Staff Attorney; Family Defense Practice - NDS Harlem

Overview

The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS) is a community-based, client-centered, holistic public defense office headquartered in Harlem, providing the highest quality legal representation in criminal, civil, immigration and family courts to residents of Northern Manhattan and the Bronx who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. NDS is seeking lateral staff attorney candidates and law graduate candidates to start as soon as possible.

The Family Defense Practice at NDS represents parents in family policing cases (sometimes called “child welfare” or “child protection” cases) filed by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) as well as related family court cases, including custody, visitation and termination of parental rights proceedings in Manhattan and The Bronx. Through our holistic approach to representation, the Family Defense Practice provides parents with the help they need—both inside and outside of court—to keep their families safe and stable.

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 Staff Attorney or Law Graduate will work closely with attorney and social work supervisors, litigation assistants, team administrators, client advocates and social workers to provide vigorous representation to clients in Article 10, Termination of Parental Rights, Custody and other related cases.

• Provide excellent representation with energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to striving for client-centered holistic advocacy throughout the case;
• Take primary responsibility, with appropriate supervisory support, of all aspects of Article 10 and related custody, visitation, guardianship, paternity, termination of parental rights and other cases including client counseling, motion practice, discovery, oral argument, settlement negotiations, and hearings and trials;
• Meet frequently in-person with clients to prepare for court proceedings;
• Collaborate and meet regularly with social workers, client advocates, litigation assistants and other attorneys to strategize case strategy and prepare and coordinate in- and out- of court advocacy to secure optimal outcomes on behalf of clients;
• Engage in frequent in-person and virtual court hearings and litigation, often on an emergency basis;
• Engage in formal and informal advocacy with opposing counsel and attorney(s) for children;
• Staff intake in court regularly, as assigned;
• File motions, briefs and other related court papers on a frequent, timely basis;
• Provide effective oral advocacy in negotiation and argument in Family Court;
• Be responsive to and communicate clearly with clients who are often under great stress;
• Work under high pressure in an atmosphere of frequent emergencies and tight deadlines;
• Maintain thorough and accurate records and client files by timely saving documents in NDS’s cloud server and entering notes and other data into NDS’s case management system;
• Collaborate with and provide mentorship to less experienced staff attorneys when appropriate and commensurate with experience; and
• Must be able to work a minimum of 14 plus hours a week in person in the Harlem or Bronx offices (as per borough assignment), court satellite offices, or in court, and more as needed in support of providing excellent representation.

• J.D. degree and admission to practice law in New York State or eligible for admission;
• Demonstrated commitment to parents’ rights, indigent defense, social justice issues and/or the Harlem communities;
• Must be very flexible and possess a high level of organizational and administrative skills in order to manage a high caseload;
• Must possess excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Must be able to work cooperatively with NDS colleagues and opposing counsel, and problem-solve independently;
• Candidates with experience representing parents in Article 10 Abuse and Neglect proceedings or equivalent experience providing defense/direct representation are strongly encouraged to apply;
• Lived experience with the Family Policing System and other systems impacting NDS’s clients preferred, and
• Fluency in Spanish…