Civil Attorneys advise clients on the collateral consequences of contact with the criminal system and represent clients in the array of civil legal forums with a focus on helping clients stabilize their lives. Whether it is a housing, public benefits, or employment matter, or a large-scale challenge to systemic injustice, Civil Attorneys at The Bronx…
Community Intake Advocates serve as the primary representatives of our open-door practice for members of the community seeking legal assistance. Community Intake Advocates provide early intervention, assistance navigating legal systems and high-quality referrals for over a thousand community members a year.
Social Workers at The Bronx Defenders, all Master’s Level Graduates, are integral to the model of holistic defense. Strategizing with lawyers and other advocates, Social Workers assist clients with the underlying issues that led to their contact with the criminal justice and family court systems. Using a socio-ecological framework, Social Workers advocate for clients in…
Our Investigators work tirelessly on behalf of clients facing not only criminal charges but the full array of other civil legal issues. Investigators, working in both the office and in the community, comb the streets looking for evidence, canvassing for witnesses and helping clients in times of need. Investigators become involved with a client’s case…
Our Immigration Attorneys work alongside criminal defense attorneys and other advocates to advise non-citizen clients of the draconian immigration consequences of contact with the criminal justice system. Our Immigration Attorneys fight for outcomes that avoid or mitigate the devastating effects criminal convictions have on the ability of residents and workers to remain in the country….
Our Criminal Defense Attorneys represent clients charged with crimes in Bronx Criminal and Supreme Courts from the first moments of their arraignment all the way to trial. Bringing a unique client-centered perspective to the criminal case from inception to outcome, our attorneys focus their work on serving a client’s interests above all. By representing a…
Gbenga Akinnagbe from ‘The Wire’ joins HuffPost Live to talk about his recent court victory, challenging stop & frisk policies and intolerance for free speech. Hosted by: Alicia Menendez Guests: Gbenga Akinnagbe @GbengaAkinnagbe (New York, NY) Actor Matt Sledge @MGSledge (New York , NY) HuffPost National Reporter Alejandro Fernandez @BronxDefenders (New York, NY) Staff Attorney…
Levele Pointer, South Bronx resident, member of the Bronx Defenders Organizing Project and a NYHRE peer educator, shares his stories of getting stopped and frisked in New York City. This is the first in a series of South Bronx stories about the harmful impact on individuals and communities of discriminatory police practices. Recording, editing, and…
The Center for Holistic Defense at The Bronx Defenders The 2013 Holistic Defense for Public Defender Offices Technical Assistance Project Request for Proposals The Center for Holistic Defense, a project of The Bronx Defenders, is pleased to announce the release of its fourth annual Technical Assistance Project Request For Proposals seeking applications from public defender…
A sprawling, sunny room beckons invitingly with black couches and bright accent pillows for relaxing, bookshelves with novels to borrow for an hour or a week, a pair of children’s tables, outlets for recharging cellphones and free coffee. This is the newest hub for justice in the South Bronx: a public defenders’ office that looks…
THE BRONX – A non-profit organization in The Bronx that has been helping the community for 15 years opened a new location today. The Bronx Defenders helps more than 30,000 residents with legal cases and social work per year. In order to keep up with their clientele, the organization opened the new space on the…
The Bronx Defenders yesterday opened its new ‘Justice Campus’ at 360 E. 161st St., with Executive Director Robin Steinberg and Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. cutting the ribbon. The new offices, which were made from the renovation of two empty storefronts near the Hall of Justice, will allow the Bronx Defenders to better serve its…
Please join us to celebrate the grand opening of The Bronx Defenders Justice Campus with special guest Ruben Diaz Jr., Bronx Borough President and remarks by Robin Steinberg, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 9:30 a.m. Ribbon Cutting & Remarks 10:00 a.m. Tour of the Justice Campus We…
On February 23rd, 2013, Immigration Attorneys Genia Blaser, Conor Gleason, and Jennifer Friedman assisted potential DREAM Act applicants at an Immigration Clinic at JFK High School in the Bronx, sponsored by Congressman Charles Rangel. For more information, click here
A Bronx man cannot be retried for selling drugs after his first case ended in a mistrial because the judge failed to consider less severe alternatives, a state appeals court ruled Thursday. The Appellate Division, First Department, found that double jeopardy precluded a second prosecution against Jamal Morris, who sought a writ prohibiting the Bronx…
February 21, 2013 Mayor Bloomberg came out swinging at his final State of the City address last Thursday, recapping his achievements and defending his policy decisions. About the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk program he said, “We have a responsibility to conduct them, and as long as I am mayor, we will not shirk from that responsibility.”…
If you’ve ever been arrested for a misdemeanor offense, like jumping a turnstile, smoking a joint, or protesting a cause in a way the authorities would rather you didn’t, then you’ll know that your best chance of avoiding jail has less to do with what you’ve done than if you can make bail. It’s no…
On Tuesday, January 8th, Judge Shira Scheindlin in the Southern District Court of New York granted a preliminary injunction against the NYPD in our federal class action lawsuit, Ligon v. City of New York. The injunction has since been temporarily stayed pending appeal, but it was nevertheless a huge victory for our litigation team, clients,…
Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman (See Profile) last week praised as a way “to take the profit motive out of bond making” the program of a Bronx legal assistance organization that used charitable contributions to keep its indigent clients out of jail as they awaited trial. Lippman’s endorsement came as The Bronx Defenders prepared to resume…
Whether your organization operates as a public defender office, a statewide system, assigned counsel program, or individual practitioner or advocate, The Center for Holistic Defense is available to assist you in examining the current state of your practice and how you can more fully and skillfully incorporate the principles of Holistic Defense at either the…
The Bronx Defenders is dedicated to advancing the field of public defense by expanding the model of Holistic Defense beyond the Bronx. The Center for Holistic Defense provides in-depth technical assistance to public defender offices across the country, hosts site visits, provides training opportunities for practitioners, and participates in conferences and symposia. Since 2010, The…
On February 4, 2013, Justine Olderman spoke at the 8th Annual Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Her remarks on bail reform and Holistic Defense were part of the panel entitled “Rethinking Pre-Trial Detention” and are captured in part here.
On January 25th, 2013, Ashley Kaper gave testimony at the New City Council in support of proposed legislation limiting New York City’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “Secure Communities” Program. Written Comments of The Bronx Defenders New York City Council Committee on Immigration January 25, 2013 Hearing on: Int. No. 982, A Local Law to amend…
On January 24th, 2013, Emma Ketteringham spoke at the American Bar Association’s Center on Children and the Law Annual Conference. She spoke in a session entitled the “Prejudice and Punishment: Judging Mothers who Use Drugs.” More information here
On January 18th, 2013, Kate Rubin presented about The Bronx Defenders at a conference entitled “Civic Restoration: A Road to Workforce Development for Formerly Incarcerated People” at Bronx Christian Fellowship Church. More event information here