Attorney, Women’s Defense Project, CDP

Brooklyn Defender Services•Brooklyn, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) is seeking an attorney to join the Women’s Defense Project (WDP) in its Criminal Defense Practice. BDS is a public defense office serving low-income New Yorkers in criminal, family, immigration, and civil legal matters. Its interdisciplinary teams of attorneys, social workers, and advocates provide legal and advocacy services, including housing, public benefits, education, and employment support. WDP is an interdisciplinary team serving cisgender and transgender women whose histories of violence, exploitation, and abuse have directly or indirectly contributed to their involvement in the criminal legal system. The attorney will represent women arrested in Brooklyn Criminal and Supreme Courts and explore available avenues of relief, with a particular focus on relief under New York’s START Act. The Act allows trafficking survivors to ask a court to vacate prior convictions related to their trafficking victimization. Working within WDP and in coordination with a paralegal, the attorney will identify and contact potentially eligible past and current clients, assess eligibility, and prepare and submit START motions. The attorney will also educate BDS staff about the START motion process. The position is based at BDS’s Downtown Brooklyn offices and courts, with occasional travel to the Queens office potentially necessary. The role is exempt and salaried, in the collective bargaining unit, with a normal schedule of Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Salary is determined on a scale based on education and experience; for attorneys who graduated law school in 2022 or thereafter, the approximate range is $100,000–$109,000.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) degree.
Admission to practice in New York, or ability to become admitted.
At least one year of legal experience as a criminal defense attorney or working with people who have experienced gender-based violence.
Strong writing and legal research skills.
Excellent interviewing skills and an understanding of how trauma manifests within this client population.
Ability to build trusting relationships with clients while navigating complex, high-pressure systems.
Ability to think critically, constructively, and creatively in applying the law.
Self-starter.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with post-conviction and vacatur relief, or willingness to learn about it.
Compassionate and resourceful approach to working with clients.

Responsibilities

Work with staff across the office to identify past and current clients who may be eligible for START relief.
Work with the WDP paralegal to develop an outreach tool that notifies past clients of potential relief and explains how to connect for an eligibility assessment.
Interview clients and collateral contacts and gather supporting documentation and information for START motions.
Draft and submit START motions to the appropriate prosecutor’s office and court.
Accompany clients to proffer sessions requested by the prosecutor’s office.
Participate in citywide START working groups.
Educate BDS staff about the START motion process.
Perform additional responsibilities as assigned.