Deputy District Attorney - District Court - Lincoln County

Deputy District Attorney - District Court - Lincoln County

Employment Type: 0 - Full-time Regular
Pay Range: $89,125.00 - 133,688.00
Location: Castle Rock, CO
Overtime Exempt: Y
Elected Office / Department: DISTRICT ATTORNEY

The 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office is recruiting for a unique, high-responsibility role of a Deputy District Attorney in Lincoln County. In this position you will have the opportunity to manage all aspects of prosecution in a close-knit, rural community. From handling cases at every level to shaping the legal landscape of the county, this is your chance to step into a leadership position where your work directly impacts the safety and justice of a community. If you are ready for a challenge and want to the be the driving force in our rural county's legal system, we invite you to apply today!

Performs a variety of professional legal and docket management functions to intake and prosecute felony offenses in the 23rd Judicial District.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: (The following essential job functions and examples of duties are illustrative only and are not intended to be all inclusive; positions assigned to this class may not perform all of the duties listed.)

• 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.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

• Works under the general to broad supervision of an administrative superior.
• Plea negotiations/agreements are guided by policy and precedent; significant deviations are generally discussed with and approved by a supervisor.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED: May assist with the orientation/training of newly assigned personnel.

COMPLEXITY/RESPONSIBILITY:

• Work in the class is accomplished through the application of legal theory, applicable state statutes.
• Broadly defined case settlement guidelines to a variety of case facts and circumstances and requires considerable legal and factual analysis on a diversity of issues.

SCOPE OF INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:

• Contacts are with superiors, co-workers, defense attorneys, pro-se defendants, judges, juries, court staff, law enforcement and related agencies' personnel, press/media reporters, and the general public.
• Involve the giving and receiving of factual and theoretical information.
• Explanation of complex factual patterns, legal theory, statutory and case law requirements/interpretation are required of the incumbent to persons with widely varying levels of legal education and/or understanding.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION: Graduation from law school as provided under Rule 205.1 of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• 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.

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES:

• Considerable to extensive knowledge of the rules of criminal procedure and the rules of evidence.
• Ability to effectively apply same in a preliminary hearing/trial setting related to felony offenses.
• Considerable knowledge of state statutes and general knowledge of substantive case law related to felony offenses.
• Ability to advocate and/or present legal/factual scenarios in a clear and persuasive manner to persons of highly varying legal, educational, and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Ability to effectively process and dispose of felony criminal case filings while maintaining a balance of equal justice between victims, the People of the State of Colorado, and affected defendants.
• Ability to assess cases for strengths versus weaknesses and aggravators versus mitigators to determine just and ethical dispositions that are within policies promulgated by the District Attorney.
• Ability to react quickly and appropriately in court to defense objections, oral motions, court inquiries and rulings, and presentations/responses from defense attorneys and witnesses.
• Ability to write in a succinct and well-reasoned manner.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with superiors, co-workers, defense attorneys, victims, judges, court staff, police officers, witnesses, related agencies' personnel, and the general public.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with same.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is generally confined to a standard office environment and requires no more than normal physical abilities.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Closing Date: 12/27/2024 5:59PM MST.

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.