Free!!! Know Your Rights! Stand Up & Defend Yourself! The Bronx Defenders are looking to do Know Your Rights trainings at High Bridge Branch Public Library. They are happy to advise folks on their rights related to Police, Stop and Frisk, and what to do if ACS (Administration for Children’s Services) knocks on your door…
Watch Bronx Defenders Staff Attorney Molly Kovel discuss the recent court ruling. MELROSE – The attorneys who sponsored a lawsuit against the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy are supporting their claims today after a federal judge ruled the program must come to an end in certain buildings. The attorneys are representing 13 Bronx residents involved in the…
The Bronx Defenders is pleased to announce that Judge Shira A. Scheindlin of the Southern District Court of New York has granted a preliminary injunction against the New York Police Department (NYPD) in The Bronx Defenders’ class-action lawsuit, Ligon v. City of New York. The case successfully challenged the NYPD practice of illegally stopping, frisking,…
A federal judge has dealt a significant blow to the New York police department’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy, declaring that officers had “systematically” engaged in unconstitutional activity by searching residents outside thousands of private apartments in the city. Manhattan federal court judge Shira Scheindlin said the NYPD must immediately halt the practice of conducting trespass stops…
In addition to radically transforming the way that people are represented in the justice system, The Bronx Defenders works to transform the system itself. Our proximity to the justice system and what our clients experience on a daily basis places us on the front lines in the fight for fairness, justice, and equality. This provides…
The Bronx Defenders works through interdisciplinary teams comprised of criminal defense attorneys, family defense attorneys, civil attorneys, social workers, advocates, and investigators in order to address not just the immediate legal case, but the host of issues that drive our clients into the justice systems and destabilize their lives. The Bronx Defenders’ staff of over 250…
The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself. Read About Our Mission Four pillars are at the core of holistic defense: Seamless access to services that meet legal and social support needs…
The Bronx Defenders serves individuals and families across the borough of the Bronx. Over the past 20 years, we have developed relationships with thousands of Bronx residents and their families. The people we serve are diverse and resilient, but they face tremendous intersecting challenges: the Bronx consistently ranks at the bottom of the state in…
Earl Ward, Esq.Board ChairPartner, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, LLC A partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, LLC, Mr. Ward is one of New York’s preeminent and most successful trial lawyers, with 26 years of experience as a criminal defense and civil rights attorney. Before joining Emery Celli Brinckerhoff and Abady, Mr. Ward had…
Explore Holistic Defenses. Every client who comes to The Bronx Defenders is connected to an interdisciplinary team of advocates, including criminal defense attorneys, family defense attorneys, civil attorneys, immigration attorneys, social workers, civil legal advocates, parent advocates, benefits specialists, investigators, and community organizers. Each of these teams fosters interdisciplinary skill sets, ensures compassionate and comprehensive…
Social work is a critical component of holistic defense. Whether a client is facing criminal charges, in danger of losing her children, or threatened with eviction, our social workers are there for them. They advocate for clients in criminal, family, and civil court. They represent clients in meetings with drug program counselors and child welfare…
The Issue A sweeping array of civil punishments are triggered the moment someone faces arrest, deportation, or the removal of their children. Our clients risk losing their jobs, homes, income, property, and basic civil rights — hardships that can be more devastating and long-lasting than the charges themselves. This civil fallout, sometimes referred to as…
The Issue The most accurate predictor of foster care and child welfare involvement is not the maltreatment of children — it is poverty. We see this reality in the Bronx, where parents are particularly vulnerable to being targeted for investigations by child welfare agencies or losing custody of their children. A startling 30% of children…
An interdisciplinary project providing specialized representation to our youngest clients (14, 15 and 16 year olds) in need of intensive assistance and intervention.
…one of the most remarkable experiments in criminal justice in recent years, a pilot program for a growing movement that might be on the verge of changing the face of criminal justice in New York.
This is the newest hub for justice in the South Bronx: a public defenders’ office that looks more like a living room than a legal quarter of last resort.
The American Bar Association is calling on criminal defense attorneys to take a holistic approach to representing clients in order to reduce recidivism.
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