Attorney I - Law Students - Public Defense Services

Pima County•Tucson, AZ

About The Position

REVISED THIS RECRUITMENT IS TO ESTABLISH A REGISTER for future ATTORNEY I vacancies which serve all levels/assignments of Attorney in the offices of the Pima County Public Defense Services Department (Legal Advocate; Legal Defender; Mental Health Defender; Office of Children's Counsel; Public Defender; Public Fiduciary). Law students in their 3rd and 4th year, who will qualify by the time of hire, are welcome to apply. Qualification for hire includes Juris Doctorate and admission to the Arizona State Bar. Coordinates and conducts professional legal work in Public Defense Services Department offices. Incumbents perform entry-level and/or intermediate-level legal work in the area assigned for either criminal or civil cases. Attorneys at this level prepare, defend, and resolve entry-level to advanced-level licensed professional legal work. Attorneys at this level receive close supervision from higher-level attorney personnel in the performance of their duties. More experienced attorneys in this classification work more independently under the general supervision of higher-level attorney personnel. Pima County Public Defense Services represents indigent individuals upon appointment by the Court in felony cases, misdemeanor cases, juvenile delinquency matters, dependency and severance proceedings, Title 36 proceedings, guardianship cases, and appeals in Pima County. Attorneys provide direct client representation and handle diverse caseloads of various offenses, allegations, and degrees of seriousness. Attorneys work collaboratively and holistically with paralegals and/or secretaries, social workers, and investigators to understand the circumstances and priorities of each client and advocate for their desired outcomes through strategic and personalized litigation, negotiation, and mitigation. This classification is in the unclassified service and is exempt from the Pima County Merit System Rules. For more information on the Pima County Public Defense Services Department and the offices in this department, please visit their website at: www.pima.gov/pds

Requirements

Juris Doctorate.
Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application.
Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see resume" on your application.
Admission to the Arizona State Bar at time of appointment, which must be maintained in good standing.
All positions require a valid Arizona Class D driver license at the time of application or appointment.
Failure to obtain / maintain the required licensure shall be grounds for termination.

Responsibilities

Prosecutes or defends a variety of criminal or civil cases in Justice Court, Juvenile Court, Superior Court, Federal Court, and Appellate Courts which may include misdemeanor, felony, dependency, delinquency, mental health, guardianship, conservatorship, probate administration, contract, tort, environmental, real estate, tax issues, child support, or appellate cases
Represents County departments, boards and commissions in civil litigation and administrative matters
Engages in negotiations for compromise and settlement of cases and complies with Victims’ Rights
Engages in pretrial, trial, post-trial and appellate practice as required by cases
Prepares litigation, deposes witnesses, provides witness notification, and conducts bench and jury trials
Researches legal questions
Researches and drafts legal motions, pleadings, briefs and other legal documents
Reviews, evaluates, and participates in investigations
Complies with all rules regulating professional responsibility
Upholds the values and goals of the assigned Department and County