Job Title: Special Litigation & Research Attorney
Department: Training
Location: Detroit
Reports To: Training Director
Position Type: Full Time
Union Status: Union Eligible
FLSA Status: Exempt
About NDS:
Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) is a national nonprofit public defense organization that pioneered the holistic defense model more than 30 years ago. Founded in Harlem, NDS was built to challenge the traditional public defense model by centering clients, communities, and interdisciplinary advocacy. Today, NDS operates community-based offices in Harlem; the Bronx; Detroit; and Hays County, Texas, supported by a unified national infrastructure that allows local teams to deliver high-quality, responsive representation rooted in the communities they serve.
Across all locations, NDS provides client-centered legal representation through interdisciplinary teams composed of attorneys, investigators, social workers, client advocates, and team administrators. Our approach emphasizes early and ongoing engagement with clients—before arrest where possible, throughout the life of a case, and beyond case resolution—while addressing the legal, social, and systemic challenges that impact long-term stability. NDS is committed to treating every client with dignity and respect and to advancing justice for individuals and communities that have been historically marginalized and over-policed.
Core Purpose of the Role:
The ideal Special Litigation & Research Attorney is an experienced attorney, well-versed in Michigan law, who demonstrates a commitment to serving marginalized people and communities. The Special Litigation & Research Attorney will help shape our present and future—contributing to a collaborative environment and culture of excellence in alignment with our values. At NDS Detroit, how we represent our clients is as important as individual case outcomes and our ideal Special Litigation & Research Attorney approaches the cultivation of a positive office culture and the representation of indigent clients with equal rigor and commitment.
Required
Preferred
Compensation:
Compensation is commensurate with experience. The current salary range for this position is $78,794.69 - $122,912.49. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the CBA between NDS and the NDS Union, part of ALAA UAW 2325.
SALARY RANGE BASED ON TRANSFERABLE EXPERIENCE
1-5 Years
$78,794.69 – 85,511.20
6-10 Years
$89,615.27 – 98,806.58
11 – 15 Years
101,104.41 – 105,859.64
16 Years +
$105,997.93 (about $1k for each additional year)
How to Apply:
Interested applicants should email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to research@ndsdetroit.org with the subject line, “Detroit Special Litigation & Research Attorney.” Please send your application as one bookmarked PDF. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be submitted by no later than 11:59 pm on July 27, 2026.
The Neighborhood Defender Service is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community we serve. NDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. NDS encourages people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-confirming, and gender fluid people to apply.
USD $78,794.69/Yr.
USD $122,912.49/Yr.
Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) is known nationally and internationally for its innovative, community-based, holistic public defense practice. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing unparalleled legal representation.
Since we opened our doors in Harlem in 1990, we have pioneered the holistic model as a way to address problems plaguing public defense. In contrast to a traditional public defense practice, NDS clients have an entire team fighting on their behalf, including criminal and civil attorneys, family defense attorneys, advocates, social workers, investigators, paralegals, law school and social work interns, and pro bono attorneys. NDS deploys all of these resources on behalf of our clients, addressing the underlying issues that bring them into contact with the criminal legal system. NDS staff use their engagement with a client as an opportunity to disentangle them from the system completely.
This approach allows defense to extend well beyond the courtroom, with robust social services and comprehensive teams meant to protect our clients from the damages of criminal legal proceedings. When clients face consequences with employment, schooling, immigration or in family or housing court, NDS works alongside them to resolve these issues.
NDS fights for our clients both by working their cases and by advocating for policy changes that provide a measure of justice to their communities. NDS is an active member of these communities, establishing meaningful relationships with clients and their families. NDS hosts frequent education and outreach events to support its neighbors and participate in local events.
NDS has been a part of the Harlem community for nearly 30 years and opened a second office in Detroit in 2019, providing the same world-class service to the people of Wayne County.
