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Criminal Law - Defense Attorney in Bronx, NY

The Bronx Defenders May 17,2023 Mar 21,2023 Location USA Bronx NY
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Public Interest

Attorney

Criminal Law - Defense

2-8 yrs required

Profile

## Adolescent Defense Project Attorney **Overview** The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an experienced Criminal Defense Attorney to join BxD as an attorney in the Adolescent Defense Project (ADP). BxD is a public defender non-profit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system. BxD seeks thoughtful, creative, energetic individuals with a strong commitment to social justice to join our dynamic and diverse staff. Our staff of over 450 includes interdisciplinary teams made up of criminal, civil, immigration, and family defense attorneys, as well as social workers, benefits specialists, legal advocates, parent advocates, investigators, and team administrators, who collaborate to provide holistic advocacy to address the causes and consequences of legal system involvement. **Adolescent Defense Project** The Adolescent Defense Project (ADP) is a specialized division of Criminal Defense Practice (CDP) which provides representation for 14-17-year-olds who are charged with felonies. Every youth receives the expertise of a trained adolescent defense attorney, social worker, and education attorney/advocate. Working together, they address the issues that drive the young people we represent into the criminal justice system, mitigate the consequences of their arrest, and provide our young people with holistic support, helping them navigate the education system, access mental health support, and attain future goals. As one of many specialized programs at BxD, ADP forms part of a larger interdisciplinary team that includes family defense attorneys, immigration attorneys, and civil legal advocates. **Responsibilities** The Adolescent Defense Practice represents 14–17 year-olds who are prosecuted as adults. In New York, all felony charges against 16–17 year-olds, and serious felony charges against 14-15 year-olds, commence as adult prosecutions in Supreme Court. Under the Raise the Age statute, many of these cases are transferred to Family Court, where we continue representation in the juvenile system. The majority of our practice consists of violent non-homicide felonies, including attempted murders, assaults, and firearms offenses which carry the potential of significant prison sentences for those cases that remain in Supreme Court. Responsibilities for this position include: - Direct representation of youth in Bronx Supreme Court, advocating for removal to Family Court on each case - Continuing representation of youth through all stages of the case through hearings and trial in both Bronx Supreme Court or Bronx Family Court - Engaging in intensive client interviewing, counseling, research, writing, oral advocacy and negotiations as part of legal representation - Litigating issues of first impression related to the recent Raise the Age law regarding unresolved substantive issues relating to the prosecution of youth - Conducting frequent evidentiary “retention hearings” in Supreme Court where the prosecution contests transfer to Family Court - Co-counseling ADP hearings and trials with ADP colleagues in both Supreme Court and Family Court - Working weekend and night arraignments, as scheduled - Providing intensive case management to all ADP clients - Collaborating with the youth we represent, ADP social workers, and Education Project staff to jointly develop case plans with each youth based on their stated needs and goals - Developing expertise in issues related to system-involved youth, including Adolescent Offender (AO) statutes, Juvenile Offender (JO) statutes, Youthful Offender (YO) adjudication and sentencing, Felony sentencing for adults, for clients who are not YO-eligible, Juvenile Delinquency proceedings, Office of Children and Family Services custody, and Social science research related to adolescent brain development - Participating in trainings within the office as well as, on occasion, external community events, conferences and webinars in which BXD is participating or presenting - Opportunities, at the ADP Staff Attorney’s discretion, to speak at conferences regarding justice-involved youth, conduct internal and external trainings, and engage in youth justice policy advocacy. **Qualifications** To be eligible for this position, candidates must have membership in good standing to the New York Bar or eligibility for admission to the New York Bar and at least two years of criminal defense work in adult court and/or in juvenile proceedings, with at least one year of experience handling felony matters, including violent felonies. Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to defending youth charged with criminal offenses in the Bronx, commitment to holistic defense and client-centered representation, commitment to challenging systemic injustice and carceral systems, experience working in and with racially and socioeconomically marginalized communities targeted by carceral legal systems, ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate, and connect with people from various backgrounds, identities, experiences and positions, ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers in our criminal, immigration, and family defense practices, commitment to fierce advocacy, and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of clients, effective research, writing, and courtroom advocacy skills, effective communication and active listening skills, effective problem-solving skills, ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high stakes environment, ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with external stakeholders, ability to think critically and creatively under pressure, meticulous attention to detail, ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection, and shift behavior accordingly, and ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality around sensitive issues. Preferred qualifications include experience representing youth and Spanish language skills. **Salary and Benefits** Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 3

Qualification and Experience

Membership in good standing to the New York Bar or eligibility for admission to the New York Bar, At least two years of criminal defense work in adult court and/or in juvenile proceedings, with at least one year of experience handling felony matters, including violent felonies

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