Organizing & Advocacy Summer Internships 2022

Bronx, NY, USA
Posted on  

Job Description

The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks passionate interns committed to public service and social justice to join our Organizing & Advocacy Summer Internship Program. 

The Bronx Defenders is a public defender non-profit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system, and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself. BxD seeks thoughtful, creative, energetic individuals with a strong commitment to social justice to join our dynamic and diverse staff. Our staff of over 400 includes interdisciplinary teams made up of criminal, civil, immigration, and family defense attorneys, as well as social workers, benefits specialists, legal advocates, parent advocates, investigators, and team administrators, who collaborate to provide holistic advocacy to address the causes and consequences of legal system involvement. Through this integrated team-based structure, we have pioneered a groundbreaking, nationally-recognized model of representation called holistic defense that achieves better outcomes for our clients. 

Each year, we defend more than 20,000 low-income Bronx residents in criminal, civil, child welfare, and immigration cases, and reach thousands more through our community intake, youth mentoring, and outreach programs. Through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community organizing, we push for systemic reform at the local, state, and national level. We take what we learn from the clients and communities that we serve and launch innovative initiatives designed to bring about real and lasting change.

The Bronx Defenders Summer Internship Program provides a unique opportunity for interns to immerse themselves in various practice areas and play an integral role in holistic defense. Over a period of 10 weeks, summer interns participate in comprehensive holistic orientation, gain invaluable experience with clients and community members, and develop critical skills.

Please see available internship opportunities below:

Community Organizing Internship

Our Community Organizing Team is a vital part of our work here at The Bronx Defenders, fighting for systemic reform, informed by the expressed needs of the Bronx community. Interns will support the Organizing Project in engaging Bronx residents in community organizing efforts around immigration, criminal justice reform, family reunification, education, housing, police accountability and more. Responsibilities will include extensive community outreach, such as phone banking and digital outreach, assisting with community trainings related to the work of The Bronx Defenders and general membership meetings, as well as potentially engaging with stakeholders such as educators, elected officials, and organizational leaders in the social justice field as opportunities arise. Interns will also have opportunities to learn about our Criminal Defense, Family Defense, Immigration and Civil Action Practices.

Practice Specific Qualifications

  • Knowledge and understanding of the systemic issues facing our client population and the Bronx community at large
  • Familiarity with the Bronx community and/or experience working in and with racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized communities 
  • Ability to engage effectively and respectfully with a variety of different residents within the Bronx community
  • Must be creative and take initiative

Parent Advocate Internship 

Parent Advocates are a vital part of our interdisciplinary legal teams advocating for parents whose parental rights are in peril and whose children are at risk of being removed by the family regulation system. Parent Advocates work collaboratively with social workers, legal advocates, and lawyers with the goal of reunifying parents and their children and working with social service programs and the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to garner the necessary resources to support the stability of families in the Bronx. The majority of Parent Advocates’ work does not take place in the office but is carried out in the community and Family Court, as well as at various social service agencies throughout New York City. Currently due to the pandemic, most of this work is being conducted virtually. However, our parent advocates still have significant client and court engagement.

Practice Specific Qualifications

  • Commitment to defending low-income parents charged with abuse and neglect in the Bronx community

Civil Legal Advocate Internship 

Civil Legal Advocates are a vital part of our interdisciplinary teams, operating in a variety of venues and providing a myriad of services to our clients. Civil Legal Advocate interns will support advocates in challenging misconduct by the New York City Police Department, as well as defending our clients’ property rights and access to housing and public benefits. Interns will be responsible for  developing materials for our Know Your Rights guides, participating in our Notice of Claim Clinic to challenge police misconduct, working on our Criminal Record Project by correcting rap sheet errors, and assisting clients with applications for Certificates of Relief from Disabilities. Interns will also help gather documentation to prepare for clients’ hearings, provide support to our community intake program, and work with our legal advocates to recover clients’ property confiscated in criminal proceedings.

Practice Specific Qualifications

  • Commitment to defending low-income individuals in civil proceedings in the Bronx community

General Qualifications for All Internships 

In order to be eligible candidates must have: 

  • Cumulative of at least one year of work or volunteer/internship experience in a professional setting, OR, one year of college or vocational education

All candidates must demonstrate:

  • Interest in and commitment to social justice and racial equity
  • Interest in working in and with racially and socio-economically marginalized communities targeted by systemic injustice
  • Commitment to supporting  system-involved individuals navigating the criminal, family, immigration and civil legal court systems in the Bronx community 
  • Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers
  • Effective communication and active listening skills
  • Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences 
  • Effective time management and organization skills
  • Ability to think critically and creatively under pressure
  • Effective communication and active listening skills
  • Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, and confidentiality around sensitive issues
  • Ability to receive feedback constructively, reflect, and shift behavior accordingly
  • Commitment to raising one’s cultural consciousness and challenging oppressive practices on an interpersonal and institutional level
  • Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish, French or Wolof is a plus

The summer internship will begin on Tuesday, May 31st, 2021 and end on Friday, August 5th, 2021. We anticipate operating the summer internship program remotely  due to COVID-19, which means the responsibilities related to client or community interaction will be limited or modified to virtual engagement. Nevertheless, as of October 29, 2021, all city-funded employees (and interns) with any potential of in-person contact with clients, community members or staff are required to show proof of full vaccination. You can find more details regarding this mandate here. Please let us know if this presents an issue.