Supervising Assistant Public Defender - Athens County Office

Ohio is a Disability Inclusion State and strives to be a model employer of individuals with disabilities. The State of Ohio is committed to providing access and inclusion and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws.

Admission to Ohio Bar pursuant to Section 4705.01; 3 yrs. exp. as licensed attorney practicing criminal law; 6 mos. exp. in employee training & development. 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 4705.02.

Job Skills: Attorney/Legal, Coaching, Customer Focus, Developing Others, Problem Solving, Reasoning

The 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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You will supervise Assistant Public Defenders, maintain a complex caseload, and serve as a mission-driven member of the Athens County leadership team reporting to the Athens County Office Director. The Athens County Office provides criminal defense representation to clients who cannot otherwise afford an attorney in the courts in Athens County. You will directly supervise Assistant Public Defenders (APDs) serving in the various Athens County Courts, and you will maintain a complex caseload as lead attorney or co-counsel representing indigent trial-level clients. You will also work with your team to build and maintain productive working relationships with judicial and court staff and the central OPD office.

To be successful in this position, you would benefit from strong leadership abilities, excellent communication skills, a familiarity with applicable court staff and local procedure, experience in teaching and mentoring attorneys, and a strong legal acumen.

This position is an in-office/in-court position. The office is open to the public 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with standard attorney schedule hours between 7\:30 a.m. and 5\:30 p.m.

Essential duties of this position include but not limited to:

• Actively engages as a member of office leadership team, contributes to office-wide decision-making, and helps implement office and statewide programs and policies in conjunction with public defender, deputies, and other managers.
• Directly supervises attorneys practicing in the criminal courts of Athens County.
  • Coaches and develops staff (holds team meetings and one-on-one meetings; sets meaningful goals and provides support; completes timely performance evaluations).
  • Recommends candidates for hire (e.g., screens and interviews applicants for vacant positions).
• Represents indigent criminal defendants as co-counsel or lead-counsel at the trial level.
  • Conducts legal research, prepares briefs, memoranda, motions, and pleadings
  • Corresponds and meets with clients to explain legal strategies.
  • Corresponds with clients regarding their legal issues & incarceration.
• Performs other necessary related legal and administrative work as directed by Managing Assistant Public Defender of the Athens County Office, Assistant Director or State Public Defender.

The Supervising Assistant Public Defender position is assigned to the State of Ohio’s E1 Pay Schedule, Pay Range 14. Unless required by legislation or union contract, starting salary will be the minimum salary of that pay range (step 1, currently $37.53 per hour) associated with this position. These ranges provide a standardized pathway for pay increases\: with continued employment, new hires move to the next step in the range after 6 months and annually thereafter. The State of Ohio typically has Cost of Living Adjustments that increase wages in these ranges each fiscal year.

Note\: In the event a candidate demonstrates exceptional qualifications above minimum, they may qualify for a starting salary above step 1.

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 HCM@opd.ohio.gov.

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! Our benefits package includes:

• Medical Coverage
• Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period
• 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) & Optional Deferred Compensation (Ohio Deferred Compensation)

*Benefits eligibility is dependent on a number of factors. The Agency Contact listed above will be able to provide specific benefits information for this position.

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 tentatively selected for this 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.

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).

The State of Ohio is a drug-free workplace which prohibits the use of marijuana (recreational marijuana/non-medical cannabis). Please note, this position may be subject to additional restrictions pursuant to the State of Ohio Drug-Free Workplace Policy (HR-39), and as outlined in the posting.