Expanding a Holistic Practice

Advocating for our client’s interests is our North Star. However, what this means for any individual client or case is not always so simple. The Bronx Defenders has been on this journey for 25 years, and still continues to grapple with the question of how to translate stated values into communication and practice.

A group of defender leaders, in different roles around the country, worked together with the National Association for Public Defense to develop the Principles for Creating Sustainability in Public Defense. These principles may be helpful as leaders expand their practice and seek to build and sustain holistic teams.

Holistic practices can start with short-term, small-scale pilot projects. BxD’s Client Emergency Fund began as a pilot in response to emergency needs that snowballed because our clients were not always able to quickly access support in moments of crisis. The Bronx Defenders Family Defense Practice began with a small grant to provide concurrent representation to people charged in the criminal legal system when an arrest led to a child protective investigation. That small pilot grew into a practice that represents the thousands of parents charged in family court in the Bronx each year.

Seamless communication among team members is a pillar of holistic defense. Practically, this looks like cross-role training to issue spot, so that team members can identify potential issues that can arise at the intersection of multiple systems. This will allow team members to fully advise clients and, when possible, to make referrals to enlist the support of experts outside of their area of practice. In order to achieve this ideal of communication, team members must understand the roles of other team members, know how to access support and make referrals, and recognize the value of other roles in fully advising a client and advocating for their goals.

Because of the high-pressure environments we work in, conflict, particularly on teams with role diversity, is inevitable and should be normalized in interdisciplinary practice. Defender leaders have an important role to play in supporting teams as they navigate conflict. Creating community agreements can help establish expectations for team members.