The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, holistic legal defense office in the South Bronx – seeks someone with a commitment to public defense to join our Family Defense Practice as a Parent Advocate.

Founded in 1997, The Bronx Defenders 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 as well as to address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement. 

Since opening our doors, we have grown into an organization of more than 400 staff members defending nearly 20,000 New Yorkers each year in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings who face incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation, among other devastating consequences. 

Today we are 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 with current and future public defenders. We run two legal clinics at NYC law schools and train public defenders from one end of the country to the next on how to move to a holistic model of representation. 

Family Defense Practice

As residents of the most heavily disinvested borough in the city, families in the Bronx experience the highest rates of family policing and parent-child separation. We serve as the primary institutional provider defending parents and caretakers against the painful and unnecessary removals of their children in the Bronx. Together, our attorneys, social workers, and parent advocates provide the legal defense and support necessary to keep families together and interrupt generational cycles of family court involvement. 

Reporting to the Parent Advocate Supervisor, Parent Advocates (PA) provide advocacy and support to parents who are facing abuse/neglect allegations and/or criminal charges. Parent Advocates work in conjunction with social workers and lawyers to advocate for clients in administrative hearings, courtrooms, government programs, the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) and other stakeholders in the child protection system with the ultimate goal of maintaining family unity and ensuring parents can remain with their children. Responsibilities are listed below.

• Advocate for parents at Child Safety Conferences, Family Team Conferences, and other ACS and foster agency meetings
• Engage and assess the needs of clients including potential benefits they may be eligible for and materials for the home
• Conduct home and program visits to identify and support home-based needs for our clients
• Connect clients with relevant programs and service referrals
• Assist clients in preparation for ACS/Foster Care agency conferences and court appearances by letting them know what to expect and how to best prepare for them
• Accompany clients to appointments and scheduled court hearings to support their needs and ensure seamless access to services
• Collaborate with clients, lawyers, social workers, and other advocates on interdisciplinary, holistic defense teams to prioritize and center the needs of our clients
• Assist clients and their legal team in setting goals and assessing progress towards those goals throughout the pendency of cases
• Provide conference coverage as needed

To be eligible, candidates must have:

• Minimum of one year of case management/advocacy experience OR
• Two years of education in a related field, such as Psychology, Sociology and Criminal Justice

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Commitment to directly defending parents charged with abuse and neglect, and fighting for the reunification and stability of families
• Understanding of how race and poverty affect parents’ experiences in the family regulation system
• Experience working in and with racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized communities 
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences 
• Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers
• Commitment to fierce advocacy, and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of the people we represent
• Effective research, writing and advocacy skills
• Strong note taking and data entry skills
• Strong analytical skills and capacity to employ non-legal resources in cases
• 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 receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly
• Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
• Commitment to raising one’s cultural consciousness and challenging oppressive practices on an interpersonal and institutional level

Preferred but not Required:

• Familiarity with the Bronx community
• Spanish language proficiency
• Lived and/or professional experience with family court, the child protection system or the foster care system

This is an in-person position subject to the organization’s hybrid work policies. Candidates in this position must also be available to work flexible hours, including nights and/or weekends when urgent needs arise.  

Salary is commensurate with experience.  For candidates with 1-5 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be approximately $59,354-$64,753. 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.  

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 within the bargaining unit. 

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. Your cover letter should share why you want to do this work, 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. 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 cover letter will not be considered.

Applications will be accepted through June 6, 2025.

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.