Closing Date: 8th July, 2024

Description:

A 501 Non-Profit Legal Aid Provider Based in New York City, the nation's oldest and largest social justice legal services organization is seeking dedicated, passionate Fellows in the Criminal Defense Practice. To learn more about how our attorneys and legal professionals enhance family and community stability and security please visit our website at https://www.legalaidnyc.org/what-we-do/ . Criteria for eligibility is listed below.

The Criminal Defense Practice runs from its dynamic advocacy of clients in court to its presence and partnership in communities. As the primary public defender in New York City, staff zealously and tirelessly work to protect the rights of the most marginalized and disenfranchised in society. Yet our scope, as the country's oldest and largest public defender, goes beyond any single case or client. Our community engagement, impact litigation, and broader advocacy consistently strive for increased fairness and humanity in the criminal justice system and seeks to reduce the devastating and permanent consequences of system involvement for our clients.

Through the work of our law reform units—the Special Litigation Unit (https://legalaidnyc.org/programs-projects-units/criminal-defense-practice-special-litigation-unit/) and the Prisoners' Rights Project (https://legalaidnyc.org/programs-projects-units/the-prisoners-rights-project/)—we bring impact litigation and conduct advocacy to advance systemic change. And through the work of our post-conviction units—DNA, digital forensics (https://legalaidnyc.org/programs-projects-units/digital-forensics-unit/), and others—we apply the latest advances to challenge the government and secure evidence essential to the defense of our clients.

For 2025, we are seeking proposals for the Criminal Defense Practice's law reform units or the practice's postconviction units by July 8, 2024. Areas of interest for proposals include, but are not limited to:

Intersection of mental health and the criminal legal system (SLU)
Police surveillance (SLU)
Protection of rights during incarceration (PRP)
DNA and Forensic Litigation and Reform (Post-conviction)
Domestic Violence Survivors Act Litigation Parole Defense release-related litigation, reform, and re-entry advocacy; Wrongful Convictions Unit, post-conviction reform work and litigation (Post-conviction)

The Criminal Defense Practice's law reform units and its post-convictions units will hold a virtual information session via zoom on June 13 from 12:pm-2pm to answer questions about the fellowship process, each respective unit, and each unit's areas of interest. Please register here to receive the zoom link:
Registration Link

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
The fellow will play an integral role in the work of The Legal Aid Society. The fellow's specific responsibilities will depend upon the project but may include:

Bringing impact litigation and conducting related policy advocacy in their law reform unit
Active participation in their law reform unit's impact litigation and advocacy agenda
Bringing litigation and conducting advocacy in their post-conviction unit
Active participation in their post-conviction unit's litigation and advocacy agenda

Requirements:

3L law students, judicial law clerks, and other recent law graduates eligible for fellowship funding
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Excellent legal research, analysis and listening skills
Ability to effectively navigate client/community concerns and communicate legal issues
Ability to manage time and multiple tasks and deadlines
Demonstrated commitment to low-income BIPOC communities
Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required