Description

The Center for Family Representation Inc. (CFR) is an award-winning, innovative law and policy organization that serves primarily Black and Brown families and youth in Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx with an interdisciplinary legal defense model that serves more than 2400 clients every year. 

As an agency committed to securing justice for families, we built the Youth Defense Practice (YDP) to defend youth at risk of family separation through incarceration. YDP uses the same interdisciplinary model to represent youth being prosecuted in Queens, Bronx and Manhattan in Juvenile Delinquency (JD) proceedings in Family Court. CFR’s Home for Good program provides legal and social work services to clients in immigration, civil legal services and criminal defense matters, to afford clients an efficient and well-coordinated one-stop solution to a range of issues that threaten family stability. 

CFR is committed to providing robust supervision to program staff, and we have a  need for a Litigation Supervisor in the Bronx. Under the supervision of the YDP Director and Deputy Director, the Litigation Supervisor’s primary responsibility will be to supervise up to four or five staff attorneys of varying degrees of experience who work in interdisciplinary teams with social work, youth advocate, peer advocate, client coordinator and paralegal staff to represent children in Article 3 Juvenile Delinquency proceedings, Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS), occasional Youth Part cases and other related family court proceedings. Litigation Supervisors are responsible for helping attorneys develop mastery in all aspects of litigation as well as in reinforcing and building upon skills and values introduced in initial and ongoing trainings, and provide regular, robust supervision.  Litigation Supervisors write professional development reviews, periodically coordinate case practice and attorney workgroup meetings, and from time to time, develop practice materials useful for staff at CFR. Litigation Supervisors also work with family court staff and staff from other agencies, including Corporation Counsel or the Dept. of Probation, to address substantive and operational issues that affect a large court-based practice.  

The Litigation Supervisor will work with the Director and Deputy Directors of YDP, Director of Holistic Practice, Training Supervisor, Development & HR  staff, and Executive Director to inform decisions on strategic planning and overall program  development and improvement for the entire agency. In those areas, activities may include  administration, hiring and recruitment, training, policy work, development, progressive  discipline, fellowships, and appeals. All Supervisors are expected to demonstrate an aptitude for  productive problem-solving, a commitment to CFR’s current DEI work, and a desire to  contribute to the stewardship of CFR; this includes the ability to positively and productively  contribute to the work culture at CFR in communications and work with staff at all levels,  including progressive discipline if necessary. Candidates for supervisor also need to be well  organized in order to work efficiently and effectively beyond their own caseload and to  effectively supervise multiple staff with possibly varying levels of experience. 

Salary

Range: $111,500 (L4)-$135,000 (L14)

The salary for a Litigation Supervisor with four years of relevant work experience is: $111,500/year

The salary for a Litigation Supervisor with seven years of relevant work experience is: $118,000/year

The salary for a Litigation Supervisor with twelve years relevant work experience is: $129,900/year

Requirements

Qualifications
Candidates must have at least four to six years of experience in Article 3 JD family court proceedings and/or related work within the criminal or family court systems, or other relevant advocacy roles.   
Prior supervisory experience, with prior youth defense system or other court supervisory experience required.
Experience with organizational or  program development, training, and ancillary proceedings (i.e. custody) are all desirable. 
Candidates must have strong interpersonal communication skills, demonstrated teamwork skills,  and an aptitude for problem solving and management of staff. 

Apply

Candidates should apply through CFR’s Career Portal.

Application Deadline:

Application Thought/Writing Exercise Prompt

In lieu of a cover letter, applicants should respond, to one of the following prompts:

Recently, the Raise the Age (RTA) statute has come under act by law enforcement leaders and some elected officials. The comments made by critics include that there are no consequences for juveniles who have their cases sent to family court. Others state that youth crime is increasing because of RTA. As a Litigation Supervisor, what if any response do you have to these arguments attacking RTA? Do you agree or disagree with their critiques? Do you have any changes you would recommend to RTA?