Job Description
BDS is a multi-disciplinary defense office representing low-income New Yorkers in criminal, family, immigration, and civil legal matters. Our expertise lies in the intersection of these legal systems that disproportionately impact poor, Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities.
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 housing, public benefits, education, and employment issues. BDS is a public defense office where staff work collaboratively and across disciplines to deliver high-quality legal services that serve the people we represent, their families and communities in Brooklyn.
Social Workers team up with attorneys to provide comprehensive legal representation and determine case strategy to criminally involved clients. Social Workers provide both written and oral advocacy for clients. Also, they conduct client assessments, provide crisis intervention, develop service plans, refer clients for services, communicate with service providers about clients' needs, and conduct visits to incarcerated individuals.
Brooklyn Defender Services is accepting applications for a Criminal Defense Staff Social Worker representing clients facing both misdemeanors and felony cases in Brooklyn Supreme and Criminal Courts. BDS seeks an energetic Social Worker to become an integral part of the criminal defense team to advocate for clients, both in and out of court.
Responsibilities
· Partner with attorneys to provide comprehensive legal representation and determine case strategy to clients facing criminal charges
· Provide extensive mitigation reports on clients’ behalf
· Responsible for a caseload of clients with varying needs and case-related deadlines, ensuring timely action and intervention
· Advocate orally for clients in court
· Conduct psychosocial assessments, develop service plans and refer clients for services
· Communicate with external service providers about client needs
· Conduct visits to incarcerated individuals
· Provide crisis intervention when needed.
· Maintain case notes and documentation in electronic database.
Qualifications
· New York State Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), or master’s degree in Social Work and willing to become licensed.
· Experience working in criminal court and forensic settings strongly preferred
· The ability to work as part of the defense team in a client-centered practice and maintain the confidentiality of all information obtained while working on the case.
· The desire and dedication to analyze all aspects of a client’s life that bear upon their current circumstance.
· Strong interpersonal skills in order to engage with family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, employers, and other potential mitigation/defense witnesses to obtain information regarding the client’s background and/or evidence to support the defense of the case or mitigating circumstances
· Strong writing skill and passion for writing detailed and persuasive reports that include mitigation as part of the pre-pleading and post-conviction phase of the client’s case
· Knowledge of the psychological, behavioral, and neurological diseases and disorders set forth in the DSM-5 and intergenerational trauma.
· Strong clinical assessment skills
· Desire to provide emotional support and guidance to the client
· Excellent writing, interpersonal, analytical, and organizational skills.
Position Information
This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position. The normal schedule is Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. The position is based at BDS’s offices, and the courts located in Downtown Brooklyn, Applicants should be prepared to move flexibly between in-person and remote work as policies and needs shift. Applicants for this position will be expected to meet clients in person.
BDS determines salary on a pay scale based on education and experience. For this position there is a salary range starting at $65,000-$84,500, based on education and experience. BDS offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance and a 403(b) retirement plan. In order to support work/life balance and family-friendly policies, BDS has generous vacation, sick, holiday, family, and medical leave policies.
Application Instructions
Click HERE to submit a cover letter and resume on our online application portal. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
Brooklyn Defender Services is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to celebrating diversity and maintaining an equitable and inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, expressions, orientations, disabilities, and experiences to apply. If you require an accommodation due to a disability or another reason, please contact the Managing Director of Human Resources, Christina Wallace, at cwallace@bds.org