. Maintain the team calendar, including on-call assignments and intake schedules.
• Communicate with staff about case assignments, schedules, etc.
• Sort and scan incoming mail, including time-sensitive documents from courts, clients, and immigration agencies. Send out mail.
• Compile, copy, scan, and mail or deliver legal submissions prepared by the attorney or paralegal.
• Submit records requests to state and federal courts and agencies, including through the Freedom of Information Act. Request records from hospitals and other entities.
• Pick up documents in person from local courts and other agencies.
• Participate in team meetings, presentations, and trainings.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• At least two (2) years of administrative or related experience, preferably in a legal environment or in an organization serving immigrant communities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel) and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Experience with case management systems and cloud-based document storage; familiarity with Salesforce-based platforms preferred. Strong organizational skills, with ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively prioritize and manage competing tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team and interdisciplinary environment to support client and case goals.
• Fluency or high proficiency in Spanish preferred. Fluency or high proficiency in additional languages including Haitian Creole, Russian, Mandarin, or Cantonese is a plus.

Position Information

This is a non-exempt, salaried position in the collective bargaining unit. The normal schedule is Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. The position is based at BDS’s offices, and the courts located in Downtown Brooklyn.

BDS determines salary on a pay scale based on education and experience. For this position there is a base salary range of $59,113 - $65,863 depending on the applicant’s education and experience. BDS offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance and a 403(b) retirement plan. In order to support work/life balance and family-friendly policies, BDS has generous vacation, sick, holiday, family, and medical leave policies.

Application Instructions

Click HERE to submit a cover letter and resume on our online application portal. Please submit your application by August 22, 2025.

Brooklyn Defender Services is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to celebrating diversity and maintaining an equitable and inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, expressions, orientations, disabilities, and experiences to apply. If you require an accommodation due to a disability or another reason, please contact the Managing Director, Human Resources, Christina Wallace, at cwallace@bds.org.