Assistant Public Defender I

Closing Date: 18th June, 2024

Description:

Position Summary:
Discover a rewarding career with us!
Our full-time positions come with an array of excellent benefits including comprehensive healthcare coverage, a pension plan, flexible spending accounts and even a student loan reimbursement program.
At Lancaster County, we understand the importance of work-life balance. That's why we offer paid time off for sick, vacation and holidays, an employee assistance program, and family medical leave.
Are you an attorney with license to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the rules and regulations of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania who is committed to providing a high level of professional service to indigent adults charged with crime and to children in delinquency proceedings? If so, the Lancaster County Public Defender's Office is looking for you!
Job Summary:
Attorney providing professional legal representation to indigent adults charged with crime and to juveniles in delinquency proceedings. Practice in magisterial district court, court of common pleas, and Pennsylvania appellate courts.
Essential Job Functions:

• In-Court Representation
• Provide competent and effective legal representation to adult defendants and to allegedly delinquent children in the following court proceedings:
• preliminary hearings in magisterial district court for adults charged with homicide, felony offenses, misdemeanor offenses.
• trials in magisterial district court for summary offenses in which incarceration is a likely punishment.
• jury and non-jury trials in the court of common pleas for adults charged with homicide, felony offenses, and misdemeanor offenses.
• pre-trial hearings, guilty plea hearings, and sentencing hearings in the court of common pleas for adults charged with homicide, felony offenses, and misdemeanor offenses.
• parole/probation violation hearings in the court of common pleas.
• administrative parole violation hearings initiated by the Pennsylvania Parole Board.
• Post-Conviction Relief Act hearings in the court of common pleas.
• proceedings under the Protection from Abuse Act in the court of common pleas.
• representation of adults in the court of common pleas in miscellaneous matters: support contempt hearings; bench warrant court; fines & costs hearings; summary appeal hearings.
• adjudicatory and dispositional hearings in the court of common pleas for children in juvenile delinquency cases.
• detention hearings in the Youth Intervention Center for children in juvenile delinquency cases.
• post-dispositional review hearings for children in juvenile delinquency cases.
• direct appeal of any of the above matters in the Pennsylvania appellate courts.
• Out-Of-Court Representation
• Provide competent and effective legal representation to adult defendants and to allegedly delinquent children in the following out-of-court activities:
• communicate with client in various settings: live office interviews; prison interviews; telephone calls; and letters.
• communicate with client's family, loved-ones, doctors, teachers, social workers.
• perform factual investigation individually or coordinate factual investigation with Public Defender investigative staff.
• review file materials, including all police reports, witness statements, expert reports, and medical records.
• coordinate the involvement of defense expert either hired by Public Defender or appointed by the court.
• perform legal research.
• prepare legal documents for filing in the court of common pleas and the Pennsylvania appellate courts.
• prepare oral presentations for the court proceedings identified above at Essential Job Function #1.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Baccalaureate degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science).
• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.
• License to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
• Any equivalent combination of education, experience and training that provides the required knowledge, skills and ability to perform this job.

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