Attorney, Integrated Domestic Violence Team

A Brooklyn-Based Public Defense Office seeks an Attorney for the Integrated Domestic Violence Team (IDV) in our Queens office.

BDS is a public defense office representing low-income New Yorkers in criminal, family, immigration, and civil legal matters. For nearly 30 years, BDS has worked, in and out of court, to protect and uphold the rights of individuals and to change laws and systems that perpetuate injustice and inequality. Our legal expertise work with clients is focused on the intersections of these legal systems that disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities living in poverty.

BDS represents thousands of people each year who have diverse, complex, and multi-faceted legal needs. In addition to a zealous legal defense, our interdisciplinary teams of attorneys, social workers and advocates provide a wide range of legal and advocacy services, including for housing, public benefits, education, and employment. BDS staff work collaboratively and across disciplines to deliver high-quality legal services that serve the people we represent, their families and communities.

Located within BDS' Integrated Defense Practice, attorneys on the IDV Team-Queens represent clients in Queen's IDV Court part, where issues involving both criminal law and family law are heard before a single Supreme Court Justice. In this hybrid legal forum, attorneys must be fully versed in criminal law and criminal defense practice, as well as in those issues of family offenses, custody and visitation that would normally be heard in Family Court.

Under the general supervision of a Supervising Attorney, the attorney will work alongside social workers and paralegals to provide legal advocacy and representation to clients in IDV Court and will also represent clients in visitation and custody proceedings in Family Court that are related to their open criminal matters.

Responsibilities:

• Represent clients in the IDV Part in both criminal and family court matters (mostly custody and visitation or family offense proceedings) including preparing and litigating all hearings and trials
• Represent clients in custody and visitation or family offense proceedings in Family Court including preparing and litigating all hearings and trials.
• Write motions, memoranda of law and written closing arguments.
• Review discovery in criminal cases including police reports and bodycam footage, and write challenges to discovery compliance.
• Work closely with social workers and out-of-court advocates to provide services to the client based on their needs and goals and to help keep the client's family together or to reunify.
• Provide advice to clients of the criminal defense practice who are seeking to file custody or
• visitation petitions in family court.
• Utilize BDS resources, such as housing, immigration, and education attorneys to assist clients.
• Work in a team of attorneys and social workers with dual expertise in family and criminal court and participate in workshops with the goal of growing the team's cross-practice expertise.
• Engage in trainings and seminars on domestic violence, criminal and child welfare law and their intersections with custody and visitation matters.
• Maintain case files, notes, and court appearance data in our case management and document management systems.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualification:

• Admission to the New York State bar or eligible to become admitted.
• At least one year of trial court litigation experience representing clients in court in either criminal or family matters.
• Creative and innovative strategist with a demonstrated interest in cross-practice issues.
• Motivated to represent clients facing a wide range of cases and obstacles.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with an ability to work independently and in a team setting.
• Efficient, organized work style and an ability to prioritize quickly and confidently and manage multiple deadlines and emergencies