Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense (Felony Experience)

Job Description
The Legal Aid Society, the nation's oldest and largest social justice legal services organization, has immediate openings for experienced trial attorneys in the Criminal Defense Practice Trial offices throughout the city. The Criminal Defense Practice is the primary public defender in New York City, providing holistic, client-centered vertical representation to over 200,000 people facing misdemeanor, felony, and homicide charges.

Criminal Defense Attorneys hired for these positions will provide zealous advocacy in all phases of a person's criminal legal matter from arraignments through hearings and trials or plea negotiations, as well as other related proceedings. Attorneys in these positions must have experience representing clients charged with serious felony matters. This includes first chairing hearing and trials, negotiating pleas, and working with paid experts.

The ideal candidate is an NYS admitted criminal defense attorney who demonstrates a commitment to serving marginalized people and communities, has extensive criminal defense litigation and advocacy experience, and who vigilantly elevates the value of client centered advocacy using a race, gender equity and social and economic justice lens. Attorneys will be team members that are committed to shaping the defense and litigation strategy in partnership with other defense professionals and will contribute to a collaborative culture.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Provide client-centered, comprehensive representation from arraignments through trial, disposition or dismissal
Provide representation at arraignments including interviewing clients; connecting with family and others to aid in bail advocacy; connecting with supervised release, social workers and others to assist in addressing client needs and advocacy; presenting bail arguments and follow up with appropriate referrals
Prepare cases for advocacy and litigation, including submitting referrals for investigation, referrals for social work services and/or community-based programming as needed, and gathering information and researching law for effective representation
Conduct bail review hearings and writs of habeas corpus to secure client’s liberty post arraignments
Coordinate with specialty units to assist in advocacy including DNA Unit, Digital Forensics, Decarceration, Immigration and others
Consult and coordinate with supervising attorneys for case reviews
Review discovery materials to challenge certificates of discovery compliance, contest statements of readiness, secure all disclosures under discovery law, and prepare for litigation
Conduct any preliminary hearings, Crawford hearings, suppression hearings, and other pretrial hearings, and conduct trials
Prepare mitigation materials to advocate for diversion courts in connection with community-based programs or to advocate for sentencing
Advise and enter appropriate pleas in consultation and consent of clients addressing any collateral consequences of such plea
File appropriate notices of appeal and coordinate with appellate counsel
Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

A minimum of at least 3 years of demonstrated commitment to public defense, racial equity, and social justice with experience handling felony matters here in NYS or in other jurisdictions at least 2 years of experience representing clients on felony matters
Demonstrated litigation experience in pretrial suppression hearings and jury trials
Track record of strategically guiding casework, projects and/or relationships, applying good judgement and routinely pushing through roadblocks to achieve your goals
Ability to work in collaboratively and in community with other members of the office
Clear and effective oral and written advocacy and experience and a high level of organization to meet multiple competing deadlines
New York State bar admission (or ability to waive into New York State from another jurisdiction)