The mission of Brooklyn Defender Services is to provide high quality legal representation and related services to people who cannot afford to retain an attorney.

Brooklyn Defender Services is a public defender organization that represents nearly 40,000 people each year who are too poor to afford an attorney. Our staff consists of specialized attorneys, social workers, investigators, paralegals and administrative staff who are experts in their individual fields.

Our staff are highly qualified and specially trained to provide excellent legal representation to people charged with a crime or facing child welfare proceedings. Every client receives the services needed to defend his or her case, including an investigator to track down witnesses or recover evidence, a social worker to improve the life circumstances of our client and an excellent attorney who will analyze the legal issues in the case, try to negotiate a fair resolution of the matter and will represent the client at a trial.

BDS has many services for our clients on-site, including civil legal advocacy, such as assistance with educational needs of our clients or their children, housing and benefits advocacy and immigration advice and representation.

People who are arrested face many obstacles, even if their case was resolved in their favor. Some examples are loss of employment, suspension from school, eviction from public or private housing, deportation, forfeiture of property and loss of licenses. Our goal is to help clients with these issues as they arise. We also work to change these systems by challenging their legality and advocating for changes in the law.

Each year, there are 100,000 arrests in Brooklyn. Eighty-five percent of these arrests are for misdemeanors or a non-criminal offense. Ninety percent of the people arrested cannot afford an attorney. Brooklyn Defender Services staffs the court so that every person has an attorney as soon as they see the judge.

One thousand families each year get a similar benefit—they too have an attorney waiting in the courtroom to help them on the very day that proceedings are filed for removal of their children.

Many of our clients are people with a mental illness. Many of our clients are under the age of 18. A growing number are veterans facing difficulties in returning home. A large portion are suffering with drug addiction or alcoholism. It is only through a zealous voice advocating for those unable to speak for themselves that justice is done. BDS is that voice.

• Criminal Defense

  The sixth amendment of the United States Constitution gives every person charged with a crime the right to an attorney. People who are unable to afford an attorney are provided one free of charge. This is the primary function of Brooklyn Defender Services.

  In Brooklyn, there are approximately 100,000 arrests per year. BDS represents about 40% of the total people arrested in Brooklyn. About 15% of those cases are felony charges, meaning that the person is accused of a serious matter such as robbery or burglary. In such cases, BDS attorneys interview the client to determine if he or she may be innocent or have a defense to the charges. We investigate and follow up every lead our clients provide. We also work to achieve release from jail for our clients while the charges are pending. Attorneys pursue legal issues that can work to the client’s benefit and attempt to negotiate a plea bargain that will be advantageous for the client, particularly in cases where the client does not have a defense and committed the act he or she is charged with. In many cases, even in such a situation, the client is eligible for drug or mental health treatment rather than a jail sentence. Other social issues may be apparent, such as: our client was a veteran, or was a victim of domestic violence or other trauma. Our many social workers help our clients by identifying issues that are not related to the case itself, but to the person who was arrested. Attorneys use this information to pursue better options for their clients.

  Eighty-five percent of our clients are charged with misdemeanor offenses, meaning that the charges are a crime but not the most serious type of crime. Such charges include shoplifting, marijuana possession, trespassing and assaults (like bar fights). In such cases, BDS attorneys work hard to pursue any legal or factual defense the clients may have, including by interviewing witnesses, as with felony matters. However, with less serious matters, much of the damage to the client’s life can come in the form of collateral consequences. For example, a person can face deportation, even if they only had a misdemeanor charge. People living in public housing can face eviction. Many clients have very low paying jobs and face termination for missing even one day of work or for getting a conviction. Some cases even threaten a parent’s right to keep their child or a person’s right to return to their home.

  BDS provides many resources to address these other issues because, in our experience, such matters are more harmful to our clients than the impact the criminal charge itself. In addition, the impact of these types of disenfranchising consequences to large numbers of people in small areas of Brooklyn such as Brownsville or East New York also profoundly impacts those communities.

  BDS’s clients reflect the demographics of the criminal justice system in which a majority of the people arrested are people of color. Twenty-four percent of our clients — about 10,000 — are youth under 21 years of age and at least 15% live in public or Section 8 housing. About 17% of BDS’s clients—7,600 per year—are non-citizens.

  Specialized UnitsFor many of BDS’s clients, poverty, trauma, mental illness, and alcohol or drug abuse are the driving forces behind their involvement in the criminal or family systems. In order to address the unique needs and barriers many of our clients face, BDS has a number of dedicated and specialized units which provide targeted services to adolescents, clients with mental illness, victims of trafficking, veterans and clients with overlapping criminal and family court issues.

  Brooklyn Adolescent Representation Team BDS’s integrated adolescent representation team is comprised of ten attorneys working together with an educational attorney and a specialized team of social workers and advocates.

  Family/Criminal Integrated Team In 2002, BDS received funding from the City Council to initiate a pilot program in which BDS represented clients with pending criminal matters in their related Family Court proceedings. This was highly beneficial for the clients who were able to have one attorney fully familiar with the facts and circumstances of both cases, and could execute a coordinated legal strategy. For BDS, this allowed us to expand our legal and support services to the clients’ broader needs in a coherent and cost-effective manner. In 2007, the Integrated Domestic Violence (IDV) Court was created to bring related Family, Criminal, and Matrimonial cases to a single judge who hears all aspects of a case. With the creation of this specialized court, BDS’s Family attorneys were able to transfer their expertise and experience to serving clients in the IDV court where they represent more than 400 clients per year.

  Trafficking Team Our Trafficking Team is made up of experienced criminal defense attorneys who specialize in understanding and identifying the complexities related to human trafficking. They represent BDS’s clients in Brooklyn’s Human Trafficking Intervention Part, and are skilled in identifying collateral social and legal service needs – including issues of immigration, safety and trauma. Working closely with social workers, immigration attorneys, interpreters and other service providers, our trafficking attorneys seek to minimize the punitive nature of criminal justice contact and provide meaningful services for victims of trafficking who find themselves facing criminal charges.

  Mental Health Team Brooklyn Defender Services represents many clients who have a diagnosed mental illness. Two specialized attorneys with dedicated social work support represent some clients. Our specialized attorneys represent mentally ill clients at competency evaluations, hearings and other court appearances during the pendency of their case. It is also part of our mission to insure that these clients not only receive a fair and just disposition but also the best care and treatment possible. Research has proven that clients with a mentally illness who are offered an opportunity to participate in mental health courts are significantly less likely to get re-arrested than similar offenders with mental illness who experience traditional court processing.

  Brooklyn Defender Services played an important role in the development and launch of the Brooklyn Mental Health Court over 10 years ago. Brooklyn Mental Health Court serves as the model for treatment courts all over the world.

• Family Defense

  The Family Defense Project (BFDP) was formed in 2007 in response to a Request for Proposal issued by the City of New York that envisioned an institutional provider for respondents in Article 10 cases. Originally an office of Legal Services-NYC (LS-NYC), in December 2012, BFDP separated from LS-NYC and joined BDS. BFDP’s in-court and out-of -court advocacy has resulted in over 5,000 children leaving foster care out of the 6,500 of our clients’ children who were in care at some point during the Article 10 case. For more information see our additional website at http://bfdp.org.

  From its inception and since moving to BDS, BFDP has continued to develop and improve its model of high quality legal representation for parents involved in the child welfare system. From the growth of the Social Work Unit to the creation of the Young Mother’s Empowerment Project and partnerships with community-based agencies, BFDP has been creative in meeting the needs of poor people facing the loss of their children. With the addition of BDS’s on-site immigration, housing, and educational services and the other areas of expertise at BDS, BFDP is now able to provide more comprehensive one-stop legal and social services to clients. In addition, BFDP now works collaboratively with criminal defense attorneys on shared cases, improving outcomes for clients in both courts.

  The focus of BFDP’s work is to assert the due process rights of parents in Family Court, including their constitutional right to family integrity, while providing access to the benefits and services families need to stay together. Our highest priority is to get and keep children out of foster care safely. Studies and experience show that foster care stays result in poor outcomes for children due to the trauma of separation from their families and repeated moves within the foster care system. By zealously representing parents, BFDP reduces the likelihood of foster care placement in the first instance and reduces the average time children spend in foster care overall.

  In the six and a half years that BFDP has been providing institutional family representation, we have learned that most children involved in child welfare cases can live safely with their parents or family when they have access to benefits and appropriate services to meet the variety of needs and address the challenges that brought them into Family Court. Throughout the representation of our clients, our staff focuses on making sure parents and families receive these services, either through our own efforts or through agencies and programs in the community.

  In 50% of our cases, our clients’ children never enter foster care. Our zealous advocacy, including investigating cases, finding alternative solutions and getting services in place, has significantly reduced the likelihood and duration of foster care placement. In fact, since 2007, when the institutional providers were created, the foster care census has gone down from over 17,000 to under 12,000 children. By both challenging allegations in abuse and neglect petitions and helping families get the benefits and services they need to stay safe and stable, we are able to achieve family reunification for 70% of our clients.

  

• Immigration

  BDS’s Immigration Practice provides comprehensive and zealous representation to our clients, who face life-changing consequences at the intersection of the criminal justice system and the immigration system. Since 2009, we have counseled or represented over 7,500 clients. The Immigration Practice is comprised of the Padilla, Youth & Communities Team and the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) Team.

  Padilla, Youth & Communities

  The Padilla, Youth & Communities Team advises BDS criminal and family defense clients about the potential immigration consequences of criminal charges and family court proceedings, following our constitutional obligation under the Supreme Court’s holding in Padilla v. Kentucky to provide competent advice to criminal defendants to help them make an informed choice about their cases. BDS has one of the largest Padilla practices in the country, as a quarter of BDS criminal clients are foreign-born. Padilla attorneys work closely with criminal and family defense attorneys and staff in an early intervention model, providing immigration-related advice as early as the client’s arraignment and coordinating with court staff, prosecutors, social workers, and client families to promote the best possible outcome for the criminal, family, and/or immigration cases. Padilla attorneys also represent individual clients in applications for immigration status or benefits with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and in removal proceedings before the New York Immigration Court, helping clients stabilize their immigration status and seek safety from persecution, family re-unification, or benefits for victims of neglect, abuse, or violence.

  BDS’s Youth and Communities staff serve both BDS clients and Brooklyn community members by representing individual clients before USCIS, family court, and the New York Immigration Court, and have helped hundreds of clients secure permanent residence, asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Temporary Protected Status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and other benefits. The Youth & Communities project has run and staffed many community clinics and presentations, for example, to help Brooklyn’s Haitian community secure Temporary Protected Status, to help young people apply for DACA, and to provide critical “Know Your Rights” information, partnering with community based groups, elected officials, churches, and social service providers.

  The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP)

  The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project is the groundbreaking, first-in-the-nation universal representation program for detained immigrants, funded by the New York City Council and created in partnership with BDS. BDS staff have provided deportation defense to over 750 detained immigrants on an assigned counsel model since NYIFUP’s inception as a pilot program in the fall of 2013. NYIFUP was created after studies showed that detained immigrants in New York rarely secured counsel and that detained, unrepresented immigrants lost their deportation cases 97% of the time, causing wrongful deportations of people who had strong defenses to removal and tearing apart families who were losing a spouse or parent. NYIFUP is a national model of access to justice for detained immigrants and has spurred replication efforts across the country.

  BDS’s NYIFUP Team intakes detained clients at the Varick Street Immigration Court in New York City and represents them in bond hearings, merits hearings on their defenses to removal, and appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). In addition, BDS has a highly successful in-house federal court practice, and has litigated dozens of habeas corpus petitions challenging the wrongful detention of immigrants, including the Second Circuit’s landmark decision in Lora v. Shanahan.

  BDS’s Immigration Practice is comprised of twenty-three full-time staff attorneys, a fully accredited BIA representative, five paralegals (two of whom are partially BIA accredited), two legal assistants, and a social worker. The Immigration Practice has hosted several Immigrant Justice Corps fellows and other post-graduate fellows.

• Civil Justice

  The Civil Justice Practice aims to reduce the civil collateral consequences for low-income clients who have had interaction with the criminal, family or immigration justice systems. Through legal advocacy in court and at various agencies, we assist people in remaining in their homes, maintaining their public benefits, staying in school, keeping their jobs, and protecting their consumer rights. In order to achieve these ends we practice in almost all of New York City’s courts at every level from trial to appellate courts. We also assist criminal defense attorneys and their clients by identifying potential civil ramifications of guilty pleas and strategizing ways to minimize the risk of eviction, loss of employment and educational consequences as a result of a criminal conviction. Philosophically, the unit hopes to help our clients mitigate the real life consequences of criminal justice system contacts by providing a multi-disciplinary help in various trouble areas. Finally, in addition to our in-house work, we will engage with the community and hold external educational clinics in close partnership with numerous community-based organizations.

  

  Housing & Benefits Team Our Housing & Benefits Team has the goal of supporting the criminal practice by aiding to stabilize the living situation of our Brooklyn clients by representing clients in administrative proceedings, eviction proceedings, affirmative actions seeking repairs as well as advocate on their behalf for access to public benefits.

  • Support During the Criminal Matter. By identifying BDS clients from the different units (criminal, family, immigration and education) we can assist the stabilization of the family/individual and help advise the best resolution with a trained eye on the collateral consequences of the criminal matter, both in the realm of housing and public benefits..
  • Support for Eviction and Housing Proceedings. As some clients face eviction, the housing unit can step in and defend them from the owner, be it NYCHA or a private landlord. Further, in cases where conditions in the apartment become a serious enough problem to have consequences, such as bar to reunification of a family, the unit can bring affirmative litigation against owners so that they fix these conditions and the obstacles can be removed for our clients. NYCHA often brings termination proceedings against entire families based on minor arrests of guests or occupants; we defend these types of administrative hearings in order to prevent displacement of entire families.
  • Support for Termination or Denial of Public Benefits. As some clients face a difficult time in applying for and maintaining public benefits, we represent our clients in challenging agency decisions. This type of income/essentials of life support helps ground our clients in a multi-disciplinary manner, as the problems they face do not exist independent of one another. These include challenges to decisions by the Human Resources Administration, the Department of Homeless Services, the Social Security Administration and other agencies in the denial of shelter allowance, health care benefits, and income supportive benefits. Our Public Benefits Team will also be involved in helping craft new regulations as part of city-wide committees seeking to engage the new administration in public benefits reform.
  • Advocacy and Educational Outreach. As a leader in the legal services community, BDS is involved in city-wide conversations about cutting edge housing issues. As such we engage coalitions and other groups that seek to protect the tenant housing rights. We educate both the general public and vulnerable populations as to what rights they have before they have become involved in the system. In order to promote this knowledge the housing unit will work closely with Brooklyn community-based groups as well as police precincts, churches, community centers, libraries, local political officials, and other organizations, such as the Brooklyn Tenant Lawyers Network.

  Education Team Our Education Project seeks to improve opportunities for young Brooklyn residents by advocating for their educational rights in formal proceedings against the Department of Education, as well as informally and in collaboration with school officials.

  Frequently, the young clients BDS serves in family and criminal proceedings are “overage and under-credited,” and confronting obstacles to completing their education including, among other factors, overly harsh disciplinary proceedings, inappropriate special education services, and difficulty accessing alternative education options.

  We work with our young clients to identify their educational goals, and then provide the necessary representation and advocacy to remove the identified obstacles.

  BDS’ Education Project endeavors to not only to improve dispositional outcomes for our clients, but also to maximize our unique entry point into our client’s lives and ensure they get the support they need to pursue their educational goals and remain in the community.

• Special Projects

  BDS has been involved in dozens of court-based initiatives and special projects. Our staff participates in numerous court-improvement and bar association committees. One current project in which both our criminal and family practice staff is involved is the Center for Court Innovation’s “crossover” youth initiative, intended to address the issues that affect children who are both the subject of child welfare cases and have been arrested in either the juvenile or adult system.

  Jail-Based Services
  Nearly 80 percent of people in city jails are in pre-trial detention, meaning that they are unable to pay bail as they await the disposition of their criminal case. Only a small percentage of jail residents are actually serving time as a result of a conviction. The policy of pre-trial detainment means that many New Yorkers suffer serious collateral consequences simply as the result of an arrest – whether or not they are actually found guilty of the crime they have been accused of committing. These collateral consequences extend to every aspect of their lives, from parental rights, to employment, housing and educational rights and opportunities. Meanwhile the geographic isolation of Rikers Island, the largest collection of jail facilities in New York City, creates tremendous barriers for our clients in their efforts to maintain contact with their families, communities and attorneys while they are locked up.

  BDS launched Jail Services to mitigate the burdens that confinement creates for criminal defense and to protect our clients against these collateral consequences. Through our jail programming we are able to streamline our clients’ access to education, housing, family, immigration and re-entry services while attempting to meet their most immediate daily needs. Additionally, an established presence in New York City jails allows BDS to monitor and document the conditions New Yorkers encounter when incarcerated and advocate for the rights and welfare of our clients and other incarcerated people.
  
  Young New Yorkers
  Young New Yorkers is a restorative justice, arts program for 16-and 17-year-olds who have open criminal cases. The criminal court gives eligible defendants the option to participate in Young New Yorkers rather than do jail time, community service and have a lifelong criminal record. The curriculum is uniquely tailored to develop the emotional and behavioral skills of the young participants while facilitating responsible and creative self-expression. Central to the curriculum is the concept of taking responsibility for past actions as a necessary step before becoming valued members and leaders of one’s community. Each workshop is framed by a relevant theme: community; choice; accountability; responsibility; contribution; leadership. These themes are explored, as they relate to each participant, in conversation with the group and through art exercises utilizing photography, video, illustration, and design.

  A series of six intensive, hands-on workshops prepares the participants to design a public art installation that expresses a positive social message of their choice. Local artists join each workshop and assist the participants in weekly art projects. The weekly artworks and the final installation design are then presented to the public at the Young New Yorkers Finale. The Finale allows the participants to experience themselves as worthy, creative contributors to their communities, rather than as undeserving and irredeemable criminal actors.

  Young New Yorkers is supported by Brooklyn Defender Services and administered through the ADP initiative at the Red Hook Community Justice Center. Upon completion of the Young New Yorkers workshops, the participants avoid serving any jail time and, in most cases, have their criminal charges dismissed and sealed, leaving their young lives uninhibited by an adult criminal record. For more information see www.youngnewyorkers.org

  

  Community Projects
  Our dedication to the needs of the Brooklyn community is evident in the projects we have created in response to those needs. Through private foundation funding, as well as support from individual City Council members and the Council’s Immigrant Opportunities Initiative, BDS has:

  • Partnered with the Brooklyn Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer’s Project (VLP) to form community-based immigration clinics in Crown Heights for the Haitian community;
  • Created the Young Mothers Empowerment Project to meet the special needs of our teenage clients who are parents;
  • Developed a community model in Sunset Park to help young people apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an immigration status that makes undocumented young people eligible for school and work; and
  • Developed the Strengthening Families/Strengthening Communities project which holds community forums and Know Your Rights parent workshops throughout Brooklyn to inform communities about the child welfare system and discuss the impact of this system on low-income families.

Kevin Snover, Chairman of the Board
Gregory Cerchione, Secretary
Cindi Elibott Giglio, Treasurer
Suprotik Basu, Board Member
Andrea Bonina, Board Member
Robert J. Gunther, Jr., Board Member
Jeffrey Rona, Board Member
Lisa Schreibersdorf, Board Member and Executive Director

Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) is committed to high-quality and zealous representation on behalf of Brooklyn residents facing the criminal, family and immigration justice systems.   As part of this mission, BDS strives to ensure pro bono partnerships leverage resources and provide critical support for our clients in and out of the courtroom to ensure our clients obtain the best result possible in court and, hopefully, a better outcome in their lives.

BDS regularly partners with New York City’s major law firms, corporations and other members of the private bar on numerous cases from all of our practice areas.  Our pro bono partners have worked on individual cases, filed complaints in federal courts, co-authored amicus briefs, co-counseled hearings, filed and argued appeals and conducted research on novel areas of law.  BDS offers pro bono opportunities that not only present ideal opportunities for pro bono attorneys to get real courtroom experience and work with clients in need, but that result in just and better outcomes for our clients.  BDS offers both short- and long-term projects and has flexible co-counseling arrangements. Additionally, we offer comprehensive training programs, mentorship and supervision that will provide a meaningful experience for the pro bono attorney and the client.

Law firms, corporations, law-firm attorneys, and in-house counsel who are interested in joining Brooklyn Defender Services’ pro bono practice, please contact our Pro Bono Counsel Molly Meltzer at mmeltzer@bds.org.

Retired or Transitioning Attorneys interested in pro bono opportunities are welcomed at Brooklyn Defender Services.  Our organization is one of the host organizations of the Attorney Emeritus Program (AEP) established by ex-Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman in 2010.  Please visit this website to register for the program http://nycourts.gov/attorneys/volunteer/emeritus/about.shtml and contact Pro Bono Counsel Molly Meltzer at mmeltzer@bds.org.

Individual Volunteers are incorporated into our practices on an as-needed basis.  Please send a resume, particular skills you have that would lend itself to our work and your specific availability to mmeltzer@bds.org.

BDS opened its doors in 1996 as the first borough-specific public defender office in New York City, with 38 employees working around donated conference room tables out of office space recently vacated by the New York Telephone Co. That first year we lived rent-free, while the building was being renovated around us, and handled 10,000 cases.

Today, BDS is one of the largest defender offices in the country, representing tens of thousands of clients in criminal, family, immigration and civil cases annually. Our staff of 300 includes 180 attorneys and 120 social workers, investigators, paralegals, re-entry specialists, jail liaisons, community organizers and policy specialists as well as dedicated advocates for youth, veterans and parents. Our specialized defense approach allows us to provide targeted services for clients with mental illness or developmental disabilities, adolescent clients, trafficking victims and veterans.

 

Our primary mission at BDS is to represent people facing serious accusations from the government. We recognize that our clients face many additional challenges and obstacles related to their poverty. As the largest Brooklyn-based legal services provider, BDS’s interdisciplinary staff provides supplemental legal and social services on site to our clients, including immigration attorneys, housing attorneys, an education attorney and social workers who specialize in areas such as mental health and youth advocacy.

826NYC

ARISE (Action for Reform in Special Education)

Attorney General Office Criminal Justice and Mental Health Roundtable

Black Alliance for Just Immigration

Brooklyn Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer’s Project

Brooklyn Community Bail Fund

Brooklyn Community Services

Brooklyn Justice Corps

Brooklyn Justice Initiatives

Brooklyn Law School

Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association

Brownsville Community Justice Center

Camelot

Caribbean American Center of New York

CASES

Center for Community Alternatives

Center  for Court Innovation

Center for Family Life

Child Welfare Organizing Project

Children’s Museum of the Arts

Christ Church Fellowship Baptist Church

Coalition for Effective Behavioral Health Reforms and Dignity in Schools Campaign

Common Justice

Drew House & Project Greenhope

Esperanza

EXALT

Families for Freedom

Families Rising

Fortune Society

Good Shepherd Services

Haitian Centers Council

Haitian Family Resource Center

Haitian Legal Immigration Legal Assistance Program

Health Home Initiative

La Union

Lutheran Social Services

Medgar Evers College Adult Education Department

MFY Legal Service

NAMI- NY

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

New York State Bar Association

NY Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) Coalition with Legal Aid Society, Bronx Defenders, Make the Road New York, Center for Popular Democracy, Vera Institute, Cardozo Law School & Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights.

NYU Law School

Osborne Association

P2PH

Parent Providers Coalition (Bronx Defenders, Center for Family Representation)

Pinkerton Fellows at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Pro Bono Scholars

Ridgewood-Bushwick Young Adult Literacy Program

Shorefront YM-YWHA, Brighton-Manhattan Beach, Inc.

Shriver Center

STEPS

TASC, EAC-Link

YCP

Young New Yorkers

Click to download Brooklyn Defender Services’ 2016 Annual Report. 

If you are a Brooklyn resident and cannot afford an attorney, BDS will provide free advice.

In fear of being arrested? Call 718-254-0700 and ask for the operator.

In fear of having your children removed? Call 347-592-2500.

Know Your Rights Info

CCI’s Reentry Guide

Rikers Island Visitors’ Guide

ATTORNEY LOOKUP
Locate by name any attorney admitted to the New York State Bar and will supply you with address, firm and phone numbers, as well as date and department of admission.

NY City Dept. of Corrections Inmate Lookup

NY State Dept. of Corrections Inmate Lookup

WEBCRIMS
Repository for pending criminal cases in the five boroughs and several surrounding counties with information on adjournment dates, charges, attorneys, etc.

Brooklyn Defender Services Arraignment Schedule 

At this time, the Criminal Defense Practice at BDS is only accepting resumes from admitted attorneys with a demonstrated commitment to criminal defense.

To apply:  Submit resume and statement of interest to Rlafontaine@bds.org.

Please direct any specific inquiries to Richard LaFontaine, Esq. Director of Recruiting, via email at Rlafontaine@bds.org.

Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) seeks to hire a staff attorney to join our Civil Justice Practice in providing multi-disciplinary legal assistance to clients involved with the criminal, family or immigration court systems.

See idealist.org for the full job posting.

Brooklyn Defender Services seeks to hire an experienced Staff Attorney with at least two years of child welfare or related experience to join our Family Defense Practice.

See full job posting on Idealist.

BDS seeks a social worker to become part of its Family Defense Practice’s out of court advocate team of social workers and parent advocates. BDS’ Family Defense Practice (FDP) represents parents in child welfare cases in Brooklyn Family Court. FDP advocates for clients who have diverse, complex and multi-faceted needs in a high volume and very face-paced setting.

See the full job posting on idealist.org.

Criminal Defense Practice Brooklyn Defender Services’ intensive training program is designed for recent law graduates and attorneys who are new to the practice of criminal law in New York. Attorneys spend the first few weeks of their employment at BDS attending in-house lectures on various aspects of criminal defense, shadowing experienced attorneys and practicing their skills through simulations of various aspects of criminal practice.

The Appellate Division has granted us a student practice order which gives us the right to have law students and law graduates working for BDS to appear in court even though they are not yet admitted to practice law. This allows our interns, fellows and recent law graduates to handle cases with supervision.

Law Student Summer Internships

BDS has many relationships with local educational institutions, including clinical study programs from New York University Law School (the Offender Re-Entry Clinic, the Family Defense Clinic and the Community Defender Clinic), the Youth Justice Clinic of Cardozo Law School, the Criminal Defense Clinic of St. John’s School of Law and the CUNY Law School Family Law Concentration Clinic.

Brooklyn Defender Services also offers full-time summer internships to law students who have completed their second year of law school and have a commitment to public defense. The internship program lasts ten weeks. Intern duties may include legal research and writing, representation of clients in arraignments (under supervision), court appearances, client and witness interviews, trial preparation and investigation assistance.

Our law student summer internship program is extremely competitive and positions are limited. To apply for a criminal position, please send a cover letter and a resume to Jillian Modzeleski at jmodzeleski@bds.org. If you are interested in a family defense internship contact Chas Budnick at cbudnick@bfdp.bds.org.  Selected applicants will be interviewed and decisions made by March 2017.

All internships are volunteer positions. However, BDS will work with students to secure funding from outside sources or class credits where available.

Postgraduate Law Fellowships

Brooklyn Defender Services hosts fellows to work in our office on special projects. Each year, we aim to identify law student fellowship applications that meet our mission of serving underprivileged clients in Brooklyn through innovative proposals. These include Equal Justice Works fellowships, Skadden fellows, and Soros fellowships among others. We additionally welcome law students from around the country whose law schools have fellowship placement options, particularly post-graduate fellowships. Those interested in applying for fellowships hosted at BDS should send an email of introduction explaining their proposal to Molly Meltzer at mmeltzer@bds.org.

Investigative Assistant Internships

BDS seeks undergraduates and recent college graduates with an interest in and a commitment to social and criminal justice issues for our Investigative Assistant Internship. Investigators locate, interview and take detailed statements from the witnesses, run background checks on witnesses and police officers, review video surveillance footage, draft and serve subpoenas, photograph and diagram crime scenes, and transcribe audio recordings. Investigative assistants additionally provide administrative assistance to the investigator team.

While some of the investigative assistant’s work will take place in the office, much of it will be out in the field—in private homes, in local businesses, on the street and in the greater community. Ideal applicants should be comfortable working all over Brooklyn and should possess characteristics necessary to approach and interact with strangers about sensitive subjects. Candidates must be able to work in a collaborative setting and be able to produce high-quality written work.

The internship has a rolling admission deadline, and start and end dates can accommodate academic schedules. The internship will start with an intensive, multi-disciplinary two-week training where the interns will rotate shadowing some of our staff investigators. Investigative assistants will learn about our progressive approach to representation, our different practice areas and the laws and ethics involved in investigation. Following the initial training period, investigative assistants will continue to receive ongoing training and supervision from an experienced staff investigator who will serve as a mentor and will be responsible for assigning cases.

Required qualifications and abilities:
– Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
– Interest in criminal justice, especially the fields of criminal defense and the rights of the accused
– Strong writing ability
– Fluency in another language is highly desired, but not required

This internship is unpaid. We strongly encourage interns to apply to grants, fellowships or any other funding available through school or third-party organizations. Interns will be provided with unlimited monthly metro cards for the duration of their internship.

To apply, submit a resume and cover letter to Jheimy Soto (jsoto@bds.org) with the subject “Investigative Assistant Application.” Please specify which cycle you are applying to work for and if you will be working full or part time (e.g., Summer 2017, full time). Resumes and cover letters will only be accepted by email; no phone calls, please. If selected for an interview, applicants will be notified on a rolling basis.

June 29, 2017

BDS testifies before NYC Council Committees on Courts and Legal Services & Immigration Oversight Hearing on ICE Enforcement in NYC Courts. (PDF)

June 19, 2017

BDS BIA Accredited Representative Lindsey Buller testifies before the NYC Council Committee on Immigration hearing on Supporting New York City’s DREAMers and “DACA-mented” Youth. (PDF)

June 14, 2017

BDS Supervising Criminal Defense Attorney Yung-Mi Lee testifies before the NYC Council in support of legislation (Intro 1482) to require basic transparency in the NYPD’s use of surveillance technologies (PDF )

May 25, 2017

BDS submits written testimony to the NYC Council Executive Budget Hearing about the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) (PDF )

May 24, 2017

BDS letter to NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Correction Committee Chair David Weprin urging passage of the #HALTsolitary Confinement Act (PDF )

May 16, 2017

The Repeal the #BlindfoldLaw Coalition one-pager on the urgent need for discovery reform (PDF )

May 3, 2017

BDS testifies in front of the NYC Council Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services on Legislation to Remove Bureaucratic Obstacles to Paying Bail (PDF )

April 26, 2017

BDS testifies in front of the NYC Council Committee on Immigration, Committee on Public Safety and Committee on Education Joint Budget Hearing on Immigration and the Need for Increased Immigration Legal Services Funding (PDF )

April 24, 2017

BDS testifies in front of the New York City Council on Public Housing and Oversight & Investigations on Permanent Exclusions (PDF )

March 22, 2017

BDS testifies in front of the New York City Council Budget Hearing on Immigration (PDF )

March 15, 2017 

BDS testifies in front of the New York City Council Committee on Immigration on the Impact of New Immigration Enforcement Tactics on Access to Justice and Services (PDF )

March 7, 2017

BDS testifies in front of the New York City Council Committee on Courts and Legal Services Preliminary Budget Hearing (PDF )

February 13, 2017

BDS testifies in support of #FairFares for low-income New Yorkers at NYC Council (PDF )

BDS testifies in support of legislation related to fostering family engagement in juvenile detention facilities at NYC Council (PDF )

February 9, 2017

Memo of Support of A4880 (Blake), An Act to Amend the Insurance Law, in Relation to Charitable Bail Organizations (PDF )

February 6, 2017

BDS testifies on raising the age of criminal responsibility before the NYS Senate (PDF )

Check out our infographic on our Raise the Age adolescent court model here.

January 19, 2017

BDS testifies on raising the age of criminal responsibility at NYC Council (PDF )

January 11, 2017

Joint Letter from Public Defenders and Civil Rights Organizations to NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito calling for a Vote and Passage of the Right to Know Act (PDF )

Read more on the Right to Know Act

December 22, 2016

BDS Letter to Governor Cuomo Provides Concrete Steps that New York Can Take to Protect Immigrants from Mass Deportation (PDF )

December 20, 2016

BDS submits comments to the NYC Department of Education on proposed amendments to Chancellor’s Regulations A-210 & A-750 (PDF )

December 19, 2016

BDS’ testifies on the need to end the criminalization of poverty in fare evasion enforcement and reinvest resources in fare assistance at the MTA (PDF )

December 14, 2016

BDS testifies about child welfare preventive services at NYC Council (PDF )

December 1, 2016

Andrea Sáenz and Nyasa Hickey, Supervising Attorneys in BDS’ Immigration Practice, Spearhead Letter from Immigration Legal Service Providers & Advocates to Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Supporting Urgent Reform of New York’s High-Arrest Policies to Prevent Detention and Deportation of Immigrant New Yorkers (PDF )

November 30, 2016

BDS testifies about educational services for youth detained on Rikers Island at NYC Council (PDF )

November 2, 2016

BDS testifies about the Nuisance Abatement Fairness Act at NYC Council (PDF )

October 31, 2016

BDS and The Bronx Defenders submit joint testimony on vulnerable families’ interactions with city agencies before, during and after child welfare proceedings to NYC Council (PDF )

October 26, 2016

BDS testifies about Justice Reboot at NYC Council (PDF )

October 21, 2016

BDS testifies about police accountability and the Civilian Complaint Review Board at NYC Council (PDF )

BDS testifies about multi-agency support for immigrant families at NYC Council  (PDF )

September 26, 2016

BDS testifies about new jail legislation at NYC Council (PDF )

September 23, 2016

BDS testifies about wrongful convictions at NYC Council (PDF )

September 21, 2016

BDS testifies about engaging incarcerated youth and their families at NYC Council (PDF )

September 15, 2016

BDS testifies about civil forfeiture as extortion of the poor at NYC Council  (PDF )

September 14, 2016

BDS Joins 340+ Civil & Human Rights Organizations in Telling DHS: Stop Detaining Immigrants in Private Prisons (PDF )

August 29, 2016

BDS Joins Nine Other Organizations in Opposing DOC’s Plan to End the Transgender Housing Unit in City Jails  (PDF )

June 28, 2016

BDS Sends Letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo Requesting His Signature on Gravity Knife Reform Legislation (PDF )

Check out our infographic on gravity knives, “Why Are Carpenters Being arrested for Carrying Their Tools?”  here.

June 23, 2016

BDS testifies on improving access to criminal courts and compliance with the ADA at NYC Council (PDF )

June 2, 2016

BDS testifies in support of legislation requiring DOC to provide free feminine hygiene products in City jails at NYC Council (PDF )

May 26, 2016

BDS testifies on RAP sheet errors and court record accuracy at NYC Council Committee on Courts and Legal Services Hearing (PDF )

BDS testifies on correctional healthcare at NYC Council (PDF )

May 3, 2016

BDS Testifies at NYC Council Committee on Public Safety and the Committee on Oversight and Investigations (PDF )

April 6, 2016

BDS Memos in Support of Two Bills to Decriminalize Possession of Common Workers’ Utility Knives (A4821/S3675 PDF) (A9042/S6483 PDF )

Check out our infographic on gravity knives, “Why Are Carpenters Being arrested for Carrying Their Tools?”  here.

April 5, 2016

BDS submits testimony in support of Resolution 928A-2015 at NYC Council (PDF )

March 28, 2016

BDS Testifies at NYC Council Committee on Immigration Budget Hearing (PDF )

BDS immigration client Samuel David Flores Murillo testifies at NY City Council Immigration Committee Budget and NYIFUP Hearing (English) (PDF )

Testimonio de David Flores Murillo – NY City Council Immigration Committee Budget and NYIFUP Hearing (Spanish) (PDF )

March 23, 2016

BDS Testifies at NY City Council Committee on Courts and Legal Services Preliminary Budget Hearing (PDF )

March 21, 2016

BDS testifies on proposed rule changes at NYC Human Rights Commission Hearing (PDF )

March 1, 2016

BDS Releases Statement in Support of Kalief’s Law (S5988A/A8296A) (PDF )

February 29, 2016

BDS testifies about speedy trial concerns in NYC courts at NYC Council (PDF )

February 4, 2016

BDS testifies about students who are homeless or in temporary housing at NYC Council (PDF )

January 25, 2016

BDS testifies about proposed changes to enforcement of quality of life offenses at NYC Council (PDF )

January 12, 2016

BDS testifies on proposed rules for U Visa certification requests at NYPD Hearing (PDF )

December 15, 2015

BDS testifies on the need to reform NYCHA’s permanent exclusion policy at NYC Council (PDF )

BDS testifies on abuse and mistreatment of women in City jails at NYC Council (PDF )

December 9, 2015
BDS testifies on the need for more resources for unaccompanied immigrant minors at NYC Council (PDF )

December 4, 2015
BDS testifies about Client Satisfaction Survey at NYC Council (PDF )

November 6, 2015
Supplemental BDS Testimony before NYC Board of Corrections Opposing Jail Visiting Restrictions and Rollback of Solitary Confinement Reforms (PDF )

October 19, 2015
BDS Testifies on the Impacts of Court Obstacles and Overcriminalization on Immigrants at NYC Council (PDF )

Clarence Threlkeld, BDS Immigration Client, Testifies Before City Council About His Courthouse Arrest by ICE (PDF )

October 16, 2015
BDS Response to Discriminatory Department of Correction Plan to Restrict Visiting and Packages and to Rollback Solitary Confinement Reforms

October 13, 2015
BDS Testifies on the Department of Correction’s New Policy on Uniforms for People in City Jails at NYC Board of Correction Hearing  (PDF )

October 1, 2015
BDS testifies about youth homelessness at NYC Council (PDF )

September 18, 2015
BDS testifies on the effectiveness of Human Trafficking Intervention Courts at NYC Council (PDF )

BDS testifies about creating a task force to study veterans in the criminal justice system at NYC Council (PDF )

August 18, 2015
BDS Expresses Strong Support for Kalief’s Law (S. 5988/A. 7841) to Ensure Swifter Resolution for Defendants (PDF )

June 17, 2015
BDS Testifies at NYC Council Oversight Hearing on New York’s Bail System and the Need for Reform (PDF )

June 12, 2015
Memo of Support for A2699/ S5593 & A2990/S2029 to Seal Certain Criminal Convictions and “Ban the Box” on Job Applications (PDF )

May 7, 2015
BDS testifies about criminal justice reform at the NYS Assembly (PDF )

May 6, 2015
BDS Testifies on Dept. of Correction Reporting Bills at NYC Council (PDF )

BDS testifies on the need for behavioral health screening in City jails at NYC Council (PDF )

BDS Calls for Provision of “Connections” guidebook to All DOC Detainees Upon Intake at NYC Council Committee on Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Hearing (PDF )

April 23, 2015
Memo of Support for S.3675/A.4821 to End the Criminalization of So-Called “Gravity Knives” (PDF )

April 14, 2015
BDS testifies on school discipline reform at NYC Council (PDF )

March 27, 2015
Testimony Before the New York City Council Committee on Courts & Legal Services Preliminary Budget Hearing (PDF )

March 20, 2015
Memo to Legislators: Raise the Age Reform Will Cause Additional Delays in Resolving Child Welfare Cases in Family Court (PDF )

March 17, 2015
Testimony before New York City Council on ACS & DHS Preliminary FY2016 Budget (PDF )

March 3, 2015
BDS testifies on healthcare in City jails before NYC Council (PDF )

Letter to NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Legislation Expanding Unconstitutional, Counterproductive Sex Offender Exclusions (PDF )

February 25, 2015
BDS’s Veterans Advocacy Specialist Cameron Mease Testifies at the NYC Council Hearing on Veterans Treatment Courts

February 23, 2015
Sergio Jimenez, Housing Unit Director at BDS, joins NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and Advocates to Call for Improved Language Access in Housing Courts

February 10, 2015
BDS Calls for Board of Correction Scrutiny of DOC’s Implementation of New Solitary Rules

December 30, 2014
BDS Sends Open Letter to City, State, & Federal Elected Officials Urging Intervention to Stop DOC’s Expansion of Solitary Confinement through “Enhance Supervision Housing Unit” program

December 19, 2014
BDS testifies at Board of Corrections hearing on Enhanced Supervision Housing

December 9, 2014
Sergio Jimenez, Director of BDS’ Civil Justice Practice, Testifies before the NYS Assembly Hearing on Civil Forfeiture (PDF )

November 13, 2014
BDS’s Lisa Schreibersdorf Speaks to the NYS Assembly on the Fundamental Inappropriateness of Prisons and Jails as Mental Health Treatment

October 8, 2014
BDS Testifies before the NYC Council on (Mis)Treatment of Adolescents in New York City Jails

June 12, 2014
BDS’s Lisa Schreibersdorf Speaks in Support of NYC Council Bill Requiring Public Reporting on DOC’s Use of Solitary Confinement

Brooklyn Defender Services handles approximately 40 percent of the overall criminal cases for the Borough of Brooklyn, making our client profile indicative, if not entirely representational, of the wider law enforcement trends across the city, as they pertain to arrests, custody and court adjudication.

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BDS’s Special Litigation Counsel works with BDS defenders and clients, outside counsel and activists, to identify systemic criminal justice deficiencies and constitutional violations that unjustly affect criminal justice outcomes for our clients. Once identified, special litigation lawyers strategically litigate those issues in State and Federal courts to improve both process and outcomes for all accused New Yorkers. From challenging unreasonable bail conditions when a case starts to overbroad barriers to re-entry when it’s over, BDS is striving to make the criminal justice system accountable to those it intends to serve through its growing impact litigation practice.

Brooklyn Defender Services has amassed a wealth of experience and expertise on the complexities that inform our client’s lives and their involvement in the justice system. BDS works with each of the courts and other stakeholders to improve procedures and policies that affect our clients in each of the courts where we are the institutional provider.

As zealous advocates for our clients and the communities we serve, it is also our duty to contribute to the larger conversations taking place within the criminal, family and immigration justice systems in order to facilitate meaningful changes. Through our presence on working groups and coalitions, the use of our external communications, position papers, blog, and other forums we seek to educate system players, legislators and community members about the critical issues facing our clients and give voice to some of New York’s most vulnerable populations.

• Open Letter to Senate Democrats on ‘Raise the Age’
• Legislative Memo: Raise the Age Reform Will Cause Additional Delays in Resolving Child Welfare Cases in Family Court
• New York State Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Raise the Age Position Paper
• ‘Raise the Age’ article in Atticus Magazine from Staff Attorney Susannah Karlsson
• Bringing the Best of Both Worlds: Recommendations for Criminal Justice Reform for Older Adolescents, Cardozo Law Review Article by BDS Executive Director Lisa Schreibersdorf
• Getting it Right: Raising the Age and Justice System Reforms for Adolescents, Blog Post from BDS Executive Director Lisa Schreibersdorf

• A Right to Attorney in NYC Immigration Court
• The New York Family Unity Project