employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

New York County Defender Services

Is this your company?

New York County Defender Services Reviews

3.7

62% would recommend to a friend

(24 total reviews)
avatar

Stan Germán

Not enough data to show CEO approval

29% positive business outlook

New York County Defender Services has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 24 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The New York County Defender Services employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Legal industry (3.8 stars).

Reviews by job title

24 reviews
2.0
6 Oct 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pay is great compared to other public defenders. Talented, smart, and dedicated lawyers and staff, supportive colleagues. Good work life balance, generous vacation policy, staff encouraged to take vacations and not expected to check email when away.

Cons

Toxic work environment, adversarial relationship between employees and management. Blatant sexism, racism and cronyism is the norm. Total lack of transparency. Performance review process in 2016 was disastrous but zero accountability from managers for how badly they handled this. Employees and less favored supervisors undermined by senior management, treated with suspicion and disrespect. Senior management also caught in multiple lies without repercussion. Not much room for advancement within office if you want that.

2.0
3 Apr 2023

poorly run social work department

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Overall, nycds is a great agency to work for. Friendly/helpful/bright multidisciplinary coworkers, nice benefits, and a strong, meaningful mission statement.

Cons

However, my experience on the social work unit was negative in many respects. Although there was a lengthy probationary period, there was little training provided for the role of forensic social worker. Those new to the role were thrown in and expected to learn quickly from their collegues. No formal individual supervision (a hallmark of the industry) was offfered at any point. The tone on the unit was uneasy and somber. These negative aspects within the department boil down to the social work supervisor. The supervisor had no investment in her employee’s professional growth, job satisfaction, or general well being. My collegues and I relied on each other for support and guidance. The supervisor picked a couple favorites to feign interest in when it benefited her. Her behaviors as a supervisor were unprofessional in nature. Her gossiping, negative/condescending language, and manipulative tactics caused a divide between her and her unit. A social work environment should not be a competitive one. However, she made it feel that way by constructing an atmosphere of distrust, apprehension, and instability.

3.0
5 Apr 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great learning experience for what happens in Criminal Justice. Staff attorney’s are very supportive, helpful and willing to cover.

Cons

No real support from management. They seldom come to court and even less often cover a case even their own. It is a them versu use mentally. No real opportunity for advancement unless favored

Viewing 1 - 3 of 24 Reviews

Glassdoor has 34 New York County Defender Services reviews submitted anonymously by New York County Defender Services employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if New York County Defender Services is right for you.