Director of Expert and Ancillary Services, Assigned Counsel Plan

About the Office : Pursuant to Article 18-B of the County Law, the Assigned Counsel Plan (ACP), in consultation with the Presiding Justices of the 1st and 2nd Appellate Divisions, has been providing quality legal services to indigent persons since .

All services provided by the Assigned Counsel Plan are funded by the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services and the City of New York through the Office of Criminal Justice.

ACP provides compensation to private attorneys representing indigent clients charged with criminal offenses. Attorneys are assigned matters by the Administrator's office when a conflict exists prohibiting the institutional providers from providing representation

About the Role : Under the supervision of the Administrators of the Assigned Counsel Plan (ACP) for the First and Second Judicial Departments, the job responsibilities of the Director of Expert and Ancillary Services include, but are not limited to :

• The creation and maintenance of the expert roster which includes reviewing new applications for completeness and checking to make sure that experts, interpreters and investigators have the necessary licensing, education and credentials for the category in which they seek to be qualified.
• Accessing public records and criminal histories of applicants as part of the background review process.
• Verifying the credentials of attorneys of panel attorneys for the criminal defense and Family Court Panels, attorneys representing indigent clients in Article 81 cases and court reporters.
• Maintaining and creating expert profiles in the online expert database, which includes updating and keeping comprehensive files on experts, including copies of licenses and disciplinary records.
• Providing information on experts to panel attorneys so that they can engage experts with the necessary credentials to assist in the representation of clients in criminal cases.
• Working with Department of Finance staff at ACP to create and maintain vendor information in the NYC Controller’s Financial Management System (FMS)
• Reviewing expert orders signed by judges for accuracy and completeness, entering the orders into the Case Management and Vouchering System.
• Drafting reports on background review findings based on information gathered during the application process.
• Meeting with Administrators to review findings and conducting follow-up investigatory work if necessary
• Working with internal and external stakeholders on the development of a Case Management and voucher processing system to track usage of experts by panel attorneys and to pay expert vouchers.
• Training experts on using the Case Management and vouchering system.
• Working with Supervisory Attorneys and ACP staff to assess the need for additional experts for the roster and assisting in outreach efforts,
• Developing and implementing a periodic recertification process for experts who are already on the expert roster.
• Supervising and directing the work of the Background Review Associate.
• Working with Department of Finance staff at ACP to create and maintain vendor information in the NYC Controller’s Financial Management System (FMS)

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESUME, COVER LETTER, AND REFERENCES.

Minimum Qualifications

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 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 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?

Preferred Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice or related field..-Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices associated with professional background checks-Proficiency in Word, Excel, Lexis-Nexis, Access or other database software and Internet research.
• Excellent organizational, time-management and multi-tasking skills, including the ability to take initiative, prioritize duties, work independently and within a team environment, pay close attention to detail, meet deadlines, work well under pressure and maintain an enthusiastic work ethic-Strong organizational, analytical, writing and proofreading skills

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs.

For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at class "jobad-residencyRequirement">

Residency RequirementNew York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County.

To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.