Criminal Defense Practice Social Worker/Client Advocate (Temporary Position)

The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks a thoughtful and dedicated social worker/client advocate with a commitment to social justice to join our Criminal Defense Practice in a temporary role (June – August 2025).

The Bronx Defenders is a public defender non-profit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system, and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself. BxD seeks thoughtful, creative individuals with a strong commitment to social justice to join our dynamic and diverse staff. Our staff of over 400 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. Through this integrated team-based structure, we have developed a groundbreaking, nationally-recognized model of representation called holistic defense that achieves better outcomes for the people we defend.

Each year, we defend more than 20,000 low-income Bronx residents in criminal, civil, family, and immigration cases, and reach thousands more through our community intake, youth mentoring, and outreach programs. Through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community organizing, we push for systemic change at the local, state, and national levels. We take what we learn from the people we represent and communities that we work with and launch innovative initiatives designed to bring about real and lasting change.

The Criminal Defense Practice

The Criminal Defense Practice (CDP) at The Bronx Defenders consists of over 150 attorneys,

investigators, social workers, legal advocates, practice associates, and administrators who

provide comprehensive criminal defense representation to people in the Bronx facing police

and criminal legal system involvement. Through a client-centered approach, our CDP legal

teams strive to gain a deeper understanding of the circumstances and priorities of the people we represent. Armed with that understanding, they fight for desired outcomes by strategically raising personalized, persuasive arguments in mitigation, negotiations, and litigation.

Responsibilities

Strategizing with lawyers and other advocates, CDP Social Workers and Client Advocates work to identify and address the issues that contribute to the ensnarement of the people we defend in the criminal legal system and mitigate the enmeshed consequences that may arise out of their contact with the system. They do this by conducting oral advocacy, authoring mitigation reports, coordinating with treatment programs and social service providers, and supporting the people we represent as they navigate the criminal legal system.

• Collaborate with lawyers and other advocates on holistic defense teams to identify and achieve the legal goals of our clients
• with a focus on arraignments advocacy, floating-coverage, and short-term representation
• Interview and assess clients to identify strengths, challenges, needs, and resources
• Conduct supportive counseling, crisis intervention, and case management for clients at court appearances and in the community
• Advocate for clients in Bronx Criminal and Supreme Court, in incarceratory settings, and with community-based programs
• Maintain consistent contact with clients , including visits to NYC jail facilities, and provide support and advocacy for connection to medical care, mental health services, and jail-based programming
• Assist with review of behavioral health, medical, education, and other records
• Assist with preparation of mitigation reports and other forms of persuasive written work product arguing for reduced sentencing - incorporating content from psychosocial interviews, interviews with collateral sources, healthcare records, and social science research
• Maintain case records in Bronx Defenders’ informational case management system
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of organizational systems for the CDP Social Work practice including, but not limited to, the database of community-based programs and resources

Additional Responsibilities for Social Work Candidates

• Provide supportive counseling to clients throughout the pendency of their legal cases
• De-escalate clients in moments of mental health crisis
• Prepare clients for court-related behavioral health assessments
• Interpret court-related and other external behavioral health assessments of our clients

Qualifications

To be eligible, candidates must have:

• Prior experience as a social work intern or staff at The Bronx Defenders or other public defender setting
• Experience, working with systems-involved people with histories of trauma, substance use disorder, and/or mental health diagnoses
• Experience participating in the representation of people navigating the criminal legal system

To be eligible as a Social Worker, candidates must have:

• Master’s in Social Work (M.S.W.) from an accredited School of Social Work

Applicants must demonstrate:

• Passion for holistic public defense and racial justice
• Commitment to directly defending and advocating for people ensnared in criminal, civil, family and immigration legal systems
• Experience working in and with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically marginalized communities targeted by carceral systems
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate, and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities, and experiences
• Ability to work well both independently and collaboratively with lawyers, non-lawyers, and external service providers
• Commitment to fierce advocacy and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of the people we represent
• Strong analytical skills and capacity to employ non-legal resources while advocating in legal cases for the people we defend
• Knowledge of substance use disorder, domestic violence, parenting, mental health and related systems
• Effective verbal and written advocacy skills
• Interviewing, research, and writing skills necessary to compile persuasive mitigation reports
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
• 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
• Spanish fluency is preferred but not required

This is an in-person position that requires contact with staff and community members.

Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 1-2 years of directly relevant experience applying to the Client Advocate position, the salary range would be approximately $62,625 -$62,930. For candidates with 1-2 years of directly relevant experience applying to the Social Worker position, the salary range would be approximately $82,574-$84,304. 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; and 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.

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 not within the bargaining unit.

For social workers occupying this role, this position is exempt. For non-social workers occupying this role, 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.

To apply, please click APPLY TO THIS JOB ONLINE and upload your resume and a cover letter in one document. If you would prefer to send in a video or audio statement in lieu of a cover letter, you may upload your resume and separately upload a video or audio statement. Your cover letter or video/audio statement should share why you want to do this work at our office, some key lived and/or professional experiences that have prepared you for this position, and any additional information you would like us to consider. This information allows us to understand your distinct perspective, experience and potential beyond the work history summarized on your resume. Your cover letter may be up to one page if written or up to 3 minutes if an audio/video statement. If selected for the position, your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience listed; we therefore encourage you to ensure your resume is up to date. Please note that applications without a written cover letter or audio/video statement will not be considered.

The application deadline is May 5, 2025, but applications will be considered on a rolling basis and the position will be filled as soon as an appropriate candidate is identified. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Please contact Sarah Knight, Director of the Criminal Defense Practice Social Work Practice, via email at sarahk@bronxdefenders.org with any questions regarding the position.

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.