Closing Date: 26th May, 2026
Description:
Agency OverviewThe Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OPD) is the state agency responsible for providing legal representation and other services to people accused or convicted of a crime who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Our Mission: Advocating. Fighting. Helping.
Our Vision: A Fair Justice System.
Our Values: Compassion. Dignity. Equity. Integrity. Service. Community.
We are committed to building a work environment where all team members have a voice and can embrace our differences to innovate service to the public in our pursuit of fairness and justice for all people.
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Job Description:
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender is seeking an attorney to serve as an Assistant Public Defender in the Legal Assistance Program Section of the Youth Defense Department.
The Youth Defense Department is a team of talented professionals who provide direct representation and services for children in Ohio's juvenile and criminal legal systems, including representation at trial, post-disposition, and release and reentry support. We utilize a holistic approach to assisting youth in the legal system and provide advocacy that extends before, during, and beyond the child's duration of confinement.
As a Legal Assistance Program attorney, you will provide assistance to children in Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) on matters arising out of their confinement, which includes responding to requests for assistance, reviewing fact investigations, assisting youth with exhaustion of administrative grievance processes, and determining whether the child's claim has merit, and referring the child to a private attorney for direct representation of their claim. If no private attorney accepts the case within a reasonable time, you will prepare pro se pleadings, including a complaint, a motion for appointment of counsel, and other applicable pleadings. You will also advocate for children during discipline and release reviews to the ODYS Release Authority, which impacts the child's length of stay and release date. You will be most successful in the position if you are organized, solutions oriented, adept at effective documentation and communication, and empathetic. Frequent travel to juvenile correctional facilities is required.
Duties include but are not limited to the following:
- Provide legal assistance to incarcerated youth residing in Ohio Department of Youth Services (“DYS”) facilities and DYS contract facilities
- Travel to DYS and contract facilities to meet with youth in-person
- Provide legal orientation to youth upon their admission to DYS
- Interview youth on questions pertaining to matters arising out of their confinement (e.g., medical deliberate indifference, excessive use of force, failure to protect, etc.)
- Advocate for youth on administrative issues that could result in the extension of the youth's period of confinement
- Regularly provide DYS youth with legal information and advice on release and reentry information
- Work with DYS administrators and OPD staff on providing reentry services to youth
- Investigate youth claims pertaining to conditions of confinement issues, including but not limited to the following: ensuring that youth follow DYS grievance processes and procedures and exhaust administrative remedies; submitting records requests to DYS following a youth's request for assistance; reviewing facility documentation of a youth's claim as well as any video footage, if available; and, under the supervision of higher level assistant public defenders, determining the merits of a youth's claim by analyzing relevant case law
- Provide youth with age-appropriate written explanations of the results of any investigation
- Under the supervision of unit Supervisor or the Youth Defense Department Managing Counsel, refer apparent meritorious claims to private counsel. If referrals cannot be accomplished within a reasonable time, prepare pro se pleadings and motions for appointment of counsel, completes affidavit of indigence and motions for appointment of guardian ad litem when necessary, to enable a youth to file pro se
- Collect data and compile information for monthly reports
- Organize paperwork and request forms
- Maintain intra-agency intake calendar
- Collaborate with other attorneys in the department
- Refer matters to outside agencies when appropriate
- Answer inquiries from indigent youth pertaining to general issues of juvenile law
- Conduct intake for the department's post-disposition and trial staff
- Appear in public and private settings to discuss law and policy
- Train youth defenders on issues pertaining to post-dispositional and administration assistance/representation, appearing as counsel or co-counsel to represent youth on matters including judicial release, sealing and expungement, serious youthful offender invocation hearings, new charges, and other matters related to the youth's confinement
Required Documents:
To apply, please upload and attach a cover letter and writing sample. Applications without these materials will not be reviewed.
Salary:
Compensation for this position is set by the State of Ohio E1 Exempt Pay Schedule and currently ranges from $76,440 to $108,722. Starting pay may vary based on your relevant experience and state procedures. After you start, you move to the next step in the range after 180 days and annually thereafter. We typically have fiscal year Cost of Living Adjustments as well.
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact us at 614-466-5394 or HCM@opd.ohio.gov.
Why Work for the State of Ohio
At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees*. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website! (https://careers.ohio.gov/why-work-for-state-of-ohio) Our benefits package includes:
- Medical Coverage
- Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period (https://careers.ohio.gov/why-work-for-state-of-ohio/healthcare/01-health-care)
- Paid time off, including vacation, personal, sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year
- Childbirth, Adoption, and Foster Care leave
- Education and Development Opportunities (Employee Development Funds, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and more)
- Public Retirement Systems (such as OPERS, STRS, SERS, and HPRS) (https://das.ohio.gov/employee-relations/benefits-administration/about-my-benefits/retirement-systems) & Optional Deferred Compensation (Ohio Deferred Compensation) (https://www.ohio457.org/aboutus)
Qualifications:
Admission to Ohio bar pursuant to section 4705.01.
Graduates of law school who are awaiting bar exam or exam results may apply.
Note: Prior to representing a client in federal court or U.S. Supreme court, attorney shall obtain admission to practice law in that court; prior to appointment as appellate counsel for an indigent defendant in a capital case pursuant to Appt.Coun.R. 5.02 & 5.03, an attorney shall obtain certification from the Commission on Appointment of Counsel in Capital Cases.
Note: Eligibility to practice under a Certificate to Practice Law Pending Admission in Ohio, under Rule I, Section 19 of the Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar of Ohio, or eligibility to practice under a Temporary Certification for Practice in Legal services, Public Defender, and Law School Programs under Rule IX of the Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar of Ohio, may be accepted in lieu of admission to the Ohio Bar pursuant to R.C. Section 4705.01.
Job Skills: Attorney/Legal, Client Advocacy, Organizing and Planning, Verbal Communication, Written Communication and Analyzation.
Supplemental Information:
This position requires travel to juvenile correctional facilities. The agency maintains a fleet of vehicles for staff to reserve; use of a fleet vehicle requires evidence of a valid driver's license and personal auto insurance coverage.
Intentional omission of relevant information, falsification, or misrepresentation of information on the application will disqualify the applicant. In addition, such intentional acts are grounds for immediate termination of an employee.
Final candidates selected for this position will be required to undergo a drug test. An applicant with a positive test result will not be offered employment. Final candidates selected for this position will also be required to undergo a background check and state income tax check. Criminal convictions do not necessarily preclude an applicant from consideration for a position. An individual assessment of an applicant's prior criminal convictions will be made before excluding an applicant from consideration.
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