Rick Jones is the executive director and a founding member of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS). He is a distinguished trial lawyer with more than 25 years’ experience in complex multi-forum litigation.
Rick is a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches the criminal defense externship and a trial practice course. He is also on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College (NCDC) in Macon, Georgia and is frequently invited to lecture on criminal justice issues throughout the country.
Rick is a past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). He has previously served NACDL as a two-term member of the board of directors, parliamentarian, co-chair of both the Indigent Defense Committee and the Special Task Force on Problem-Solving Courts, and is currently co-chair of the Task Force on Restoration of Rights and Status After Conviction.
Rick is a member of the inaugural steering committee of the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) and the New York State Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Executive Committee. He also sits on the boards of the New York State Defenders Association (NYSDA) and the Sirius Foundation and serves on the Editorial Board of the Amsterdam News.
