The Bronx Defenders is Hiring an Adolescent Defense Project Attorney

The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, community-oriented indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an attorney to join our Adolescent Defense Project.

BACKGROUND

Since opening our doors in 1997, The Bronx Defenders has served over 300,000 clients. The Bronx Defenders pioneered a model of legal representation called holistic defense, designed to fight both the causes and consequences of court-involvement. Our staff of over 250 lawyers and advocates work on interdisciplinary teams made up of criminal defense, civil, immigration, and family defense attorneys, as well as social workers, legal advocates, parent advocates, investigators, and team administrators, all of whom work to provide holistic legal and social service advocacy to our clients. The Bronx Defenders also houses a community organizing and an impact litigation team, serving as a community resource and force for systemic change. We engage with clients, community residents, and policymakers as we seek ways to better serve the Bronx community and enhance access to justice for all.

The Adolescent Defense Project (“ADP”) provides specialized representation to The Bronx Defenders’ youngest clients who are prosecuted as adults. ADP works to address the issues that drive our young clients into the criminal justice system and to mitigate the consequences of their arrest. Bringing together criminal defense attorneys and social workers who specialize in representing and supporting youth, The Bronx Defenders’ Adolescent Defense Project has addressed the myriad problems faced by young people for over four years. As one of many specialized programs at The Bronx Defenders, the Adolescent Defense Project forms part of a larger interdisciplinary team that includes civil, immigration, and family defense attorneys, as well as social workers, legal advocates, parent advocates, investigators, and team administrators.

To learn more, please visit our website at www.bronxdefenders.org.

RESPONSIBLITIES:

• Representing Young Clients Charged as Adults:
  • Representing all clients charged as juvenile offenders and a limited number of youths charged with violent felonies and/or who otherwise require intensive representation, including consulting on and co-counseling adolescent cases with non-ADP attorneys when appropriate
  • Rotating weekly in “on-call” arraignments shifts and consulting with non-ADP staff attorneys arraigning young clients during weekend and evening shifts
• Providing Intensive Case Management to ADP Clients
  • Maintaining consistent contact and communication with adolescent clients, and where appropriate, their caregivers (parents, grandparents, foster parents, siblings etc.), including:
    • Meeting regularly with clients/caregivers in person
    • Maintaining regular phone contact with clients/caregivers
    • Making home visits to clients/caregivers where appropriate
    • Making program visits to clients where appropriate
  • Communicating regularly with other key people in clients’ lives, including:
    • Family court attorneys if there is an open juvenile delinquency case, PINS or Child Abuse/Neglect case
  • Juvenile probation officers
  • Guidance counselors, teachers, and other school personnel
  • Program representatives
  • Case workers
• Working Collaboratively with ADP Social Worker and Education Attorney
  • Working and communicating with SW, Education Attorney, and the clients to identify clients’ needs, strengths and goals and track progress
  • Jointly developing a case plan for the clients based on identified needs and goals, including, where appropriate, arranging educational, mental health, substance abuse, vocational, and/or family counseling services
• Developing Expertise in Issues Related to Justice-Involved Youth
  • Gaining proficiency in the following areas:
    • Juvenile Offender (JO) and Youthful Offender (YO) adjudications and sentencing laws; delinquency proceedings; Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) custody practices and policies; Board of Education practices, polices, and proceedings (school discipline and suspension hearings, safety transfers, school enrollment and basic special education law)
    • Social science research related to adolescent brain development
  • Conducting in-house and external trainings on issues related to justice-involved youth and creating legal and non-legal training materials and guides for internal and external use
  • Maintaining and updating a resource database consisting of key contacts for youth-related issues and information on youth-related programs/organizations/on-line resources
• Representing The Bronx Defenders on Committees, Boards, and at Events Focused on Advocacy on Behalf of Justice-Involved Youth
• Collecting and Reporting Data Related to ADP Cases

QUALIFICATIONS:

• D. degree from an accredited law school and licensed to practice in New York
• At least three years defending clients in criminal cases, including experience handling all levels of felonies.
• Excellent verbal and written skills; strong legal analytical skills and problem solving ability
• Excellent interpersonal skills; applicants must be independent, creative and highly motivated
• Strong commitment to racial justice and youth justice reform
• Patience, a strong and collaborative work ethic, good judgment and ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information

Salary commensurate with experience.  Excellent benefits.

To apply, submit a resume and cover letter via email to jobs@bronxdefenders.org with “ADP Attorney” in the subject line. Resumes will only be accepted electronically. No faxes or phone calls please. Applications should be submitted by July 15, 2016, but applicants will be considered and interviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

The Bronx Defenders is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring, and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff.  We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply.