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About the Role

The litigation assistant is an essential part of a client’s interdisciplinary team, working closely with attorneys, social workers, and client advocates on Article 10 and related family court and administrative cases. This is a temporary, full-time position for 12 months.

Responsibilities

Provide excellent assistance to the legal defense team with energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to striving for client-centered holistic advocacy throughout the case.
Assist with all aspects of Article 10, Statewide Central Register, and related custody, visitation, guardianship, paternity, termination of parental rights and other cases.
Staff intake in court regularly, as assigned, and assist the legal team with emergency hearings.
Work under high pressure in an atmosphere of frequent emergencies and tight deadlines.
Engage with clients through telephone contact, in person meetings, and court appearances.
Maintain thorough and accurate records and client files by timely saving documents in NDS’s cloud server and entering notes and other data into NDS’s case management system.
Prepare, file and serve legal papers and subpoenas and draft legal correspondence in collaboration with attorneys.
Catalogue, organize and review discovery, i.e., medical records, investigation notes, videos, photographs, etc.
Prepare trial binders and organize exhibits for hearings and trials.
Participate in limited investigative work such as identifying and interviewing witnesses, taking photographs and videos, and obtaining documents and other reports.
Communicate with court staff, treatment providers, records departments.
Attend in person mitigation and cross-practice team conferences, staff meetings, trainings, and select community intake days, with the expectation of in-person work at least two days per week.
Assist practice and cross-practice committees to promote NDS’ holistic representation model.
Assist Early Defense team with intake as needed.
Provide logistical and administrative support to attorneys and non-attorney advocates.

Requirements

Demonstrated commitment to criminal justice, indigent defense, racial equity, and social justice issues, and a substantive understanding of the biases impacting clients.
Ability to quickly build relationships with people of varying identities, income levels, races and ethnicities.
High level of organization and administrative skills to handle a high caseload and multi-task in a very fast-paced environment.
Clear and effective communication skills, both orally and in writing.
Energy, enthusiasm, and ingenuity to gather and develop information from a broad spectrum of sources, ranging from community residents to county, state, and federal agencies.
Ability to work cooperatively in a team.
Must possess the ability and readiness to quickly learn and use relevant computer software.
Knowledge and experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, and a basic knowledge of computer usage in a network environment.
Bachelor's or associate degree or two years related administrative experience.
Willing to work in-person in Harlem and/or family court satellite offices in Lower Manhattan or the South Bronx.
Willing to work shifts before or after court holidays.

Skills

Spanish language fluency
Experience using Westlaw or other legal research tools
Experience using a case or data management system
Experience with Egnyte, NYS Criminal Inquiry System, UCMS, E-Courts/WebFamily, defenderDATA

Location

Harlem
Lower Manhattan
South Bronx

Work Type

Temporary (12 months)
full-time
in-person

Experience Level

1 – 5 Years
6 – 10 Years

Education Level

Bachelor's degree
Associate degree

Salary/Compensations

$68,500 - $80,650

Benefits

Full medical and dental benefits
403b retirement contributions
PTO

About the Company

Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) is a national nonprofit public defense organization that pioneered the holistic defense model more than 30 years ago.
Founded in Harlem, NDS was built to challenge the traditional public defense model by centering clients, communities, and interdisciplinary advocacy.
NDS operates community-based offices in Harlem; the Bronx; Detroit; and Hays County, Texas, supported by a unified national infrastructure that allows local teams to deliver high-quality, responsive representation rooted in the communities they serve.
Across all locations, NDS provides client-centered legal representation through interdisciplinary teams composed of attorneys, investigators, social workers, client advocates, and team administrators.
Our approach emphasizes early and ongoing engagement with clients—before arrest where possible, throughout the life of a case, and beyond case resolution—while addressing the legal, social, and systemic challenges that impact long-term stability.
NDS is committed to treating every client with dignity and respect and to advancing justice for individuals and communities that have been historically marginalized and over-policed.

Equal Opportunity

The Neighborhood Defender Service is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community we serve.
NDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
NDS encourages people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, non-confirming, and gender fluid people to apply.