This file updated: Thursday, May 08, 2008.
The Office of the Public Defender for the Northern Judicial Circuit has an entry level position open for a public defender.
Contact info below:
Joel Shiver
Office of the Public Defender
Northern Judicial Circuit
Royston, Georgia 30662
Telephone: 706-246-9320
Email: joel.shiver@yahoo.com
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 5/7/08)
Paulding County Public Defender Office
The Paulding County Public Defender Office is currently seeking an assistant to handle all Appeals work and Juvenile Court for the office. We're looking for someone with 1-2 years of criminal trial experience, a member in good standing with the GA Bar, a knowledge of, and desire to do, appellate work (including research, drafting motions/briefs, ability to adhere to strict deadlines, and attention to detail). Juvenile Court experience is a plus, though not required.
Interested persons should send a resume, cover letter, and references to Tom Driggers, at rfranklin@gapublicdefender.org or tdriggers@gapublicdefender.org.
Public Defender
Paulding Judicial Circuit
25 Courthouse Square
Annex Building, Rm 405
Dallas, Georgia 30132
770-443-3463
770-443-9936 (fax)
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 5/7/08)
Federal Defenders of the Middle District of
Georgia
Research & Writing Specialist
Federal Defenders of the Middle District of Georgia, Inc. (FDMDGA) is seeking
applications to fill a Research and Writing Specialist position for its
headquarters office in Macon. FDMDGA is a nonprofit corporation, funded by the
Administrative Office of the United States Courts. The organization is not an
agency of the federal government and staff members are not federal employees.
This position will begin on or after June 1, 2008.
The Research and Writing Specialist provides advanced research and writing services to the Defender and Assistant Federal Defender (AFD) staff on trial and appellate cases. An individual who holds this position must be an attorney and a member in good standing of a state bar but generally does not sign pleadings or appear in court. The Research and Writing Specialist writes briefs, motions, petitions for certiorari, and legal memoranda for review by the Defender and staff attorneys. General duties include examining, analyzing and researching records and issues, performing legal research and preparing legal documents, assisting the Defender and AFD staff with all aspects of case preparation, training and continuing legal education, and supervision of other research staff as appropriate. The outside practice of law is prohibited. Candidates must demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills, creativity, computer literacy (Windows and WordPerfect at a minimum), and must be able to both take direction and work independently. Applicants must also possess good judgment, initiative, resourcefulness, tact, and a commitment to the representation of indigent persons accused of federal crimes.
This is a full-time position with salary depending on
qualifications and experience. An
attractive benefits package is also offered. Applicants must be United States
citizens or
eligible to work in the United States. Offers of positions are subject to
satisfactory
background investigations and final hiring is contingent upon both the
appropriation of
funding and approval by the funding source.
No phone calls, please. Applications must be postmarked by May
16, 2008. To apply,
send cover letter expressing interest, resume, three references, and recent
writing
samples to:
Mr. Stephen R. Glassroth
Executive Director
Federal Defenders of the Middle District of Georgia, Inc.
440 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Suite 400
Macon, Georgia 31201
Steve_Glassroth@fd.org
FDMDGA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 4/22/08)
Job Title: Paralegal
The Georgia Justice Project is an unlikely mix of lawyers, social workers, and a landscaping company. We defend people accused of crimes, and win or lose; stand with them as they rebuild their lives in an attempt to break the cycle of poverty and crime.
The paralegal will provide support to the legal services staff in criminal and civil matters. He/she will maintain client files, have extensive client contact, communicate with other non-profits and law firms, and assist in trial preparation.
Qualifications:
1. 3-5 years experience in the legal field
2. Strong Understanding of the Criminal Justice System
3. Desire to work on issues related to poverty
4. Excellent communication skills
5. Familiarity with the courts of Fulton and DeKalb counties
6. Attention to detail with excellent organization skills
7. Self directed with ability to be flexible
8. Management experience is preferred
Please send resume and cover letter to debra@gjp.org
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 4/22/08)
We have a PD IV (most experienced) position available for immediate start in Mountain Judicial Circuit (Habersham, Stephens & Rabun Counties). We're just above Gainesville, all the way to the N.C. State Line (92 miles from our office to State Capitol or 15 miles east of Helen). Come to the mountains and try cases. Either e-mail your resume and cover letter to publicdefender@alltel.net or mail it to P.O. Box 253, Clarkesville, Georgia 30523.
Drew W. Powell
Circuit Public Defender
Mountain Judicial Circuit
(706) 754-6427
publicdefender@alltel.net
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 4/2/08)
Federal Defenders
of the Middle District of Georgia
Assistant Federal Defender
Federal Defenders of the Middle District of Georgia, Inc. (FDMDGA)
is seeking
applications to fill an Assistant Federal Defender position for its headquarters
office in
Macon. FDMDGA is a nonprofit corporation, funded by the Administrative Office of
the
United States Courts. The organization is not an agency of the federal
government and
staff members are not federal employees. Assistant Federal Defenders represent
those
charged with criminal offenses and in ancillary matters in the United States
District Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and
the United States Supreme Court who are financially unable to retain counsel.
This position will begin on or after April 1, 2008.
Applicants must have the ability to immediately undertake the
defense of major criminal
cases in the United States District Court, as well as in the United States Court
of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Applicants must be graduates of accredited
law schools, active members in good standing of the bar of any state, as well as
members of a bar in good standing of a United States District Court. To be
considered for this position, applicants must have substantial criminal trial
experience, knowledge of federal criminal trial practice and federal sentencing
guidelines, must possess excellent research, writing, oral advocacy and
communication skills, experience in computer-assisted legal research, the
ability to understand and manage complex factual and legal issues, and a
reputation for integrity and commitment to the representation of those unable to
afford counsel. Assistant Federal Defenders may not engage in the private
practice of law.
This is a full-time position with salary and benefits based on qualifications and experience.
Salary is on a scale equivalent to those of Assistant United
States Attorneys. Applicants
must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States. Offers
of positions are subject to satisfactory background investigations and final
hiring is contingent upon both the appropriation of funding and approval by the
funding source.
No phone calls, please. The position will remain open until filled. To apply,
send cover
letter expressing interest, resume, three references, and recent writing samples
(one an
advocacy piece and the other an explanatory writing to a lay person) to:
Mr. Stephen R. Glassroth
Executive Director
Federal Defenders of the Middle District of Georgia, Inc.
440 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Suite 400
Macon, Georgia 31201
FDMDGA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 3/12/08)
Innocence Project New Orleans is a non-profit law and advocacy office providing first rate representation to indigent defendants with provable claims of actual innocence. IPNO engages in high impact frontline advocacy, representing the wrongfully convicted in the courts of law and public opinion and leads a community-based response to the mistakes made in our criminal justice system.
The Policy Director will lead the office’s criminal justice reforms and work closely with the Director to develop policy agendas for IPNO.
IPNO is in the process of increasing its role in criminal justice reforms in Louisiana with the knowledge that wrongful convictions can be a powerful instrument for change. The Policy Director will:
• Develop messaging and coordinate media for each exoneration
• Play a key role in two on-going campaigns (see below)
• Work closely with the Director to strengthen and develop IPNO’s policy work, including ensuring that media highlight needed reforms;
• Work with the Director to pursue fundraising opportunities consistent with policy priorities in coordination with overall fundraising plan;
• Supervise other staff and interns assigned to work on policy projects.
• For attorneys or other applicants with direct representation experience, the position is flexible to allow for participation in IPNO’s casework.
Experience and Qualifications Required
• Public policy experience or legislative advocacy experience and a substantial background and/or working knowledge of criminal justice issues;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; and ability to work with the media
• Ability to work well with a wide range of people including colleagues and advocates, decision-makers and government staff, prisoners and their families;
• Excellent organizational skills and the capacity to take initiative and think strategically;
• Ability to work sometimes irregular hours, attend evening and weekend meetings and travel; and
• Demonstrated commitment to human rights and racial justice.
Experience and Qualifications Preferred
• Some experience developing and/or conducting state or local legislative and/or issue campaigns that involved coalition building and public communications
• Some familiarity with issues surrounding the increasing number of exonerations in this country.
• Preference will be given to candidates with ties to Louisiana.
Current Campaigns• Campaign to Abolish Juvenile Life Without Parole: This campaign uses a multi-pronged approach which involves working with prisoners, their family members, lawmakers and allies to fight the practice of sentencing youth to life without parole. The work is influenced and informed by a national working group on the issue.
• Campaign to Bring Best Practices to New Orleans Evidence: IPNO had created and facilitates a working group of criminal justice stakeholders (New Orleans Police Department, the Judiciary, New Orleans Crime Lab, the defense bar, the Clerk of Criminal District Court, IPNO and the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation) with a mission to formulate and implement best practices in evidence storage and preservation policies in the post-Katrina Orleans Parish criminal justice system.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary $40,000+ DOE. Generous vacation time allowances and heath insurance provided.
Application
Applications are being considered immediately and the position will be open until filled. Please submit a letter of interest, current resume, a writing sample (less than five pages), a 3-5 year salary history and the names and telephone numbers of three references to:
e-mail: shannon@ip-no.org
or fax: (504) 558-0378
or mail:
Shannon Wight
Innocence Project New Orleans
636 Baronne Street
New Orleans, LA 70113
Innocence Project New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and encourages people of color, women and LBGT persons to apply.
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 1/29/08)
The Athens Justice Project (AJP), a nonprofit, community law office serving Athens/Clarke and Oconee counties is seeking a part-time or full-time Staff Attorney. The mission of AJP is to break the cycle of crime and poverty by providing legal representation, counseling, and employment opportunities to criminal offenders. We help our clients find hope and become self-supporting, law-abiding citizens. The Staff Attorney, along with the Executive Director and the Director of Social Services, will select clients in accordance with established selection protocol in order to provide holistic representation to clients consistent with the AJP mission. The Staff Attorney will represent clients in a manner consistent with the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys. Representation includes reviewing potential cases, thorough investigation and legal research for cases in which an appearance is entered, zealous representation to the fullest extent allowable under the law and rules of conduct, including motions practice, negotiation, and trial, if necessary. The Staff Attorney is expected to maintain data regarding AJP clients and report at staff meetings on status of cases. The Staff Attorney should develop positive, caring relationships with clients in order to help clients identify and build on their strengths, identify and meet their needs, and develop and work on a plan to achieve their goals, and continue to provide counsel and support throughout the clients' involvement with AJP. All staff, including the Attorney, are expected to assist with fundraising and public relations, including but not limited to, assistance with events, grant writing, public speaking, and representing AJP in the community.
Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to P.O. Box 447, Athens, Georgia, 30603 or director@athensjusticeproject.org. Our web address is www.athensjusticeproject.org.
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 1/29/08)
The Georgia Capital Defender is seeking a Deputy Director of Mitigation and Investigation. The Deputy Director for Investigation and Mitigation is responsible for supervision of all aspects of investigation and mitigation of capital cases for trial, organizing all aspects of investigation and mitigation for trial, and tracking and monitoring death penalty cases in the state of Georgia. In collaboration with the Deputy Director for Litigation, the Deputy Director for Investigation and Mitigation guides defense teams in death penalty cases throughout the proceedings handled at Georgia Capital Defender. The Deputy Director for Investigation and Mitigation develops and implements seminars and programs related to investigation and mitigation of capital cases.
Position responsibilities include:
 | Supervising investigators, social workers and paralegals in all aspects of investigation, organization, mitigation and preparation of capital cases; |
| Supervising utilization of resources for investigation, organization, mitigation and preparation including staffing and distribution of work assignments and similar functions of administration; |
| Developing, implementing and supervising programs for professional development in all areas of investigation and mitigation to train persons to assist in the preparation of capital cases; |
| Maintaining advanced knowledge of forensic mental health issues, including mental retardation, mental illness and other mental status of the defendant by reading appropriate reference materials, journals and other literature and attending related seminars and conferences and applies pertinent new knowledge to performance and other responsibilities; |
| Suggesting new areas of investigation for both phases of the capital trial, with special emphasis on the client’s background and mental health issues; |
| Planning and implementing training seminars, develops training materials in all areas of investigation, mitigation and preparation in capital cases; |
Salary commensurate with experience and reflects the responsibility entrusted to this position. Full state benefits.
Applicants should send a copy of a resume, a writing sample, and names and contact information of three references to:
Deborah Anne Czuba
Deputy Director of Mitigation and Investigation
Office of the Georgia Capital Defender
225 Peachtree Street, Suite 900
Atlanta, GA 30303-2743
Applications will not be considered without the above attachments. It would be preferred that these materials be sent via e-mail to dczuba@gacapdef.org.
Deadline: February 1, 2008.
For more information about the Georgia Capital Defender, see www.gacapdef.org.
The Georgia Capital Defender is an equal opportunity employer. The Georgia Capital Defender does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religious creed, national original, ancestry, disability, or sexual orientation.
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 1/11/08)
Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
Legal Director
Description of Organization
The Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL) is a statewide non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to reforming Louisiana's juvenile justice system. When JJPL opened in 1997, it pursued three reform objectives in Louisiana's delinquency system: improve indigent defense; challenge unconstitutional conditions of confinement; and increase community based-alternatives to incarceration. Since then, JJPL has driven all private, for-profit juvenile prisons out of the state, forced the state to close two juvenile prisons, brought litigation and, with the U.S. Department of Justice, negotiated a settlement with the State that dramatically improved many aspects of the conditions of confinement for Louisiana's youth; helped to pass major state juvenile justice reform legislation, launched a statewide family advocacy organization and, most recently, established a model juvenile defender office in New Orleans. The population of incarcerated youth in Louisiana fell from about 1,900 in 1998 when JJPL first opened its doors to about 450 in December 2006.
JJPL's mission is to transform the juvenile justice system into one that builds on the strengths of young people, families and communities in order to instill hope and to ensure that children are given the greatest opportunities to grow and thrive. When it first began, JJPL used litigation in combination with media advocacy to drive juvenile justice reform. Today, JJPL litigates in both federal and state courts on behalf of youth and engages in other forms of legal advocacy including appellate work, administrative hearings and amicus briefs. In addition, JJPL educates policy makers and politicians on the need for reform, coordinates with parents and other concerned citizens to ensure their visibility and participation in the process, and aggressively executes media strategies in order that the state is held accountable for its treatment of youth.
JJPL began with a small amount of general support primarily from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Today its budget is roughly $1 million annually and it is supported by grants from several national foundations. With the recent spin off from JJPL of FFLIC (Families and Friends of Incarcerated Children) and the model juvenile defender office (Juvenile Regional Services), JJPL currently has a staff of seven. The office is based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Position Responsibilities
While JJPL has achieved significant reforms, vigilant advocacy is required to sustain them over time. Moreover, challenges for children in or at-risk of entering Louisiana's juvenile justice system continue. JJPL recently hired a new executive director and is now seeking a dedicated and experienced legal director to join the team to move the organization forward. The legal director must be committed to JJPL's mission and recognize and appreciate the humanity of its clients, their families and their communities. JJPL is a collaborative, creative environment that strives to develop projects that further its mission; each staff member is respected as a resource for the creation and generation of project ideas as well as new projects. Specific responsibilities of the Legal Director include:
Visioning & Strategic Planning: Work with the executive director to establish and implement strategies for statewide reform, including public policy reforms.
Litigation and Project-Specific Supervision and Management: Chief responsibility for identifying and implementing litigation and other legal reform strategies; supervise, manage and work with staff to develop projects, action steps and evaluation plans.
Job Qualifications
The legal director of JJPL must be a good strategic thinker and understand how to craft and move a policy reform agenda. He or she should be creative, a team player, and have the skills to both work with government (inside) and advocate for change (outside) when required. Three to five years of litigation experience is essential (i.e. experience crafting affirmative litigation in state and federal court as well as brief writing at the appellate level). Candidates must have superior oral and written communication skills. Experience with juvenile justice issues is preferred. Experience with public policy advocacy/lobbying is beneficial and exposure to Louisiana political culture is also a plus. JJPL values the diversity of its clients, staff members, volunteers and community members. Salary is commensurate with experience, generous benefits included.
To Apply: Please email your resume and cover letter to:
Julie Peterson
JJPL Search Consultant
jempeterson@verizon.net
(Posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 10/11/07)
Civil Pro Bono Family Law Project
Job Description
Pro bono legal services program -- for incarcerated mothers and their children
-- seeks part-time attorney with 2+ years of family law experience. The
qualified candidate must be a member of the Georgia Bar. Hours are flexible.
Primary Responsibility: Oversee Direct Legal Service Program
* Respond to written inquiries
* Respond to telephone inquiries
* Prepare summaries of inquiries eligible for direct representation
* Provide direct representation at direction of Executive Board
* Assist with planning and facilitation of legal seminars
* Complete intake forms at prison seminars
* Review intake forms with Board Chairperson
* Handling communications to judges
Interested candidates can send resumes to Beverly Iseghohi: bmiassociates@att.net or call 404-551-6414.
(Re-posted on G.A.C.D.L. website 7/13/07)
