Neighborhood Defender Service
Melida Ramirez is an experienced professional currently serving as a Senior Team Administrator at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem since July 2004, providing crucial support to a team of approximately twenty criminal defense attorneys and managing the daily influx of new criminal cases. Previously, Melida worked as a Housing Outreach Specialist at Goddard Riverside Community Center from December 2009 to May 2016, where responsibilities included intake, assessment, service planning, advocacy, and data management related to housing placement and retention for clients. Melida holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections from John Jay College (CUNY).
Neighborhood Defender Service
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.