Description:
Position Information:Advance your legal career and bring your passion for public service to the Public Defender's Office.
Bilingual (English/Spanish) skills are highly desired!
Starting salary up to $91.70/hour ($191,388/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*
The Deputy Public Defender I/II/III/IV position will be filled at the appropriate level, depending on the candidate's qualifications. As attorneys gain experience and meet or exceed performance standards, they are eligible for promotion to subsequent levels in the series, up to level IV. If you are interested in being considered at the various levels of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate, concurrent recruitments being conducted for those levels. If you are an experienced attorney, please check out our IV-level recruitment.
The Public Defender and his Office have the mandated responsibility of defending any person who is not financially able to employ counsel and who is charged with the commission of any contempt or offense triable in the superior or municipal courts. Additionally, the Public Defender represents qualified individuals in probate and welfare proceedings, and may represent any person who is not financially able to employ counsel in proceedings relating to the nature or conditions of detention prior to adjudication.
When you join the Office as a Deputy Public Defender III, you will perform legal work involving the investigation, preparation, and presentation of criminal and civil cases before the courts. Using your independent judgment and initiative, you will work directly with clients to:
- Investigate, research, prepare, and defend criminal and/or civil cases
- Interpret and apply laws, court decisions, and other legal authorities for use in the preparation of cases, opinions, and briefs
- Prepare pleadings and other legal documents in connection with trials, hearings, and other legal proceedings
- Conduct general legal research
- Interview and advise witnesses regarding criminal complaints
- The ideal candidate will have a substantial interest in criminal defense work and possess:
- Experience working as an attorney, law clerk, or other professional legal position
- Impeccable research and writing abilities
- Experience and knowledge of post-conviction relief
- Demonstrable excellence in public speaking
- Experience in a Public Defender's office
- The highly desirable ability to speak, read, and write in English and Spanish
This recruitment is being conducted to fill a Deputy Public Defender position in the Public Defender's Office at either the I, II, III, or IV level. The employment list established from this recruitment may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help positions as they occur during the active status of this list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future vacancies should consider applying to this recruitment.
Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Bilingual positions require English and Spanish skills at either the basic (conversational) or fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) level. Applicants for bilingual positions must indicate their proficiency level in the required supplemental questionnaire. An examination will be conducted prior to employment to a bilingual designated position to confirm level of skill in this area. Bilingual premium pay of $1.15 per hour will be applied upon the assignment of bilingual work. Additional information can found in the Memorandum of Understanding between A Government Entity and SCDPDAA and our Employee Benefits directory.
Minimum Qualifications:
Professional License: Current Active Membership in The State Bar of California.
Experience: Any Combination of Training and Experience, Which Would Provide the Opportunity to Acquire the Knowledge and Abilities Listed. Normally, Two Years of Legal Experience Practicing Criminal Law as A Licensed Attorney, Including One Year of Experience Comparable to The Level of Deputy Public Defender Ii; or Equivalent Experience with Another Defense Agency Would Provide Such Opportunity.
License: Possession of A Valid Driver's License at The Appropriate Level Including Special Endorsements, as Required by The State of California, May Be Required Depending upon Assignment to Perform the Essential Job Functions of The Position.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Considerable Knowledge Of: The Duties, Powers, Limitations, and Authorities of The Office of The Public Defender; the Principles of Criminal Law, Principles of Trial Procedure and Rules of Evidence; Legal Research Methods and Judicial Procedures; Statutory and Constitutional Laws of The State of California.
Ability To: Research, Analyze and Apply Legal Principles, Facts, Evidence and Precedents to Legal Problems; Consistently Prepare and Present Statements of Law, Fact and Argument Clearly, Logically and Persuasively in Written and Oral Form in Legal Matters; Establish and Maintain Effective Working Relations with Other Staff Members, Departmental Representatives, County Officials, the Courts, Law Enforcement Agency Officials, and The General Public; Understand and Accept Differences in Human Behavior, and Cultural and Ethnic Backgrounds.
Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Bilingual positions require English and Spanish skills at either the basic (conversational) or fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) level. Applicants for bilingual positions must indicate their proficiency level in the required supplemental questionnaire. An examination will be conducted prior to employment to a bilingual designated position to confirm level of skill in this area. Bilingual premium pay of $1.15 per hour will be applied upon the assignment of bilingual work. Additional information can found in the Memorandum of Understanding between A Government Entity and SCDPDAA and our Employee Benefits directory.
Minimum Qualifications:
Professional License: Current Active Membership in The State Bar of California.
Experience: Any Combination of Training and Experience, Which Would Provide the Opportunity to Acquire the Knowledge and Abilities Listed. Normally, Two Years of Legal Experience Practicing Criminal Law as A Licensed Attorney, Including One Year of Experience Comparable to The Level of Deputy Public Defender Ii; or Equivalent Experience with Another Defense Agency Would Provide Such Opportunity.
License: Possession of A Valid Driver's License at The Appropriate Level Including Special Endorsements, as Required by The State of California, May Be Required Depending upon Assignment to Perform the Essential Job Functions of The Position.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Considerable Knowledge Of: The Duties, Powers, Limitations, and Authorities of The Office of The Public Defender; the Principles of Criminal Law, Principles of Trial Procedure and Rules of Evidence; Legal Research Methods and Judicial Procedures; Statutory and Constitutional Laws of The State of California.
Ability To: Research, Analyze and Apply Legal Principles, Facts, Evidence and Precedents to Legal Problems; Consistently Prepare and Present Statements of Law, Fact and Argument Clearly, Logically and Persuasively in Written and Oral Form in Legal Matters; Establish and Maintain Effective Working Relations with Other Staff Members, Departmental Representatives, County Officials, the Courts, Law Enforcement Agency Officials, and The General Public; Understand and Accept Differences in Human Behavior, and Cultural and Ethnic Backgrounds.
