Bronx Court Advocate/Writer

Title:                           Bronx Court Advocate/Writer

Unit:                           Court Advocacy

Reports to:                 Bronx Senior Court Advocate

Status:                        Full Time; Regular; Non-Exempt

Salary:                        $27.48 per hour  (approximately $50,000 annually)

Location:                    Bronx Court Office

Days/Hours:               Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Position Summary:

Responsible for:

• Working with court stakeholders to assess and screen and advocate for individuals to be placed in Fortune’s Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) programs, and report to the court regarding clients’ participation in programming.

• Preparing and submitting accurate court reports and letters for program participants in the borough of Bronx.

The Court Advocate/Writer will split their time between court advocacy, managing a caseload, and court writing in the borough assigned.

Mission, Culture and Fit

The Court Advocate/Writer needs to match the mission and culture of Fortune, including, meeting a client there they are at; engaging participants with a non-judgmental, inclusive attitude; holding space for trauma associated with criminal justice involvement and incarceration; and helping them to believe in their power to change.

Communication

The Court Advocate/Writer must be able to communicate effectively, both written and orally with defense and district attorneys, judges, other court parties, internal program staff and participants. The Court Advocate/Writer must understand the role of each of these stakeholders and how to communicate with all. The Court Advocate/Writer must develop and edit court reports, constructing narratives detailing clients’ progress or lack thereof, and involvement in the program, and other documents for the Courts.

Time Management

Court can be a fast paced, unpredictable, chaotic environment. Court Advocates/Writers are tasked with communicating with court parties, managing multiple court appearances, some of which occur at the same time, conducting client screenings and assessments, fielding calls from active clients and internal and external program staff and participating in case conferences. Prioritizing the above is imperative in being able to manage the work and do it effectively. The Court Advocate/Writer must submit edited reports to appropriate staff members for signature and revisions of reports when necessary and prioritize daily reports.

Initiative

Court Advocates are the doorway for many of our Fortune clients. It takes initiative to get cases, follow them through to plea and finally completion and sentencing. While many time cases are brought to the Court Advocate by the defense or district attorney, often, the Court Advocate needs to take the lead by going after appropriate cases and then approaching the attorneys and potential participants. This takes confidence, drive and ambition. Additionally, as a Court Advocate/Writer, data entry in internal databases must be up to date to ensure court report status and progress and tracking and centrally recording information in internal database related to client court matters, is imperative.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Screen court calendars and court related documents to identify eligible candidates for Fortune’s ATI programs;

• Liaise with defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges;

• Interview prospective clients, both currently incarcerated and in the community;

• Advocate before the court for the release of clients to Fortune’s ATI programs;

• Present written and verbal reports to the court regarding client’s participation in ATI programming;

• Collaborate with Fortune’s counselors, case managers, and other staff including clinical team, to assist clients in achieving long and short-term goals;

• Record accurate information on all activities including court proceedings related to clients’ court cases in agency database;

• Provide up to date information regarding Fortune’s ATI service to all external stakeholders;

• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with defense attorneys, judges, and prosecutors that engender confidence in Fortune; and

• Interact with Fortune staff to develop accurate reports for participants;

• Develop and edit court reports, constructing narratives detailing clients’ progress or lack thereof, and involvement in the program, and other documents for the Courts;

• Conduct research in internal database to ensure accuracy of report, which includes clients’ attendance and toxicology results;

• Submit edited reports to appropriate staff members for signature and revisions of reports when necessary;

• Distribute submitted court reports to court advocates for their files;

• Draft letters to outside agencies verifying client participation in treatment;

• Data entry in internal database to ensure court report status and progress;

• Attend departmental meetings and case conferences; and

• Perform other duties as needed.

Qualifications:

• Ability to get access to the courts through an Office of Court Administration Secure Pass;
• High school diploma or GED/HSE required; MSW or LMSW, preferred
• Previous court advocacy and/or court writing experience preferred;
• Experience with databases for entering and extracting client information;
• Knowledge of the structure and procedures of the Criminal Justice System and its legalese required;
• Experience with ATI programs a plus;
• Strong oral and written communications skills required;
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus; and
• We seek talented, dedicated individuals from all walks of life who possess a strong commitment to this mission.  Relevant personal experience is a plus.

Travel Requirements:

Requires travel around NYC boroughs and to our Long Island City site office.

Physical Demands:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The responsibilities and requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skills, minimum education, training, licensing, experience and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

The Fortune Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of conviction history, race, religion/creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status or marital status.