Staff Attorney/Fall 2025 Law Grad, Family Defense Practice

Neighborhood Defender Service; New York (NY); On-site; USD 81,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

An established public defense office is seeking passionate staff attorneys to provide holistic legal representation in family court cases. This role emphasizes client-centered advocacy, trauma-informed practices, and collaboration with a dedicated team. Ideal candidates will have a J.D. degree, a commitment to social justice, and the ability to thrive under pressure. Join a diverse and inclusive workplace that champions parents' rights and fights against systemic injustices. This is a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the community while advancing your legal career.

Benefits

Full Medical Benefits

Dental Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Professional Development Opportunities

Qualifications

• J.D. degree and admission to practice law in New York State or eligible for admission.
• Demonstrated commitment to parents’ rights and social justice issues.

Responsibilities

• Provide excellent client-centered representation with energy and commitment.
• Take primary responsibility for all aspects of family court cases.
• Collaborate with social workers and client advocates to strategize case strategy.

Skills

Client-Centered Representation

Trauma-Informed Advocacy

Oral Advocacy

Written Communication

Organizational Skills

Education

J.D. Degree

Job description

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 to start in Summer 2025 and law graduate candidates to start in September 2025.

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 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.

Responsibilities

• Provide excellent client-centered representation with energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to striving for trauma-informed, anti-racist, intersectional, non-judgmental, and truly 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, motions practice, discovery, oral argument, settlement negotiations, and hearings and trials;

• Meet frequently in-person with clients to prepare for court proceedings;

• 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;

• 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;

• 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 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.
• Work to be completed primarily at NDS’ main office in Central Harlem or Bronx office when not in Court or on intake.

Qualifications

• 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 is strongly preferred.

COMPENSATION

Compensation is commensurate with experience and is in adherence to the NDS compensation scale. For this position, the salary range for attorneys with 0-36 years of directly relevant experience is $81,702 - $169,716.

SALARY RANGE BASED ON TRANSFERABLE EXPERIENCE

1 – 5 Years

$81,072 – 90,543

6 – 10 Years

$93,260 – 107,003

11 – 15 Years

$113,423 – 126,996

16 – 36 Years

$127,986 – 169,716

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 NDSUnion, part of ALAA UAW 2325.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume in a single PDF through NDS’s website at neighborhooddefender.org/careers.

Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

Please apply by June 30th

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Don’t 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 you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t 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.

The Neighborhood Defender Service is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community we serve. NDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. NDS encourages people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people to apply.

Min

USD $81,702.00/Yr.

Max

USD $169,716.00/Yr.