Closing Date: 16th February, 2026
Description:
Overview:The Bronx Defenders (BxD) is an innovative, progressive public defense office in the South Bronx. We are seeking a passionate individual with a commitment to social justice and supporting people ensnared in the various legal systems to be the Director of our Civil Holistic Team in the Civil Action Practice (CAP).
Founded in 1997, BxD is a public defender nonprofit that has developed a nationally recognized model of representation called holistic defense, which provides people with teams of lawyers, social workers, and advocates to defend them zealously in court and address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement.
Our office now has more than 400 staff members who defend nearly 20,000 New Yorkers facing incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation (among other devastating consequences) in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings each year.
We continue reimagining the role of public defense even further, using community organizing and engagement, legislative advocacy, and impact litigation to partner with the communities we represent to bring about long-lasting systemic change. We also share our model and lessons learned on how to move to a holistic model of representation with current and future public defenders throughout the country.
Civil Action
A sweeping array of civil punishments are triggered the moment someone faces arrest, deportation, or family separation. The people we represent risk losing their jobs, homes, income, property, and basic civil rights—struggles that can be more devastating and long-lasting than the charges themselves. Last year, we helped over 4,000 people obtain concrete benefits like maintaining their jobs, homes, income, property, and rights.
Civil Holistic Advocacy at The Bronx Defenders:
Our Civil Holistic Team provides responds to referrals from our criminal, family and immigration practices and provides expertise to defend against the direct civil consequences of various legal systems in the areas of housing, employment, property seizure & forfeiture, benefits, government misconduct and reentry and to enable access to economic and housing justice for people who face barriers from criminal court involvement, family regulation through the Administration of Children Services or as non-citizens facing removal.
Responsibilities:
Reporting directly to the Managing Director of the Civil Action Practice, the Director will lead the Civil Holistic Team, supervise supervisory and other staff, and support all aspects of the Civil Holistic Team at The Bronx Defenders. The Director will also be responsible for expanding the team's work; developing processes and infrastructure to advance collaboration; providing training and development to both the Team as well as attorneys, advocates and interns in the Civil Action Practice; and acting as a liaison between the Team, management, practices, community-based organizations, funders and the Bronx community.
Supervision:
- Supervise & support CAP supervising attorneys, CLA supervisors and other staff (attorneys and non-attorney advocates), and oversee the supervision of attorneys and non-attorney advocates to ensure consistent supervision practices, aligned expectations, and equitable workload distribution.
- Conduct supervision evaluations and meet either weekly or bi-weekly with supervisees and Supervisory Attorneys to address caseload management, performance concerns, practice challenges, referrals, and client issues
- Provide back-up supervisory, escalation, and coverage support for attorneys, advocates, and supervisors
- Develop and maintain clear supervision structures, assignments, and rotations, ensuring equitable supervisor-to-staff ratios and coverage for intake and referral-based practice
- Provide equitable supervision and support to all supervisees
- Organize and set agendas for Supervisory Team and Staff meetings, as well as collaborate with the Deputy Director to plan and co-facilitate Quarterly Civil Holistic Meetings with attorneys and advocates
- Onboard, support, train, and supervise attorneys and advocates to ensure we provide high quality, creative, client-centered representation and advocacy
- Review and evaluate supervisees' data entry and case management to ensure high-quality services, evaluate the impact of our advocacy, and meet funding/reporting requirements
- Review, monitor, and evaluate attorney workloads to ensure equitable distribution and alignment with practice expectations
- Support, evaluate, and provide feedback on client-related advocacy, including written, oral and trial advocacy in administrative fora, courts, and the community
- Be available for co-counsel and in-court supervision
- Assist with and review all litigation preparation
- Approve timesheets and time-off requests
- Supervise case and calendar management, client interaction and relationships with the judiciary and adversaries
- Monitor the ethical responsibilities in litigation and advocacy in conjunction with the Legal Director, Managing Director and CAP Supervisory Team
- Collaborate with CAP Training Director to onboard, train, and aid in the ongoing professional development of supervisees & civil holistic team
Cross-Practice Leadership
- Promote and facilitate intra-practice and interdisciplinary collaboration across CAP by designing and leading regular roundtables, working groups, office hours, and cross-practice meetings
- Promote and facilitate intra-practice and interdisciplinary collaboration among attorneys, advocates and administrative staff within CAP and between practices
- Schedule & facilitate regular roundtable & check-ins and working groups within the practice and between practices
- Attend cross-practice and other relevant meetings
- Design and lead spaces to enhance CAP's collaboration with other practices, including office hours
Management/Leadership
- Meet regularly with the CAP's Managing & Deputy Directors and CAP Management Team
- Inform and help to implement practice priorities and improvements
- Support the development and implementation of streamlined, consistent workflows across Supervisory Team
- Support supervisory team in managing cross-role coordination impacting attorney practice
- Aid in determining the direction and growth of civil legal services at BxD
- Work to develop and implement CAP related information management, training, and other public education within the office and the community
Manage Civil Holistic Team
- Collaborate with Data Team to create reports to understand the needs of the Bronx community and to measure the impact of CAP's work across practices
- Collect, analyze, review and report data on the efficacy and impact of our work to develop program, identify patterns of need and to comply with funding requirements
- Use data to inform supervision strategies, training priorities, and practice improvements
- Collaborate with reception staff to ensure our office is a welcoming space for community members and provide efficient, integrated services
- Collaborate with the Managing Director of CAP to identify funding opportunities to build and expand the Civil Holistic Team
- Collaborate with the Managing Director to manage and comply with CAP's grants
- Collaborate with the Managing Director to ensure quality, comprehensive and caring services are being provided to the people we represent and community members
Manage the Recruiting, Training, and Development of CAP Benefits Advocates
- Collaborate with the Recruiting team to manage the recruiting and onboarding processes for new CAP Holistic Team members, interns and pro bono scholars
- Collaborate with the CAP Training Director to plan and implement trainings to address the ongoing professional and skill development needs, training and onboarding of new and experienced CAP advocates, social workers, attorneys and interns with respect to holistic defense
- Identify training needs based on supervision trends, practice developments, and evolving client needs
- Support interdisciplinary trainings that strengthen holistic defense across roles
- Partner with the Training and Deputy Director to develop, maintain, and update a centralized practice repository for Civil Holistic Attorneys, including guidance, templates, practice advisories, and resources
- Collaborate with Training Director and Legal Director to translate changes in law, policy, and practice into clear guidance for attorneys and advocates
Communicate and Collaborate with Leaders in Other Practice Areas
- Represent the Civil Holistic Team on CAP Management Team
- Consult on policies and practices affecting advocates and the people we represent
- Ensure regular and effective cross-practice and interdisciplinary collaboration
- Participate in Management Meetings with supervisors and managers in CAP
- Work with CAP managers and staff to advance role clarity among non-attorney advocates roles, civil legal advocates, and social workers for effective collaboration
- Coordinate CAP holistic Team representation in external committees and internal working groups, in consultation with the Managing Directors of CAP
- Participate in the development of special projects that are responsive to the needs of the people we represen
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