Investigator

About the role

New York County Defender Services is hiring an Investigator to support its defense attorneys by gathering and organizing information through field investigations. The role focuses on building stronger defenses for clients through careful fact collection, interviews, records work, and other investigative tasks, while also helping the organization satisfy its obligations to the City of New York.

Key responsibilities

• Work with defense attorneys to develop case defenses using information gathered from defendants, family members, friends, witnesses, and, at times, complaining witnesses who later recant.
• Reach out to witnesses and conduct interviews to gather relevant facts.
• Carry out fact-finding interviews with witnesses.
• Visit businesses, homes, and other locations to identify potential video evidence connected to alleged incidents.
• Obtain video footage when permission is provided by the custodian of the cameras at the scene.
• Determine which people or organizations should be subpoenaed for records, footage, recordings, and other materials needed for court.
• Serve subpoenas on individuals, government entities, and hospitals.
• Use a range of databases to collect background information and run checks on witnesses.
• Occasionally support criminal court hearings or provide testimony when required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• Two to five years of related work experience is preferred.
• Strong command of MS Office, MS Excel, and MS Word.
• Excellent time management with the ability to prioritize effectively and meet tight deadlines.
• High attention to detail, strong problem-solving ability, and solid organizational skills.
• Comfort handling confidential and sensitive investigations.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with a team.
• Comfort navigating social media as part of investigative work.
• Secure Pass must be obtained after hiring.
• Preferred qualifications include fluency in foreign languages, familiarity with TLo, Nexus Lexus, Webcrims, and Google-based research tools, and exposure to the criminal justice system.
• Strong interpersonal, written, verbal, analytical, and communication skills.
• Ability to use sound judgment, stay calm under pressure, and manage multiple professional relationships.

Compensation

The posted salary range is $55,000 to $80,000 per year, depending on experience.

Additional information

This is a full-time onsite position based in New York, NY. The position involves sensitive and confidential investigative work in support of criminal defense representation.