ABOUT THE OFFICE
Pursuant to Article 18B of the County Law, the Assigned Counsel Plan (ACP) has been providing quality legal services to indigent persons since 1966. These services are funded by the City of New York through the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and provided with oversight of the 1st and 2nd Appellate Division Departments. The ACP provides compensation to private attorneys for representing indigent clients charged with criminal offenses. Attorneys are assigned matters by the Court and the Administrator’s office when a conflict exists prohibiting the institutional providers from providing representation. The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) advises the Mayor and First Deputy Mayor on criminal justice policy and is the Mayor’s representative to the courts, district attorneys, defenders, and state criminal justice agencies, among others. The office designs, deploys, and evaluates citywide strategies to drive down crime, reduce unnecessary arrests and incarceration, and improve the system’s fairness. MOCJ works with law enforcement and city agencies, non-profits, foundations, and others to implement data-driven strategies that address current crime conditions, prevent offending, and build the strong neighborhoods that ensure enduring safety.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
The Director of Enrollment and Recertification will be responsible for onboarding of new panel attorneys, and the attorney recertification process for existing panel attorneys. The Director will accomplish this by executing the following tasks: Oversee the process of certifying attorneys to represent clients in criminal cases from initial application through certification.
- Gather and track application materials and review for completeness and accuracy.
- Coordinate with Bar Association and Departmental Screening Committees that conduct interviews for candidates seeking certification.
- Conduct outreach in the legal community to bar associations and other groups in the legal community to advise them about the process for attorneys to be certified to represent clients in criminal cases.
- Follow up with applicants who have not submitted the necessary materials to complete their applications.
- Advise applicants of the status of their applications.
- Notify applicants who have been certified to represent clients about the onboarding process and rules of program participation.
- Train newly certified attorneys on the billing and case management system.
- Assist in the development of an online portal for processing applications.
- Plan and execute the annual recertification process for attorneys who seek continued certification to represent clients charged with crimes.
- Maintain attorney certification and recertification files
- Conduct research into whether attorneys are complying with state-issued standards for attorney performance.
- Coordinate with the ACP Supervising Attorneys to support and develop panel attorney recruitment efforts.
- Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current certification and recertification processes and prepare reports summarizing findings and recommendations for change.
- Participate in workgroups designed to improve the initial application and recertification processes.
- Other duties as assigned. The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an’ individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.1. Do you have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university?2. Do you have an associate degree from an accredited college or university along with two (2) years of experience with administrative, analytic, coordinative, supervisory or liaison responsibilities?3. Do you have a four-year high school diploma, or its educational equivalent approved by a state’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization along with four (4) years of experience as described in question "2" above?4. Do you have a satisfactory combination of education and/or experience equivalent to that described in questions "1," "2," and/or "3" above?
