The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, holistic defense office in the Southw Bronx – seeks an energetic Supervising Attorney with a commitment to social justice to fill a supervisor position in its Civil Action Practice.
The Bronx Defenders is a multi-service holistic defense organization dedicated to addressing the underlying causes and resulting consequences of involvement with the criminal and family justice systems. The Bronx Defenders’ collaborative approach brings together interdisciplinary work groups combining criminal defense and civil lawyers, social workers, investigators, and family court advocates to address not just the presenting criminal or family court case, but also the host of issues that drive individuals into these systems. The Bronx Defenders has gained national and international notoriety for advancing this Holistic Defense model. To learn more, please visit our website at www.bronxdefenders.org.
Our Civil Action Practice provides comprehensive legal services to our clients and their families by fully integrating civil representation with our criminal and family defense practices. Our goal is to minimize the severe and often unforeseen fallout from criminal and family court proceedings and facilitate the seamless reintegration of our clients into the community. The current Civil Action Practice attorneys and legal advocates represent clients in every forum in New York City – administrative, state, and federal – to address these problems.
Our civil staff attorneys and advocates provide comprehensive advocacy to help our clients resolve civil legal problems related to barriers to housing, eviction, employment, public benefits, police misconduct, criminal record errors, and civil forfeiture.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Civil Action Practice seeks a supervising attorney to work closely with the Director to supervise and mentor the general civil staff attorneys and legal advocates and to provide comprehensive civil legal services to clients. The Supervising Attorney will be responsible for implementing practice priorities, assigning work, and supervising, supporting, and assessing staff to assure high-quality legal representation. The Supervising Attorney will be expected to carry an individual caseload proportionate with his or her supervisory responsibilities. The Supervising Attorney will provide comprehensive advocacy and representation to help our clients resolve a broad range of civil legal problems such as barriers to housing, eviction, employment, public benefits, forfeiture, police misconduct, criminal record errors, and disability. S/he will represent clients in a range of contexts, including negotiations, administrative and judicial proceedings, and trials. The Supervising Attorney also will work with the Director to develop and implement trainings and public education to the community.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Applicants should be admitted to practice in New York with a minimum of 4 years of litigation experience, with experience in housing law.
- Experience with reentry issues highly desirable.
- Applicants should have demonstrated experience supervising attorneys, advocates or interns.
- Applicants must be creative, flexible, independent, and highly motivated leaders.
- Excellent organizational skills, writing ability, and communication skills are essential.
- Ability to speak Spanish is highly desirable.
- Applicants should have a demonstrated commitment to public interest law and must be fierce, committed advocates to our client base.
Salary commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits.
To apply, submit a resume, cover letter, writing sample and references electronically via email to jobs@bronxdefenders.org by July 29. In making your submission, please write “Civil Action Practice Supervising Attorney” in the subject line of the email.
The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer: People of color; women; people with disabilities; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people; and people with personal experience with the criminal justice system are welcome and encouraged to apply.