Attorney - Assistant Public Defender III - IV

Accepting candidates Licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan with criminal law, jury trial, and high-severity felony case experience to serve as the attorney of record of indigent defendants in criminal cases ensuring that Jackson County meets all constitutional and legislative requirements.

Easily apply directly through our job board at www.bsaonline.com by entering your personal contact information into our job application and uploading your cover letter and resume.

SALARY COMMENSURATE WITH EXPERIENCE:

To qualify for placement as Public Defender III or IV candidates must have a Juris Doctorate degree, State Bar License with evidence of good professional standing. Qualifications as set forth in MIDC proposed Standard 7, compliance with Standard I CLE, and experience levels defined below. Higher compensation determined based on years of criminal defense experience with a record of high-quality criminal trial court representation and ability to handle high severity felony cases.

Public Defender III: $82,534.40 - $92,851.20
Has practiced criminal law for one full year (as prosecutor, public defender, or private criminal defense) and has been trial counsel alone or handled a significant portion of a trial in two criminal cases that have reached a verdict with a minimum of one trial that included a jury.

Public Defender IV: $90,771.20 - 102,148.80
Has practiced criminal law for five years and been trial counsel alone or as lead for seven felony criminal cases that have been submitted to a jury or has a significant record of consistently high quality criminal trial court representation and the ability to handle a high-severity felony case.

A valid Michigan Drivers? License is also required.

Relevant Skills/Specialized Equipment Knowledge:

• Basic office equipment such as telephone, calculator, photocopier, Fax, etc.
• Photographic, audio and video equipment.
• Computer programs including word processing, spreadsheets, database entry and maintenance, financial applications and other technology used in the legal profession.

* Assistant Public Defenders shall not participate in any private practice of law

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Performs all case related legal work as required and authorized by the Chief Public Defender. The Assistant Public Defender III will represent indigent and partially indigent defendants in felony cases and will serve as co-counsel or second chair to an Assistant Public Defender IV in high-severity felony cases. Essential functions include but are not limited to:

1. Promoting and protecting the expressed interest of the client at all times, represents indigent and partially indigent adult criminal offenders at arraignments, pretrial conferences, pretrial motions, probable cause conferences, preliminary examinations, bench trials, jury trials, sentencings, and probation violation hearings.

2. Prepares for court appearances by conducting interviews with witnesses, law enforcement personnel and any other applicable entity.

3. Conducts legal research; analyzes evidence; drafts briefs; reviews exhibits, reports and statements; engages in negotiations with the Prosecutor and clients; presents evidence, calls/examines witnesses, argues motions, presents opening statements and closing arguments.

4. Serves as co-counsel or second chair to Assistant Public Defender IV?s in high-severity felony cases.

5. May handle high-severity felony assignments if qualifications are met as set forth in proposed MIDC Standard 7.

6. Interacts with other internal departments, police agencies, private investigators, private attorneys, social agencies and the general public.

7. Must possess effective communication and interpersonal skills; the ability to understand and interpret constitutional provisions, statues, administrative regulations and precedents and procedures; the ability to analyze facts, evidence and precedents and arrive at logical interpretation; set forth findings of fact and conclusions in written legal form.

8. Monitors legal developments, including legislation and court decisions which may impact the work of the department.

9. Maintains confidentiality with highly sensitive information and ensure confidential information is being stored in an appropriate manner consistent with the law and Rules of Professional Conduct.

10. Maintains accurate, complete and legible case files.

11. Attends meetings, conferences and continuing education opportunities as approved by the Chief Public Defender.

Other Functions

1. Performs other duties as assigned by the Chief Public Defender.

2. Must adhere to departmental standards in regard to HIPAA and other privacy issues.

3. Must attend a minimum of (12) CLE hours annually.

BENEFITS EFFECTIVE DATE OF HIRE!

This is an exempt level position with excellent benefits, including health, life, disability, paid time off and paid holidays, effective date of hire!

CORE BENEFITS (Provided at no cost): $30,000 Life Insurance, $30,000 AD&D; Long-Term Disability; Employee Wellness Benefits; Employee Assistance Program; Paid Holidays; Paid Time Off (based on length of service); Paid bereavement leave; and Education Assistance of up to $3,000 annually.

OPTIONAL BENEFITS (cost share required): Medical, Prescription, Dental, Vision; Optional Life Insurance for employee, spouse and dependent children; Short-Term Disability; Flexible Spending Accounts (Medical and/or Dependent Care); Health Savings Account; Consumerism Card; Legal Shield & ID Shield.

Benefit eligible employees opting out of the County's health plan with proof of other coverage are eligible to receive a $3,000 cash-in-lieu of insurance benefit.

Full time employees are also offered an Employer match of up to 5% in our Defined Contribution Plan and greater than two times the employee contribution to our Retirement Health Savings Plan. The Employee contribution for the RHS Plan is $900 annually with an employer contribution of $2,050 annually.

For full benefit details, go to https://www.mijackson.org/439/Employment-Benefits

We are a Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) qualifying employer. For details about PSLF, go to https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

We're a great place to work and great place to live - check us out!Join our team, our values, our purpose - Proudly serve the citizens of Jackson County:

* Quality & Efficiency: Our employees are committed to continuous improvement and getting the most value for the public resources entrusted to them.
* Integrity and accountability: Our employees behave in a fair and ethical manner and demonstrate a strong commitment to public services.
* Teamwork and Community: Our employees work collaboratively with each other and the community to achieve shared goals.

To learn more, search "LIVE, WORK, PLAY JACKSON, MI" or go to https://www.mijackson.org/31/Live-Work-Play

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $82,534.40 - $102,148.80 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Loan forgiveness
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location: In person