The Bronx Defenders’ Law School Clinics
The Bronx Defenders offers two law school clinics through the Cardozo School of Law and Columbia Law School.
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Blueprint for Community Safety in the Bronx (Survey)
We need your help! The Bronx Defenders has created a Blueprint for Public Safety in the Bronx Survey to present to the next Mayor of New York City in January. Provide your input on how together we can make the Bronx safer for everyone. If you have five minutes, we just have a few quick…
NY Daily News: ‘Bronx Freedom Fund’ Pays Bail So Poor Misdemeanor Defendants Can Avoid Jail Time
Bronx residents who can’t make their bail now have a financial backer who can help them avoid jail time. The Bronx Freedom Fund has already helped five cash-strapped defendants charged with misdemeanor crimes avoid pretrial detention since it launched last week. Clients, many of whom have no prior arrests and face minor drug charges, are…
The Uptown Chronicle: Stop and Frisk – A Daily Reality
Jahlanni Greene, 17, is a happy high school student. Aki Ferguson, 25, is a butcher. Jason Stewart, 32, is a maintenance worker. All three lead different lives and are different ages, but they are all black men, they all live in Hunts Point and they have all been stopped and frisked by the officers of…
The New York Law Journal: The Bronx Defenders and Robin Steinberg
The Bronx Defenders, with a staff of about 200 advocates, provides support and services inside and outside the courtroom to more than 30,000 clients year. The Bronx Defenders notes that one in three people arrested are never convicted of a crime, yet they suffer drastic collateral consequences from their arrest alone. Up to 40 percent…
The Olympian: Public Defense System Seeks To Cure Root Issues
Daryl Rodrigues is someone who can find some good in just about anyone ensnared in the justice system for crimes they often, but not always, committed. As director of the Thurston County Office of Assigned Counsel, he has plenty of opportunity to search for redeeming qualities in defendants. He oversees 17 attorneys, two paralegals and…
Emma Ketteringham spoke at the 2013 International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Denver, CO on October 26th, 2013
On Saturday, October 26th, Emma Ketteringham, Managing Attorney of the Bronx Defenders’ Family Defense Practice, was a panelist for a roundtable discussion on the drug war’s impact on the criminal justice system during the 2013 International Drug Policy Reform Conference. The International Drug Policy Reform Conference is an event that happens every two years with…
NBC News: Family Separated After Family Court Closes Early
This week, Channel 4 news brought attention to the harm being caused to families by the lack of resources provided to New York City Family Courts. For those of us at The Bronx Defenders who represent parents in Bronx Family Court, the investigation revealed a devastating daily reality: family court can be a saddening and…
MintPress News: Does Bail Really Work To Promote Justice?
Former U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy once said: “What has been demonstrated here is that usually only one factor determines whether a defendant stays in jail before he comes to trial. That factor is not guilt or innocence. It is not the nature of the crime. It is not the character of the defendant. That…
New York Times: New, Young Help for Poor in Infamous Bronx Courts
On a recent afternoon in the South Bronx, Cordice Smith, a 79-year-old Korean War veteran wearing a Yankees hat, was standing in the tiled lobby of his apartment building — something he no longer takes for granted. Earlier this year, he almost lost his home after receiving a letter from his landlord’s lawyer: an eviction…
Marterra Walker
Marterra Walker (she/her/hers) comes to The Bronx Defenders with an extensive administrative background and committed to furthering the Bronx Defender’s mission of providing high-quality indigent defense. She has always had an unwavering commitment to social justice and uplifting impoverished communities. During her free time, Marterra mentors college students in the foster care system through the non-profit Of…
The Bronx Defenders Announced as Finalist for Nonprofit Excellence Awards
The Bronx Defenders Announced as Finalist for Nonprofit Excellence Awards The Bronx Defenders has been selected as one of six finalists for the 2013 New York Community Trust-New York Magazine Nonprofit Excellence Awards. The finalists were chosen in part due to their ability to improve services with thoughtful and well-executed strategies. The six finalists were selected…
The Bronx Defenders Announced as New York Law Journal Impact Awards Winner
As part of the New York Law Journal’s 125th anniversary celebration, the Law Journal has created the Impact Award to honor individuals, groups or projects that have had significant and lasting impact on the legal community in New York. The following, in no particular order, are the winners of the 2013 Impact Award. The honorees…
The Bronx Defenders participated in The 7th Annual Hunts Point Hustle
This past weekend, The Bronx Defenders participated in The 7th Annual Hunts Point Hustle, a non-competitive 5K run/walk event that started at Hunts Point Riverside Park and finished at Barretto Point Park. Proceeds from the Hustle will support host organization Sustainable South Bronx’s work promoting the development and beautification of the South Bronx Greenway. The…
The Bronx Defenders Wins the National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s 2013 Clara Shortridge Foltz Award
The Bronx Defenders is thrilled to announce that it will receive the National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s 2013 Clara Shortridge Foltz Award for its work pioneering holistic defense in the South Bronx. The Bronx Defenders is deeply grateful for the award and honored to be recognized as one of the many defender offices that…
City Limits: False Abuse Reports Trouble Child Welfare Advocates
In some neighborhoods in this city, it’s not uncommon for people to file an allegation of child abuse or neglect to settle a grudge. In a meeting with City Limits, lawyers and social workers from The Bronx Defenders, which represents parents with child welfare cases in the Bronx, described a string of such cases: a…
New York Law Journal: Pilot Program to Represent Detainees Facing Deportation
Aiming to foster the rights of immigrants and to keep their families together, two legal services organizations, the Bronx Defenders and Brooklyn Defender Services, have been picked for a unique pilot project to represent indigent detainees facing deportation. The two organizations will form the New York Immigrant Defenders, which will take on 166 cases in…
Immigration Attorney Sarah Deri Oshiro gave testimony to the New York City Council
In the 2010 case Padilla v. Kentucky, the Supreme Court ruled that criminal defense attorneys must explain the potential immigration consequences of criminal case dispositions to their clients. This past week, the New York City Council Committee on Immigration heard testimony regarding attorney compliance with the ruling in Padilla. Bronx Defenders Immigration Attorney Sarah Deri…
The Bronx Defenders Begins Screenings of “Redefining Holistic Defense: Stories of Holistic Advocacy”
The Bronx Defenders will screen its new training video, “Redefining Holistic Defense: Stories of Holistic Advocacy,” for the first time on Wednesday, September 25th at Berkeley Law. Berkeley Law Boalt Hall, Room 100 12:45 to 1:45 pm A project of The Center for Holistic Defense, “Redefining Holistic Defense,” follows the stories of four South Bronx…
Criminal Justice in the 21st Century: Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System
Robin Steinberg, Executive Director, and Marika Meis, Legal Director, attended a conference and contributed to a sweeping report coordinated by the Brennan Center and NACDL regarding racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system. According to NACDL, the report summarizes the “candid, sometimes painful panel discussions, and identifies a panoply of remedies that may advance…
Abe Krash Receives The American Lawyer’s ‘Lifetime Achievers’ Award
Our 2013 Partner in the Pursuit of Justice, Abe Krash, receives the Lifetime Achievers Award from The American Lawyer’s. The American Lawyer has announced that Arnold & Porter LLP retired partner Abe Krash is a recipient of its 2013 Lifetime Achievers Award. Since its inception in 2007, the magazine’s annual award is conferred upon several…
The Bronx Defenders welcomes our 2013 training team!
The Bronx Defenders is proud to announce the start of our 2013 training team. During the first year, our new attorneys will receive intensive training in Holistic Defense, working alongside our experienced Criminal, Family, and Civil Attorneys, as well as our Social Workers, Policy and Community Organizers and Community Intake team. Welcome to our new…
Rise Magazine: To Speak or Not to Speak
Brenda Zubay and Lisa Beneventano, Social Workers in The Bronx Defenders Family Defense Practice, were interviewed in the Fall 2013 issue of Rise Magazine. In the article, they discuss the benefits and dangers of revealing past trauma in court, and explain the importance of parents taking control of their story before the court takes control…
Join us to watch the reading of a new play: Four Little Girls
Join us this Sunday to watch a reading of a new play: Four Little Girls Streamed LIVE from Washington, DC We invite the Bronx community to join us for a special screening of the play “Four Little Girls” in our reception space on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 5:30 PM. We are going to live-stream the reading…
Bail or Jail: Watch Justine Olderman discuss the need for bail reform
Richard French speaks with the Chief Judge of New York State, Jonathan Lippman and with Justine Olderman of The Bronx Defenders about the current state of the jail and bail system in New York State. Justine Olderman: “We can say, ideally, it is about the presumption of innocence; it’s about the right to trial; it’s…