National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Family Defense Practice Legal Counsel
National Legal Aid & Defender Association, New York, New York, us, 10261
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Family Defense Practice Legal Counsel
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National Legal Aid & Defender Association .
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Overview The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, holistic defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an experienced Family Defense Attorney with a commitment to public defense to work as an Appellate Attorney in our Family Defense Practice (FDP). 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.
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
Report directly to the FDP Legal Director, carrying a reduced caseload while collaborating with the Legal Director and FDP leadership to build core legal competencies and mobilize swift legal/tactical responses to emerging challenges.
Research and analyze legal issues, and prepare memos, motions, model motion templates, briefs, and guidance materials.
Support attorney training and coaching efforts and serve as a resource to attorneys and staff seeking feedback and guidance.
Identify and define core legal competencies for the practice, and build tools that operationalize those competencies (checklists, templates, guides).
Mobilize, draft rapid‑response practice guides, and coordinate rapid legal/tactical responses to emerging challenges and urgent matters.
Develop strategy and deliver rigorous legal analysis that advances practice innovation.
Research and analyze statutes, case law, regulations, and court rules to inform litigation and advocacy.
Draft clear, well‑supported legal memoranda on complex issues.
Prepare motions and model motion templates to standardize high‑quality filings.
Author trial and appellate briefs as needed.
Create concise practice guidance materials for internal use.
Support the design and delivery of trainings to build core competencies and advance practice innovation.
Provide one‑on‑one and group coaching.
Offer timely feedback and case consultations to attorneys and staff.
Collaborate with attorneys in our Criminal Defense, Immigration and Civil Action practices as part of our holistic, interdisciplinary legal defense model.
Collaborate with FDP and Appeals team to develop legal issues for appeals and participate in drafting amicus briefs in relevant cases.
Monitor legal decisions and developments in the New York courts relevant to our practice.
Maintain and keep up‑to‑date the FDP library and structured datasets/tracking systems on legal issues and practice systems.
Zealously represent parents in ACS investigations and child protective proceedings in Bronx Family Court and other concurrent matters.
Litigate legal matters in abuse and neglect proceedings and effectively communicate with judges, caseworkers, attorneys, and child(ren)’s representatives.
Assist parents in accessing appropriate resources and services to restore full parental rights.
Collaborate with social workers and parent advocates across FD and other practices on enmeshed issues.
Supervise and train interns and externs and provide mentorship to junior attorneys.
Participate in hiring and recruitment as requested.
Seniority level Mid‑Senior level
Employment type Full‑time
Job function Legal
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Family Defense Practice Legal Counsel
role at
National Legal Aid & Defender Association .
Be among the first 25 applicants. Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.
Overview The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, holistic defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an experienced Family Defense Attorney with a commitment to public defense to work as an Appellate Attorney in our Family Defense Practice (FDP). 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.
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
Report directly to the FDP Legal Director, carrying a reduced caseload while collaborating with the Legal Director and FDP leadership to build core legal competencies and mobilize swift legal/tactical responses to emerging challenges.
Research and analyze legal issues, and prepare memos, motions, model motion templates, briefs, and guidance materials.
Support attorney training and coaching efforts and serve as a resource to attorneys and staff seeking feedback and guidance.
Identify and define core legal competencies for the practice, and build tools that operationalize those competencies (checklists, templates, guides).
Mobilize, draft rapid‑response practice guides, and coordinate rapid legal/tactical responses to emerging challenges and urgent matters.
Develop strategy and deliver rigorous legal analysis that advances practice innovation.
Research and analyze statutes, case law, regulations, and court rules to inform litigation and advocacy.
Draft clear, well‑supported legal memoranda on complex issues.
Prepare motions and model motion templates to standardize high‑quality filings.
Author trial and appellate briefs as needed.
Create concise practice guidance materials for internal use.
Support the design and delivery of trainings to build core competencies and advance practice innovation.
Provide one‑on‑one and group coaching.
Offer timely feedback and case consultations to attorneys and staff.
Collaborate with attorneys in our Criminal Defense, Immigration and Civil Action practices as part of our holistic, interdisciplinary legal defense model.
Collaborate with FDP and Appeals team to develop legal issues for appeals and participate in drafting amicus briefs in relevant cases.
Monitor legal decisions and developments in the New York courts relevant to our practice.
Maintain and keep up‑to‑date the FDP library and structured datasets/tracking systems on legal issues and practice systems.
Zealously represent parents in ACS investigations and child protective proceedings in Bronx Family Court and other concurrent matters.
Litigate legal matters in abuse and neglect proceedings and effectively communicate with judges, caseworkers, attorneys, and child(ren)’s representatives.
Assist parents in accessing appropriate resources and services to restore full parental rights.
Collaborate with social workers and parent advocates across FD and other practices on enmeshed issues.
Supervise and train interns and externs and provide mentorship to junior attorneys.
Participate in hiring and recruitment as requested.
Seniority level Mid‑Senior level
Employment type Full‑time
Job function Legal
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