Job Location Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island - New York, NY 10013 Position Type Full-Time Education Level Law Degree (JD) Salary Range $84,900.00 - $84,900.00 Salary/year Travel Percentage Negligible Job Category Legal
TheCenter 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, the Bronx, and Staten Island with an interdisciplinary legal defense model that serves more than 2400 clients every year. CFR was originally founded in 2002 to dramatically change the trajectory of indigent parents being prosecuted by the City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Our goal is to defend and protect our clients’ rights, reduce the harm of family separation and prevent or minimize the time any child spends in the foster system.
CFR provides interdisciplinary family defense with a model that was unique at our founding and that is now being replicated nationally: we assign every client an attorney and a social work staff member, and teams have the support of parent advocates, who are parents with direct personal experience of being investigated and prosecuted by ACS. CFR was the first agency in the country to integrate parents with lived experience into legal teams and now has 8 parent advocates working in all four of our family defense locations.
Practice Areas
CFR’sCommunity Advocacy Projectrepresents parents during a child protective investigation (to avoid court involvement where possible) and assists parents in clearing their names from state maltreatment records.
As an agency committed to securing justice for families, we built theYouth 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 Supreme Court Youth Parts, during Probation Adjustment and in Delinquency proceedings in Family Court.
CFR’s Home for Good program provides legal and social work services to CFR clients inimmigration, 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.
Recognized as experts in our fields,we annually train over 500 practitioners in the city, state and around the countryon strategies to promote family preservation and interdisciplinary representation, and we provide community based “Know Your Rights” presentations to parents, youth and service providersWe advocate at the city, state and national level for policies that reduce the harm of family separation, and promote parent engagement and justice for youth and families.
CFR is seeking Law Graduates who will be part of hiring classes due to begin in Spring 2026 and Fall 2026
*Interviewing for these positions will begin in Fall 2026*
Law Graduates joining CFR can expect intensive training on CFR’s Cornerstone Advocacy model, family court, the child welfare/family regulation system, client interviewing, and other critical skills. CFR is dedicated to providing ongoing professional development in best practices in all these areas in a variety of training forums for all staff.
Salary & Benefits
Starting salary: $84,900
CFR offers a generous compensation package, including a competitive base salary as well as health, 403(b) and vacation benefits. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between CFR and the CFR Union, part of ALAA (Association of Legal Aid Attorneys) UAW 2325.
CFR strives to create an inclusive and antiracist environment for all of its staff, and candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply; CFR is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
CFR is a primarily in-person workforce. This role is based in our Queens, Manhattan, Bronx, or Staten Island offices. CFR has a generous telecommuting policy that allows staff the flexibility to work from home when there are no in-person client or organizational obligations.
Candidates should submit their cover letter and resume through CFR’s Career Portal
*In place of a traditional cover letter, we ask that applicants please provide a short writing submission (no more than 250 words) outlining your interest in parental defense.*
CFR’s mission is to defend the rights of parents and youth through free, holistic interdisciplinary legal and social work representation. We fight for the integrity of families, primarily low-income Black and brown parents and youth targeted by systems of family regulation and incarceration.
CFR’s model supports parents in raising their children with self-determination, reduces reliance on the foster system and youth incarceration, and addresses the underlying causes of family instability.
We represent parents and youth in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens; we provide training and technical assistance to more than 500 practitioners annually from around the country; and we work to promote systemic change that dignifies and benefits youth and families.
