New job Assistant Public Defender 1 in Ohio
Assistant Public Defender 1
Company : State of Ohio Jobs
Salary : $53,850 a year
Location : Ohio
Full Description
Assistant Public Defender 1
(210002G3)
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender is seeking a zealous and committed Assistant Public Defender 1 in the Prison Legal Services (“PLS”) Section of our Legal Department. Advocacy is at the core of a PLS attorney’s job: attorneys in the group represent incarcerated people before the Ohio Parole Board and they represent people who face reimprisonment in parole and postrelease control revocation hearings. PLS attorneys are flexible: they vigorously defend clients in revocation hearings and make compelling affirmative cases for release when before the Ohio Parole Board. PLS section attorneys also provide a legal orientation to all individuals sentenced to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and answer questions pertaining to criminal sentences, jail-time credit, release mechanisms, and other common inquiries.
This attorney position will be stationed in the Columbus office, will work closely with five fellow PLS attorneys, their supervising attorney, and an administrative professional, and will collaborate with colleagues on client advocacy across the Legal Department. A successful candidate will have strong advocacy skills and a client-centered ethos.
Essential duties of this position include but are not limited to:
- Represents indigent individuals at parole and postrelease control violation hearings around the State of Ohio. This requires adequate preparation and investigation to engage in an adversarial administrative hearing process.
- Represents indigent individuals in hearings before the Ohio Parole Board. This requires preparation involving close contacts with client’ family and community-support systems. It also requires written and oral advocacy.
- Provides legal services to incarcerated individuals in various Ohio Prisons.
- Conducts legal research & prepares motions & other pleadings reviews drafts of pleadings, briefs, motions, & memoranda.
- Assigns paralegals & other personnel in the preparation of case files, or to collect evidence or data for case work.
- Collaborates with other attorneys in the Legal Department on strategic litigation and advocacy.
- Works with Legal Chief Counsel & PLS Supervisor regarding administrative tasks related to operation of prison legal services section.
**Please submit a Cover Letter and Writing Sample with your application. Applications without a cover letter and writing sample will not be reviewed.**
About the Office of the Ohio Public Defender
The 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.
OPD Mission: Advocating. Fighting. Helping.
OPD Vision: A Fair Justice System.
OPD Values: Compassion. Dignity. Equity. Integrity. Service. Community.
OPD Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Our commitment to inclusion is inseparable from our commitment to a fair justice system. We strive to ensure inclusive spaces and services for our staff, our clients, and Ohio’s diverse communities. We are committed to building a work environment where all our team members have a voice and can embrace our differences to innovate service to the public. We can best meet our public defense mission through a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace, where employees thrive, our mission is accomplished, and Ohioans are served. #TeamOPD is grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion as we work together to pursue fairness and justice for all people.
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Benefits of joining the State of Ohio team:
- Extensive health benefits for all full- and part-time permanent employees
- Guaranteed 10 paid state holidays every year and paid leave accrues each pay period
- At least a 14 percent employer contribution to your OPERS pension plan
- Employee Tuition Reimbursement programs
- Life insurance coverage for all permanent employees
- See more at totalrewards.ohio.gov
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 Tamra Meister, ADA Coordinator, at 614-466-5394 or [email protected]
Note: Temporary Certification for Practice in Legal Services, Public Defender, and Law School Programs may be accepted in lieu of License to practice law in State of Ohio pursuant to Gov. Bar R. IX of the Supreme Court of Ohio.
(*)Developed after employment.
The typical starting salary for this position is $53,850; however, the salary will be commensurate with relevant experience.
This position serves at the pleasure and discretion of the State Public Defender. This position serves in a fiduciary relationship to the State Public Defender and will have an unclassified status per Ohio Revised Code 124.11 (A) (9).
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.
The final candidate selected for the position will be required to undergo a criminal background 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.
All final applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to test for illegal drug use prior to appointment. An applicant with a positive test shall not be offered employment.