The Bronx Defenders (BxD), an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx, seeks a Policy Director for our Civil Action Practice.   

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.  

The Civil Action Practice 

A sweeping array of civil punishments is 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 defend against these direct civil consequences to maintain their jobs, homes, income, property, and rights. 

Policy 

Our policy experts collaborate closely with our practices and community engagement team so that our reform efforts are a comprehensive reflection of what Bronx residents need. Our policy advocacy work includes developing solutions to injustices, coalition building, legislative drafting and consulting, lobbying, advocating to the media, testifying before legislative bodies, and serving on bar committees and task forces.   

 
The Civil Action Practice (CAP) Policy Director will work with the Managing Director of Policy, the CAP Managing Director and the CAP Leadership Team, to develop and advance CAP’s policy agenda in our core practice areas including housing, benefits, employment, property, government misconduct and reentry; amplify our clients’ voices in policy debates; and provide advice and expertise to coalition partners, stakeholders, and policymakers.  The CAP Policy Director will develop policy expertise in specific areas and be expected to represent The Bronx Defenders in policy campaigns and working groups that impact our clients.  The CAP Policy Director will work with the Managing Director of Policy to coordinate policy reform efforts across the office and serve as CAP’s liaison to The Bronx Defenders' Policy Team. The CAP Policy Director will report to the Managing Director of Policy. 

The Civil Action Practice Policy Director will report to the Managing Director of Policy and be part of the Policy Practice’s leadership team.  The Policy Director will build and lead the policy work in the Civil Action Practice (CAP) as directed by the Managing Director of the Civil Action practice as well as in collaboration with practice leadership, and staff to develop and execute the practice’s policy agenda; amplify our clients’ voices in policy discourse; and provide advice and expertise to coalition partners, stakeholders, and policymakers.  The Policy Director will also serve as the principal advisor to the Civil Action Practice on policy questions. The Director will also supervise staff attorneys and advocates directly. As part of the Policy Practice’s leadership team, the Policy Director will help formulate and execute BxD’s holistic policy agenda, foster cross-practice collaboration, and build internal capacity for policy change campaigns. 

Supervision 

• Serve as the primary supervisor of staff attorneys and advocates who provide services for clients and in the community in our core areas, as well as any policy staff within the Civil Action Practice 

• Meet with stakeholders on a regular basis to identify their policy work objectives and provide support and feedback 

• Review and provide substantive feedback on written and oral advocacy work 

• Complete annual employee evaluations 

• Regularly evaluate and adjust the workflow of staff members as necessary to ensure equitable and sustainable distribution of work 

• Provide equitable supervision to all employees in navigating experiences of oppression in their work  

Advise the Civil Action Practice 

• Develop and maintain expertise in relevant policy areas for CAP in core areas of housing, benefits, employment, property seizure, government misconduct, and reentry. 

• Advise practice leadership on policy questions that arise within the practice 

• Collaborate with the Director of Data Science to analyze and synthesize BxD client and case data to inform Cap’s policy agenda 

• Advise practice leadership on policy questions that arise within the practice 

• Coordinate responses to civil-related policy inquiries from external partners, system stakeholders, and the press 

• Collaborate with the Managing Director of Policy, other policy counsels/advocates/directors, and Practice Managing Directors to identify and address policy issues impacting our clients 

Legislative and Policy Advocacy 

• Advise policymakers on the impact of proposed legislative changes on our clients and act as a BxD lobbyist in advancing BxD’s policy agenda 

• Manage the execution of legislative and policy strategy in CAP 

• Assist in drafting legislation with elected officials and advocacy partners 

• Oversee the preparation and delivery of testimony for various legislative hearings 

• Manage and maintain relationships with key policymakers in the field 

Collaboration with External Partners 

• Represent BxD in city, state, and national reform coalitions 

• Develop and evaluate policy positions in consultation with counterparts at other public defender/civil legal services offices, advocacy organizations, grassroots organizations, community coalitions and other stakeholders 

• Amplify the experiences of our clients and our representation of them in coalition spaces 

• Develop, organize, and participate in trainings and other information sessions on policy developments as requested by leadership 

Communication 

• Coordinate with the Managing Director of Strategic Communications to develop communications strategies that advance practice policy goals and maintain relationships with current and former clients who want to lend their experiences to policy change efforts 

• Amplify clients’ experiences to local and national media as well as to city, state, and federal policymakers 

• Collaborate with the Managing Director of Policy, policy counsels/advocates, and Managing Directors to draft articles, letters, editorials, white papers, and reports for public circulation 

Policy Practice Leadership 

• Collaborate with the Managing Director of Policy and other practice Policy Directors, to formulate and execute BxD’s holistic policy agenda 

• Help to ensure BxD policy objectives are informed by grassroots movements led by parents in the family regulation system and aligned with BxD organizational goals and values 

• Work with other practice Policy Directors to foster cross-practice collaboration 

• Build internal policy capacity through participation in and leadership of BxD policy working groups 

• Assist in planning and organization of cross-practice advocacy efforts, such as our Community Policy Summit, BxD Lobby Day, press conferences, and rallies 

• Assist the Managing Director of Policy in fundraising and grant writing to help support and grow the work of the Policy Practice 

Supervision 

• Directly supervise a team of 2+ attorneys and non-attorneys  

• JD, with a minimum of 3 years practicing as a civil attorney/civil public defender 

• Familiarity with the civil consequences arising out of legal system entanglement, including an arrest, removal of children, and immigration detention 

• Litigation and advocacy experience in the areas of civil consequences, in the areas of housing, employment, benefits, civil forfeiture, and reentry  

• Minimum 1 year experience supervising attorneys and non-attorneys   

• Experience in policy advocacy 

Applicants must demonstrate: 

• Commitment to public interest law, racial justice, and housing justice 

• Experience working in and with racially and ethnically marginalized communities targeted by systemic injustice 

• Excellent interpersonal communication and active listening skills 

• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively and respectfully with lawyers and non-lawyers alike from various practice areas in an interdisciplinary team-based setting 

• The ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment while maintaining organization 

• Meticulous attention to detail 

• Ability to communicate effectively with people from various backgrounds and experiences 

• Ability to receive feedback constructively, reflect, and shift behavior accordingly 

• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality around sensitive issues 

• Excellent verbal and written advocacy skills 

• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings 

• Experience writing and arguing appeals; drafting city council, stat,e or other testimony; and engagement in policy advocacy are pluses 

Salary is commensurate with experience.   For candidates with 3–8 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position is $116,504 to $131,259.  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 not within the bargaining unit.   

This position is exempt. By law, non-exempt 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 cover letter in one document. Your cover letter should share why you want to do this work at our office, as well as some key lived and/or professional experiences that have prepared you for this position. Your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience, and should include all relevant professional experience. Applications without a written cover letter will not be considered.     

The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a 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 serve.