Brooklyn public defenders threaten to strike Thursday

https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2026/07/14/brooklyn-defenders-possible-strike

BY Dan Rivoli New York City
PUBLISHED 7:32 PM ET Jul. 14, 2026

Hundreds of staff members and attorneys at Brooklyn Defender Services may walk off the job on Thursday after their union authorized a potential strike.

The public defenders represent thousands of low-income Brooklyn and Queens defendants in court who cannot afford their own attorneys.

"The idea of my clients standing in court without me is not something I ever want them to have," Julia Coppelman, a senior staff attorney in criminal defense at Brooklyn Defender Services and strike captain, told NY1.

Attorneys, represented by the United Auto Workers Local 2325, authorized a strike to take place at 8 a.m. on Thursday if a deal on a new contract cannot be reached with the nonprofit legal provider.

FULL story and video at link.