Deputy District Attorney - Elbert County

Douglas County, CO

1d•$98,800 - $148,200•Onsite

About The Position

Performs a variety of professional legal and docket management functions to intake and prosecute felony offenses in the 23rd Judicial District. Generally, the hiring range is $98,800-$123,500 annually. Qualifications, education and experience as it relates to the position will be taken into consideration when determining hiring salary. In the event of an emergency/disaster in or near the County, all County employees are expected to make every effort to be available to assist the County Manager, Elected/Appointed Officials and Department Directors to ensure the continued operation of any and all necessary County functions. This may mean being available to perform additional duties and hours beyond what is normally required. In the event that an exempt employee does work more than 40 hours a week in support of County operations during an emergency, such employee may receive overtime or other appropriate wage compensation in accordance with existing County policies or at the discretion of the County.

Requirements

Graduation from law school as provided under Rule 205.1 of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure.
Licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado.
Attainment of an overall performance rating of "meets standard" or above as a county court attorney.
Attainment of a rating of "meets standard" or above in criteria established for promotion to district court.
Must possess a valid Colorado Driver’s License upon hire, with complying insurance.
Review of motor vehicle record is required at time of hire and periodically throughout employment.
This position requires successful completion of a criminal background check including fingerprinting through a national database.

Responsibilities

Receives and reviews (for trial, case settlement, or dismissal purposes) felony criminal cases filed by local police agencies.
Analyzes supplementary case documentation to determine perceived provability/evidence of the elements of the crime initially charged and/or mitigating factors/evidence to support a dismissal.
Determines formal charges and directs the preparation of applicable documents required for filing with the court.
Ensures that defense attorneys are provided discovery and notifies victim(s) in compliance with victim rights laws.
Receives and responds to inquiries from the general public and law enforcement on a variety of issues related to the criminal justice system e.g. search and seizure, statutory elements of crimes, affidavits for search/arrest warrants, etc.
Reviews defendant's criminal history and all factors relating to his ties to the community.
Appears at initial advisement(s) for the filing of charges and/or to advocate the setting of bond and/or to set a date for preliminary hearing.
Reviews case facts and supporting documentation to determine the witnesses required to be subpoenaed for the preliminary hearing.
Meets with victim(s) and filing detective to discuss plea negotiation considerations and communicates same to defense attorney.
Interviews or directs the interviewing of subpoenaed witnesses in preparation for their testimony.
Conducts direct examination of witnesses to establish for the Court that probable cause exists to believe that the defendant committed the crime(s) charged.
Presents oral argument to convince the Court that probable cause has been established and that the case should be bound over for trial.
Appears at arraignment to continue plea negotiation process.
Provides defendant with the elements of the offense plead to and states factual basis which supports the offense for Court's acceptance of plea offered.
Presents and advocates prosecution case at trial.
Interviews witnesses to ascertain their testimony; as applicable, conducts voir dire of jury candidates and accepts or excuses jurors in light of perceived positions relevant to the victim, defendant, crime charged, and/or facts of the case.
Prepares and presents opening statement to provide finder of fact with overview of case theory and supporting evidence.
Conducts direct and re-direct examination of prosecution witnesses to introduce physical and testimonial evidence to prove elements of crime(s) charged beyond a reasonable doubt within necessary foundations.
Offers objections to defense questions and statements to protect witnesses from abuse and/or to prevent introduction of irrelevant or inadmissible evidence.
Advocates prosecution position in response to defense objections and/or court rulings to preserve an appellate record.
Conducts cross-examination of defense witnesses to scrutinize and/or impeach their testimony; prepares jury instructions and advocates prosecution position to the defense and court to negotiate final version.
Prepares and presents closing and rebuttal arguments to review evidence and advocate for conviction.
Researches and responds to a wide variety of defense motions, e.g. suppression of statements/evidence, motions in limine, request for sanctions for violation of procedural rules, etc.
Researches, prepares, and presents motions on behalf of the people, e.g. amend charges, add charges, 404(b) similar transactions, child hearsay, motions in limine, etc.
Researches, prepares, and presents briefs to the Court advocating the People's position regarding legal issues raised during motions practice.
Acts in an on-call (after hours) capacity to respond to police inquiries regarding search and seizure, probable cause to arrest, non-testimonial identification items, and related legal issues.
Reviews affidavits for probable cause for arrest and search warrants.
Contacts on-call judge to arrange time for affiant to sign affidavit in judge's presence.
May respond to crime scene as requested to offer suggestions to police regarding scope of investigation and preservation of evidence.
Prepares limited correspondence in instances where out of court communication requires documentation, e.g. advising defense of exculpatory evidence, requests to filing detective for further investigation.
Attends monthly training meetings; may prepare and present lectures to attorneys on a variety of legal issues related to felony prosecution.
Attends annual CDAC conference to earn required CLE credits.
Makes presentations to schools and community groups to explain the functional aspects of the legal system and/or current issues related to felony matters.