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 45,000 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

  At BDS, we have long recognized the value of providing on-staff immigration legal services to our clients. In recent years, as the immigration landscape has become less flexible and more complex, immigration legal services have become even more vital both for zealous criminal defense and to advocate for our clients and promote their best interests in other respects. Today, BDS’s vibrant Immigration Practice is comprised of eleven full-time immigration attorneys, three paralegals (one of whom is accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals), a community liaison, and an administrative assistant. We are a Board of Immigration Appeals recognized legal service provider.

  BDS takes an innovative approach to the representation of immigrants. Our immigration attorneys are an integral part of our office, functioning in an embedded capacity to work closely with our public defenders through every step of any case involving immigration issues. Our immigration attorneys are thus able to draw on the vast resources, knowledge and experience of our public defense practice to forge creative and sophisticated solutions to immigration-related issues.

  BDS’s Immigration Practice provides a wide array of services to its clients. Padilla support (advice regarding the potential immigration consequences of criminal proceedings) is provided to thousands of clients each year. In addition, BDS immigration attorneys often intervene in the criminal case early on, which may help avoid immigration court proceedings altogether or, at minimum, give the client advice about whether such proceedings are likely to be initiated and whether he or she may be able to raise a successful defense to deportation if they are. To facilitate this early intervention, an immigration attorney is available during all arraignment shifts, whether day, night or weekend, and continues to be available for ongoing consultation throughout the course of a criminal case. Amidst the hectic first court appearance, our specialized immigration attorneys interview clients in the arraignment jail cells and coordinate with client families, the Police Department, the Department of Corrections and court personnel. This early entry into the case has an enormous impact on immigration outcomes, either avoiding the client’s detention by ICE altogether, occasionally obtaining evidence that the client is in fact a United States Citizen and had been erroneously targeted by ICE, and/or allowing attorneys to proactively prepare the case for later advocacy in the immigration system.

  Our immigration practice goes far beyond simple Padilla advisals and coordination with the defense attorney while the criminal case is pending, as BDS immigration attorneys routinely take on cases for direct representation. To date, through administrative and court-based advocacy before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Patrol, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review, BDS’s Immigration Practice has already been remarkably successful in obtaining lawful immigration status and preventing deportation for clients who have valid claims. For example, we have helped multiple victims of crime, trafficking or domestic violence obtain relief from deportation. We have won applications for relief from removal, as well as termination of deportation proceedings so that clients could pursue available avenues of lawful status. We have helped clients obtain lawful permanent residence or U.S. citizenship. We have helped our clients obtain lawful status, including by filing special motions in family court that make clients eligible for a form of relief for minors who have been abandoned, abused or neglected by one or both parents called Special Immigrant Juvenile status. And we have filed numerous collateral challenges allowing clients to withdraw prior pleas due to the failure of their prior attorney to advise of the immigration consequences of that plea. Obtaining such post-conviction relief may help the client defeat deportation altogether or open avenues of immigration relief that were not previously available. We have also secured clients’ release from immigration custody so that they can be reunited with their families while they fight their immigration cases.

  Because we are one of Brooklyn’s largest legal service providers with in-house immigration expertise, we are well-poised to deliver our immigrant legal services to other underserved Brooklyn immigrants. In addition to our in-house work, BDS created and implemented our community-based Haitian Immigration Legal Assistance Program (HILAP), to help Brooklyn Haitians receive and retain Temporary Protected Status and other immigration protections after the Haitian earthquake in early 2010. In 2012, we also launched our Immigrant Youth Project, which included Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) clinics in partnership with Brooklyn Bar Volunteer Lawyers Project and community-based organizations. Since 2010, BDS has held more than 70 community law clinics, recruited and trained more than 360 volunteer attorneys and provided immigration legal advice and assistance to more than 1,300 Brooklyn residents. To maximize our reach and the services afforded to our clients, we work often and closely with other community based groups, elected officials, churches, and social service providers.

   

• 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

  New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) Pilot Program
  This year, City Council approved a grant for the launch of a pilot program in New York City to provide legal representation to indigent immigrants in detained deportation proceedings. In October 2013, BDS and our consortium partner Bronx Defenders were selected by CJC’s contractor, the Vera Institute of Justice, after a competitive bidding process to be the legal service providers in this momentous program, which seeks over the long term to provide public defenders for all poor immigrants residing in New York who have been detained and are facing deportation. The pilot program is the first of its kind in the country.

  NPR Story on our Immigrant Family Unity Project

  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.

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

Brooklyn Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer’s Project

Brooklyn Justice Corps

Brooklyn Justice Initiatives

Brownsville Community Justice Center

Center for Community Alternatives

Good Shepherd Services

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Pinkerton Fellows at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

 

In 1996, Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) was selected by the City of New York to become the first borough-specific indigent defense office to handle the cases of poor people arrested in Brooklyn. At that time, BDS represented 10,000 clients each year. In the ensuing years, BDS has established itself as a nationally known public defender office that provides extensive services to the poor community in Brooklyn. BDS employs a large staff of highly dedicated and vibrant attorneys, social workers, investigators and support personnel who work on matters of utmost urgency for the clients we represent—our core public defense practice consists of criminal, family and immigration defense for people facing the dire consequences of imprisonment, loss of their children or deportation.

Originally, BDS represented 10% of the people charged with crimes in Brooklyn. It has since grown to 45%. Our family defense practice handles approximately 80% of the cases of parents facing allegations of abuse or neglect. With the addition of immigration, housing, education and other legal services, BDS has become the largest one-stop legal office for poor people in Brooklyn.

• 1996 Awarded New Indigent Defense Contract; 10,000 cases funded by Criminal Justice Coordinator’s Office (first time a new institutional defender added to Brooklyn criminal courts)
• 2001 Adds specialized mental health practice — funded by the Open Society Institute and Van Ameringen Foundation
• 2002 Works with the Fortune Society to provide Family Court services to ex-offenders
• 2003 Adds crossover criminal/family practice with funding from New York City Council
• 2006 Grows from handling 10% of indigent defense case to 20%.
• 2008 Begins immigration practice
• 2010 Creates Haitian Immigration Legal Assistance Program in collaboration with local bar associations, a pro bono project later funded by New York Community Trust
• 2011 Creates and chairs Brooklyn’s multi-agency Racial Justice Task Force — funded by the American Bar Association and the United States Bureau of Justice Assistance
• 2012 Incorporates Family Defense contract from Legal Services of New York City
• 2013 Brooklyn Defender Services creates first-in-nation public defense program for detained immigrants
• 2014 Adds Housing, Benefits and Education Units to Civil Justice Practice
• 2014 Begins Jail-Based Services Project

Kevin Snover, Chairman of the Board
Gregory Cerchione, Secretary
Cindi Elibott Giglio, Treasurer
Suprotik Basu, Board Member
Andrea Bonina, Board Member
Robert J. Gunter, Jr., Board Member
Jean Hegler, 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.

 

September 2014

A BDS investigator was recently out on an investigation on the street in Crown Heights talking to a likely witness/friend of a client who wasn’t really warming up to him.   The witness/friend wasn’t hostile, but he wasn’t very forthcoming either.  As the investigator was trying to finesse some more information out of the witness, he noticed someone approach the house from behind him.  The investigator turned toward the person and they made eye contact.

It was “Mr. Johnson,” a former client, and he broke out into the biggest smile and acted like the investigator was an old friend.  The guy he had been talking to immediately started telling the investigator more, interrupted by the two of them talking about how good Brooklyn Defender Services is, how many people they know whom we’ve helped.  “Mr. Johnson” told the other guy that BDS had helped him beat all four counts he faced [he was acquitted of the charges against him].  As a result of this encounter, our current client’s friend/witness gave the investigator his full name and number, said of course he’d try to help us out, since we had helped his friend, and asked for a few more cards to give to anyone who might be able to share more information.

It was a great moment, and now a current client of ours will be better served because of the work we did for “Mr. Johnson” and others.

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 

BDS seeks a passionate individual to advocate for our incarcerated clients in New York City. The ideal candidate will have a social justice background, excellent written advocacy skills, experience working with people who are currently or formerly incarcerated, and a demonstrated commitment to working on behalf of this population. A strong candidate for Jail Services Advocate is comfortable working with a broad range of people including clients and their families, attorneys, agency officials, law enforcement agents, social workers and other advocates.

See full job posting on idealist.org.

BDS seeks a staff attorney for its Family Defense Practice (FDP). FDP represents low-income parents in child welfare and related family court cases in Brooklyn Family Court. Through holistic representation in an interdisciplinary setting, FDP helps families obtain the benefits and services they need to keep their families safe and stable.

See full job posting on Idealist.org.

BDS requires excellent Junior Investigators to assist our attorneys in providing high-quality representation to our clients. The Junior Investigator position is perfect for inquisitive and empathetic people that are dedicated to social and criminal justice issues. Applicants with prior experience may be considered for a position as Investigator.

See full job posting on idealist.org.

The submission deadline for law students and recent law graduates for this year has passed and we are not currently accepting new applications. Please check back in the summer for information regarding our interview schedule for the fall of 2016.

Admitted attorneys with two or more years of litigation experience (criminal law preferred) may still apply on a rolling basis by sending a cover letter and resume to Richard LaFontaine, Esq., Director of Recruiting, 177 Livingston Street, 7th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, either by mail or via email to rlafontaine@bds.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. If you are interested in an immigration internship contact Nyasa Hickey at nhickey@bds.org. We will accept applications until January 15, 2015.  Selected applicants will be interviewed and decisions made by March 2015.

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 Joy Chen at jchen@bds.org with the subject “Investigative Assistant Application.” Please specify which cycle you will be applying to work for and if you will be working full or part time (ex: Summer 2016, 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.

September 21, 2016

BDS’ Rebecca Kinsella, Youth Social Worker, Testifies before the New York City Council on Family Engagement for New York City’s Detained Youth (PDF )

September 15, 2016

BDS’ Anca Grigore, Civil Justice Practice Staff Attorney, Testifies before the New York City Council on Civil Forfeiture as Extortion of the Poor  (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’ 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

Improving Access to Criminal Courts, Compliance with the ADA — Riley Doyle Evans Testifies at City Council (PDF )

June 2, 2016

Andrea Nieves Testifies Before the New York City Council Committee on Women’s Issues in Support of Legislation Requiring DOC to Provide Free Feminine Hygiene Products in City Jails (PDF )

May 26, 2016

Reentry Specialist Wesley Caines testifies on RAP sheet errors and court record accuracy at oversight hearing of the New York City Council Committee on Courts and Legal Services (PDF )

May 26, 2016

Jail Services Coordinator Riley Doyle Evans testifies on correctional healthcare before the New York City Council Committees on Fire and Criminal Justice Services, Health, and Mental Health, Developmental Disability, Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Disability Services (PDF )

May 3, 2016

BDS Reentry Specialist Wesley Caines testifies before the New York City 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

Testimony of Nyasa Hickey at NY City Council Committee on Immigration Hearing on Resolution 928A-2015 (PDF )

March 28, 2016

Testimony of Nyasa Hickey at NY City Council Committee on Immigration Budget Hearing (PDF )

Testimony of Samuel David Flores Murillo 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

Testimony of Lisa Schreibersdorf at NY City Council Committee on Courts and Legal Services  Preliminary Budget Hearing (PDF )

March 21, 2016

BDS Testifies at City Human Rights Commission Hearing on Proposed Rules Changes (PDF )

March 1, 2016

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

February 29, 2016

BDS Testifies at New York City Council Courts and Legal Services Hearing Examining Speedy Trial in New York City Courts (PDF )

February 4, 2016

BDS Testifies Submits Testimony to Council on DOE’s Support for Students who are Homeless or in Temporary Housing (PDF )

January 25, 2016

BDS Testifies Before Council on Proposed Changes to Enforcement of Quality of Life Offenses (PDF )

January 12, 2016

BDS Testifies Before NYPD on Proposed Rules for U Visa Certification Requests (PDF )

December 15, 2015

BDS Testifies Before Council on Need to Reform NYCHA’s Permanent Exclusion Policy (PDF )

BDS Testifies Before Council Hearing on Abuse and Mistreatment of Women in City Jails (PDF )

December 9, 2015
BDS’ Katherine Russell, Esq. and Amy Albert, Esq. Testify on the Need for More Resources for Unaccompanied Minors (PDF )

December 4, 2015
BDS Testifies Before NYC Council Hearing on Intro 958 – Client Satisfaction Survey (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 Before NYC Council Hearing on the Impacts of Court Obstacles and Overcriminalization on Immigrants (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 at NYC Board of Correction Hearing on the Department of Correction’s New Policy on Uniforms for People in City Jails (PDF )

October 1, 2015
BDS Testifies at NYC Council Committee on Juvenile Justice Oversight Hearing on Examining ACS’s Juvenile Offender Population (PDF )

September 18, 2015
BDS Testifies at NYC Council Oversight Hearing on the Effectiveness of Human Trafficking Intervention Courts (PDF )

BDS Testifies before the NYC Council Committee on Veterans on Int. 793 – In relation to creating a taskforce to study veterans in the criminal justice system (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 before NYS Assembly on Criminal Justice Reform (PDF )

May 6, 2015
BDS Testifies at NYC Council Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services Hearing on DOC Reporting Bills (PDF )

Riley Doyle Evans, BDS’ Jail Services Coordinator, Testifies before the New York City Council on the Need for Behavioral Health Screening in City Jails (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
Keren Farkas, Director of BDS’ Education Unit, Testifies at NYC Council Hearing on School Discipline Reform (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’s Jail Services Coordinator Riley Doyle Evans Testifies at the NYC Council Hearing on Healthcare in City Jails

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.

More

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