The City of Tucson Public Defender's Office is seeking professional attorneys to perform professional legal work defending indigent clients charged with misdemeanor offenses in City Courts.
The City of Tucson offers a wide range of generous benefits for eligible employees. Some of those benefits include: City-Wide Benefits
§ Medical: Choice between a high deductible plan (HSA or HRA), or Network plan.
§ Dental: Choice between a national dental PPO and a local dental HMO.
§ Vision: Coverage for annual eye exam and glasses or contacts, plus LASIK.
§ Life: City-paid coverage for you & dependents, plus option to buy more.
§ Long-Term Disability: Income replacement of up to 60% of your base salary in the event of a qualifying disability.
§ Employee Assistance Program: Enhance your wellbeing when life doesn’t go as planned.
Your Security and Future
§ Pension: Generous pension plans that help both civilian and public safety employees retire more comfortably (Optional for appointed employees within first 90 days of employment).
§ Deferred Compensation: Save more toward a comfortable retirement with a 457(b) plan.
§ Training & Tuition Assistance: Pursue your dream through internal training or financial help toward a degree.
Your Peace of Mind
§ Paid Parental Leave: Six (6) weeks paid leave when you welcome a child, plus other generous leave policies for FML, Medical and USERRA.
§ Paid Time Away: New hires enjoy 37 days of paid time off in the first year, with time increasing steadily thereafter (In year one: 13 accrued days of vacation, 13 accrued days of sick leave, and 11 paid holidays).
§ Employee Discounts: Generous discounts, ranging from car rentals to computers, gifts to groceries, electronics to entertainment.
§ Social Connectedness: Forge connections with the community we serve through paid volunteerism and payroll-deducted charitable giving.
If you have a passion for serving our community, enjoy connecting with people (customers, community leaders or members of the public), and have experience in crisis communications, we encourage you to apply.
General Description
This position works under the supervision of more senior and experienced attorneys in the Public Defender's Office. The Assistant Public Defender advises indigent clients on a wide range of direct and collateral consequences of criminal prosecution and is responsible for all pretrial functions.
This position requires court coverage for other attorneys and is occasionally called to court for client assistance.
Essential Functions
Defend clients in City Court by attending hearings, notifying clients of court dates, arguing relevant issues and case law, presenting mitigating factors, conducting direct and cross examination of witnesses, making objections, introducing evidence, and conducting legal hearings, evidentiary hearings, jury and/or bench trials.
Performs pretrial functions by conducting client interviews, reviewing and evaluating evidence, scene investigation, researching legal issues and specific case issues, drafting legal documents, participating in plea negotiations, interviewing witnesses, including in person jail interviews, and preparing cases for trial. Performs administrative duties by directing staff, students, and volunteers, maintaining case calendar, scheduling and prioritizing cases, and coordinating interviews and subpoenas.
Presents documentation and other relevant information to appropriate individuals.
Occasionally directs helpers, assistants, seasonal employees, interns, volunteers or temporary employees and may temporarily act in a higher capacity.
Position Specific Duties:
Client/Witness Interviews/Meetings/ Reviewing Evidence/ Investigations (45%) Performs pretrial functions by conducting client interviews, in-person, virtual, telephonic and jail, reviewing and evaluating evidence, scene investigation, researching legal issues and specific case issues, drafting legal documents, participating in plea negotiations/settlement conferences, interviewing witnesses, and preparing cases for trial. Case staffing/consulting, crime scene investigations/photos/diagrams.
Court Appearances (In person/virtual) (40%) Defend clients in City Court by attending hearings, arguing relevant issues and case law, presenting mitigating factors, conducting direct and cross examination of witnesses, making objections, introducing evidence, and conducting legal hearings, evidentiary hearings, jury and/or bench trials. Presents documentation and other relevant information to appropriate individuals including prosecutors for plea negotiations and supervisors for case review.
Administrative (10%) Directs Paraprofessionals, assistants, seasonal employees, law students/interns, volunteers or temporary employees and may temporarily act in a higher capacity
Non-Essential (5%) Other duties as assigned under direction of supervisor/administration
Minimum Qualifications
Minimum Education Level & Type: Juris Doctor
Minimum Experience Qualifications: Under 1 year of experience in criminal litigation
Arizona Bar License
Preferred Qualifications
In addition to the Minimum Qualifications stated above, the ideal candidate will also be Bilingual - English/Spanish.
Selection Plan
PLEASE NOTE: Resumes must be uploaded as a PDF or Word document to be considered. Failure to upload your Resume will be considered an incomplete application.
Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be evaluated on the education and work experience in their employment profile and the responses to their supplemental questions. The highest scoring applicants will then be invited to participate in an Oral Board interview.
In-Person Oral Board Interviews will be held the week of November 6, 2023
§ Must be a member of AZ State Bar or have passed the AZ Bar exam and waiting for Letter of Character and Fitness, if an offer of employment is extended.
Upon completion of all examination processes, the highest scoring applicants will be placed on the Civil Service Employment List. An applicant's ranking on the Civil Service list will be based on their final score which will be calculated as:
§ 20% of your rating for education and work experience
§ 80% of your oral board interview
This recruitment will establish a civil service list that will be utilized to fill vacancies occurring within the next 6 months. Post list hiring interviews may be conducted prior to final selection.
Veterans, Native American, or Disability preference points will be added to the final score for those that are placed on the Civil Service Employment List. If you qualify for preference points as outlined in the Employment Profile, you must email your documents to ankita.bhargava@tucsonaz.gov when you are invited to the oral board interviews. The DD 214 must be a copy that indicates characterization of service.
If you are in need of Americans with Disabilities Act-related accommodation during the testing process, please contact Diane Webster at Diane.Webster@tucsonaz.gov at least 48 hours prior to the evaluation.
Conclusion
You are encouraged to print this bulletin because it contains important dates and information that will not be available online once this position closes. Communications throughout this process will be sent via email exclusively so please ensure your browser accepts emails from jobs@tucsonaz.gov and check your email account regularly; this may include your junk box/spam filter. Failure to respond or follow instructions will result in disqualification.
Pre-Employment Medical Testing Requirements
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To ensure accurate payroll information for tax purposes, the successful candidate will need to provide their original Social Security Card or original letter from the Social Security Administration with their social security number prior to beginning work with the City of Tucson.
The City of Tucson hires lawful workers only - US citizens or nationals and non-citizens with valid work authorization - without discrimination. Federal immigration laws require all employers to verify both the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States. In its efforts to meet the law's requirements, the City of Tucson participates in the E-Verify program established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to aid employers in verifying the eligibility of workers.
Retired City of Tucson employees receiving benefits from the Tucson Supplemental Retirement System who are considering reemployment with the City should be aware that pursuant to Section 22-37(g) of the Tucson City Code, retirement benefits shall be suspended during the period of reemployment with the City of Tucson unless you have been separated at least twelve consecutive months before returning to work AND you return to a non-permanent employment classification. Creditable service does not accrue during any reemployment period.