Assistant Prosecuting Attorney I II III - Convi...

Serves as the Director of the Conviction Integrity and Expungement Unit. The Unit has three primary responsibilities: (1) Investigating claims of innocence to determine whether new evidence suggests that the convicted defendant was not the person who committed the offense; (2) Coordinating, and providing affirmative assistance to, eligible Washtenaw County residents who are seeking to expunge old criminal records; and (3) In appropriate circumstances, investigating and (where appropriate) remedying claimed constitutional violations, as well as claims for equitable relief from prior court proceedings that are in the interest of justice.

The Unit Director will be primarily responsible for the work of the Unit, and will report directly to the Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and the Prosecuting Attorney. The Director will be responsible for supervising, and coordinating the work of, assistant attorneys assigned to the Unit, investigators, support staff, and interns.

Examples of Duties:
Essential Duties:

• Investigates and makes recommendations to the Prosecuting Attorney and the Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney on claims of actual innocence.
• Obtains and reviews voluminous court records, law enforcement documents, parole minutes, and all other documents connected with or relevant to a criminal prosecution.
• Interviews convicted persons, witnesses, attorneys, relevant experts, and police officers.
• Oversees DNA and other forensic testing.
• In appropriate circumstances, investigates and makes recommendations to the Prosecuting Attorney and the Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney on claims involving Constitutional or other violations (e.g., Brady violations).
• In appropriate circumstances, investigates and makes recommendations to the Prosecuting Attorney and Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney on claims involving equitable relief.
• Drafts and edits briefs and motions, and makes court appearances.
• Facilitates and coordinates requests for assistance with expungement and provides guidance as to eligibility.
• Coordinates and staffs expungement fairs alongside community partners.
• Coordinates with outside partners, including innocence projects, legal aid attorneys, public defenders, law school partners, and pro bono partners.
• Provides advice and guidance to the Prosecutor¿s Office to ensure prospective conviction integrity, including (for example): Providing updates and trainings on advances in DNA and non-DNA forensic evidence (i.e., letting the office know about ¿junk science¿); Best practices regarding preservation of evidence; Best practices regarding constitutional obligations such as Brady, etc.
• Supervises at least one attorney, as well as interns, administrative staff, and contract investigators.
• Provides input and guidance on office policies; and
• Performs such other duties as the Prosecuting Attorney or the Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney may request. In no circumstances¿and consistent with best practices around conviction-integrity units¿will the CIEU Director or any member of the CIEU be asked to directly participate in the prosecution of cases.

Skills required include:

• Highly motivated with strong research skills, comfortable with document-driven cases that can take months or years to build.
• Ability to take initiative and be self-directed on non-deadline-oriented investigations.
• Maintains a professional demeanor and appearance in and out of court.
• Regularly confers with Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and Prosecuting Attorney regarding status and direction of cases.
• Maintains a professional demeanor and appearance in and out of court.
• Reads case updates, advance sheets, and legal periodicals to keep current on relevant developments in the law.
• As assigned, attends, and participates, as the representative of the Prosecuting Attorney, community or committee meetings on topics related to the functions of the Conviction Integrity and Expungement Unit.
• Maintains high professional and personal standards, in keeping with status as a public servant.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel so classified.

Physical Demands:

Duties require sufficient mobility to work in a normal office setting and use standard office equipment including a computer, vision to read printed materials and a computer screen and hearing and speech sufficient to communicate in person or over the telephone.

These requirements may be accommodated for otherwise qualified individuals requiring and requesting such accommodations.

Education:
Possession of a Juris Doctor degree from an ABA accredited law school.

Experience:
Level I - Grade 118:
Entry-level classification. Employees may advance to LEVEL II after at least two (2) years of Assistant Prosecuting Attorney I experience with acceptable work performance.

Level II - Grade 120:
Two (2) years of experience required with acceptable work performance.

Level III - Grade 122:
Two (2) years of experience required with acceptable work performance.

Necessary Special Requirements:

Membership in good standing in the State Bar of Michigan.

This class description intends to identify the major duties and requirements of the job and should not be interpreted as all-inclusive. Incumbents may be requested to perform job-related duties other than those outlined above and may be required to specific job-related knowledge for successful job performance.

The Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office regrets that it cannot pay travel expenses for applicants to attend interviews.