Closing Date: 20th March, 2025
Description:
Are you ready to make a meaningful impact through public service? The Iowa State Public Defender's Office is seeking a highly motivated, skilled, and enthusiastic attorney to serve as a Public Defender 2 in our Sioux City Adult office located in Woodbury County, Iowa.What You'll Do:
As a Public Defender attorney in this position, you will:
- Advocate for indigent clients in assigned cases at every state of the criminal justice system.
- Receive training and mentoring from dedicated, experienced public defenders in an atmosphere which encourages growth and development of an attorney's skills and career.
- Represent clients in court at pre-trial hearings, bench or jury trials sentencings and other court hearings.
- Prepare a defense, conducting legal research, gathering facts, and interviewing the client and witnesses to determine the merits of case and appropriate course of action.
- Conduct pretrial discovery, including depositions, withdraw pleas, and suppression motions.
- Negotiate plea bargains, dismissals, or other disposition of assigned cases with prosecuting attorneys.
- Work closely with clients, providing and discussing information, plan case strategy and trial preparation.
- Maintain appropriate communication with clients about case status and answering client questions.
- Identify potential legal issues to advance client's case, research applicable law, and draft appropriate motions and briefs
- Prepare various legal documents, including written arraignments, written guilty pleas, motions, briefs, and letters.
- May direct work of investigators consistent with internal office policies.
- Maintain client case files, prepare public defender time reports to the court, and close files consistent with office policies.
Minimum Qualification Requirements:
Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:
- Graduation from an accredited law school, possession of a current license to practice law in the State of Iowa, and experience equal to two years of full-time work in professional legal criminal trial advocacy or prosecution.
- Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes eighteen months of full-time work as a Public Defender 1.