Family Defense Practice Administrator

The Bronx Defenders • Full-time • Bronx, NY, US • 23h ago

The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an energetic administrator to join our Family Defense Practice as a Family Practice Administrator.

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

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 the generational cycles of family court involvement.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Serve records request forms and letters on record-holding entities and obtain records if they are immediately available
Follow up with record holding entities to collect records and
Communicate the status of records requests to advocates on the case and update status of records requests in case management system as well as keeping a record in an excel spreadsheet
Retrieve records from record holding entities and clients
Copy case records (paper or electronic/DVD) for experts, clients, or other parties
Produce records for experts and other parties electronically or in person
Request family court records for all practices
Assist clients in the office with signing authorization forms, notarization (when notary license is obtained), and providing metrocards
Mail FDP case-related correspondence including letters to clients when court is missed, court orders and general client correspondence
Maintain Family Defense Court Files
Create file folders in Sharepoint
Order and deliver supplies
Bring back court files
Receive, download, upload, categorize and organize all discovery content that may be in emails, e-files, or from any portable storage produced in relation to Family Defense cases
Specifically, this role would require the clerk to do the following:
Ensure that the discovery produced correlates with a BXD case matter
Organize all discovery on BXD storage system (currently Sharepoint)
Ensure that discovery is properly maintained on the BXD system
Notify assigned defender when all discovery is downloaded and ready for attorney access
Coordinate with the assigned defender and ensure that reciprocal discovery is properly uploaded onto BXD system and provided to the assigned adversaries.
Must work in the office two days a week from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm for in office needs,

i.e. copying of case records, assisting clients with signatures for

Request and retrieve court file in all boroughs for Family Defense Practice
Serve Discovery and Demand on Legal Aid and ACS
Serve on 18b attorneys via USPS
Draft subpoenas and occasionally serve subpoenas when requested (up to four a year)
Binder Prep for trials and trainings

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum of two years working in an administrative capacity

Candidates must demonstrate:

Commitment to working in and with racially and socioeconomically marginalized communities
Commitment to supporting the work of advocates who defend people accused of crimes
Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people from various backgrounds, identities, experiences, and positions
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with lawyers and non- lawyers from various practice areas
Meticulous attention to detail
Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
Effective organization, time management and problem-solving skills
Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality around sensitive issues
Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly
Commitment to raising one’s cultural consciousness and challenging oppressive
practices on an interpersonal and institutional level

Approximately 70% of The Bronx Defenders' staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO).This position is within the bargaining unit. 

This position is non-exempt. By law, nonexempt employees are compensated hourly based on their annual rate and therefore are entitled to over-time, whereas exempt employees are not. 

Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 1-4 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be approximately. Full-time employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy. More specific information about salary and benefits will be provided when and if an offer is extended.

To apply, please click APPLY TO THIS JOB ONLINE and upload your resume and cover letter in one document. Your cover letter should share why you want to do this work at our office, as well as some key lived and/or professional experiences that have prepared you for this position. Your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience and should include all relevant professional experience. Applications without a written cover letter will not be considered.

Applications will be accepted through July 4th, 2025.

The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is cultivating an anti-oppressive workplace that embraces staff with a diversity of backgrounds, identities and experiences. We acknowledge the ways in which systemic oppression and injustice can undermine access to professional opportunities and are committed to conducting hiring and promotion processes that are equitable and accessible to those commonly excluded from the workforce. We do not discriminate against and in fact specifically encourage applicants from marginalized communities to apply, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled, neurodivergent and those directly impacted by criminal, civil, family and immigration legal systems. We value lived as well as professional experience and particularly welcome applications from the Bronx community that we work with.