Community Intake Staff Attorney

THE NEIGHBORHOOD DEFENDER SERVICE aims to strengthen its holistic public defense practice by expanding its team to provide dedicated support to clients during the early stages of their cases and to proactively address potential collateral consequences. NDS is taking this critical next step to expand our team and realize the promise of holistic public defense for Detroit. 

Building on 30 years of experience of providing high quality representation, we are expanding our efforts to bring the same caliber of representation to the communities of Wayne County. We are seeking a team of highly organized, self-driven, and resilient individuals dedicated to our mission. The Criminal Defense Practice at NDS Detroit  represents residents of Wayne County who are charged with felony crimes and cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Clients are represented by teams composed of lawyers, investigators, social workers, client advocates, and team administrators. NDS adheres to a client-centered approach to representation that emphasizes a heightened responsiveness to clients’ needs prior to arrest, while a case is pending, and after the case concludes.  NDS is committed to addressing the comprehensive legal and social service needs of clients while treating each client with dignity and respect.   

By engaging in community intake and early case entry, we facilitate timely access to legal representation for individuals in the initial stages of involvement with the legal system. This is accomplished through proactive community outreach before any arrests occur. Early entry not only safeguards clients' rights but also discerns potential collateral consequences, affording ample time to construct a defense or negotiate a safe surrender. The practice of safe surrenders minimizes the risk of violence and confrontation, expediting the resolution of cases/charges while upholding the client's rights. 

 
The ideal Contract Community Intake Staff Attorney demonstrates a commitment to serving marginalized persons and communities and an enthusiasm for holistic defense; preferably with experience in a public defender office, in a public interest organization, or in the indigent criminal defense context. The Staff Attorney will help shape our present and future—contributing to a collaborative environment and culture of excellence in alignment with our values. At NDS Detroit, how we represent our clients is as important as individual case outcomes and our ideal Staff Attorney approaches the cultivation of a positive office culture and the representation of indigent clients with equal rigor and commitment. 

1. Embrace NDS’ philosophy of client-centered, community-based, holistic representation and commitment to excellence by providing vigorous representation with energy and enthusiasm to the residents of Wayne County. 
2. Engage in community intake, which will include days, nights and weekends for frequent court appearances and litigation, including arraignments, probation violations, preliminary conferences & examinations, legal arguments, hearings & trials, and sentencings.  
3. Interview clients and their families in the office or local jails, conduct legal research and write pre-pleading letters, motions and pre-sentencing memoranda on behalf of clients. 
4. Coordinate work performed by team members (investigators, social workers, client advocates, and team administrators). 
5. Work with cross-practice colleagues (immigration defense/civil defense/family defense) to obtain comprehensive legal outcomes for clients. 
6. File motions, briefs and other related documents on a frequent, timely basis. 
7. Provide effective oral advocacy in negotiations, hearings, and trials in criminal cases. 
8. Work primarily in the community of Wayne County residents. 

The ideal candidate will bring:  

1. A demonstrated commitment to criminal justice, indigent defense, racial equity and social justice issues and the Wayne County communities. 
2. At least 3 years of experience representing clients in criminal cases and knowledge of criminal procedure from arraignments to appeals (strongly preferred but not ). Candidates with trial experience, particularly as lead counsel in the most serious felony cases, is a must. 
3. A track record of strategically guiding casework, projectspushing through roadblocks to achieve your goals.  
4. Management skills and a coaching mindset. 
5. Doggedness and resilience combined with people and situation smarts. 
6. An ability to quickly build relationships across varying identities, income levels, races and ethnicities.  
7. A high level of organizational and administrative skills to handle a high caseload. 
8. Clear and effective communication skills, both orally and in writing. 
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11. Must be on-call nights and weekends, at least two weekends per month. 

 Compensation: Compensation is commensurate with experience for this temporary position. The range for this position is $45 – 75/hr. This contract position is available for up to 12 months.   

Interested applicants should include a cover letter, resume, and writing sample when submitting their application. Please send your application as one document, preferably PDF to https://neighborhooddefender.org/jobs/list/. For more information about NDS, please visit our website at http://www.ndsdetroit.org.