Supervising Attorney, Family Defense Practice

Overview

The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS) is a community-based, client-centered, holistic public defense office located in Harlem, providing the highest quality representation in criminal, civil, immigration and family courts to residents of Northern Manhattan and the Bronx who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. NDS clients are represented by multidisciplinary teams including attorneys, advocates, team administrators and social workers. NDS is seeking 2 Supervising Attorneys to join our Family Defense Practice.

Overview

The Family Defense Practice at NDS represents parents in family policing cases (sometimes called child welfare cases) filed by the Administration for Childrens Services (ACS) as well as related family court cases, including custody, visitation and termination of parental rights proceedings. Through our holistic approach to representation, the Family Defense Practice provides parents with the help they needboth inside and outside of courtto keep their families safe and stable. Parents are represented not only by a high-quality attorney, but also social workers, team administrators, and parent advocates. NDS is committed to advancing due process rights for parents by fighting unwarranted state intervention in their lives and advocating for related systemic change. The Supervising Attorney will manage a team which represents parents in family policing and related family court cases.

Responsibilities

• Embrace NDS philosophy of client-centered, community-based, holistic representation and commitment to excellence;
• Take primary responsibility for providing supervision, guidance, and support to a team of attorneys representing clients in Article 10 and related cases in Family Court;
• Train and supervise staff, including staff attorneys, social workers, investigators and team administrators;
• Provide representation to a limited number of clients with energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to trauma-informed, anti-racist, intersectional, non-judgmental, and truly holistic advocacy throughout the case;
• Travel regularly to the satellite office in the South Bronx or Lower Manhattan and to Bronx or Manhattan Family Court and occasionally to the Central Office in Harlem.

Qualifications

• Must possess at least five years of experience as an attorney, preferably as a family defense attorney;
• Demonstrated commitment to parents rights, indigent defense, social justice issues and/or the Harlem or Bronx communities;
• Must be very flexible and possess a high level of organizational and administrative skills in order to handle a caseload while supervising others;
• Must possess written and oral communication skills;
• Must be able to work cooperatively with attorneys and other NDS advocates, and problem-solve independently;
• Lived experience with the Family Policing System and other systems impacting NDSs clients strongly preferred;
• Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred.

COMPENSATION

Compensation is commensurate with experience and is in adherence to the NDS compensation scale. The salary range for attorneys with 5-10 years of directly relevant experience is $96,000 to $119,000. Full medical and dental benefits, as well as other benefits, are provided. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the CBA between NDS and the NDS Union, part of ALAA UAW 2325.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest and resume to Zainab Akbar at [email protected] with the subject line, NDS FDP Supervising Attorney. Please send your application as one document, preferably PDF. For more information about NDS, please visit our website at www.neighborhooddefender.org.

Dont meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At NDS we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if youre excited about this role but your experience doesnt align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Min

USD $96,000.00/Yr.

Max

USD $119,000.00/Yr.