What are the responsibilities and job description for the Chief Public Defender position at Harris County?
The Chief Public Defender is responsible for overseeing and managing all operations within the Harris County Public Defender's Office, which aims to provide high-quality, holistic representation to people with low incomes in Harris County. A key responsibility of this role is to expand the office’s capacity to effectively handle the majority of cases involving individuals facing the loss of liberty. This position is essential for transforming the office into a leading provider of criminal defense that complies with national best practices, state and federal constitutions, and all ethics rules and for advancing Harris County’s strategic priorities on justice and safety. The county is seeking a passionate leader who can drive this expansion while ensuring quality representation. The Chief will oversee holistic defense and investigatory staff and supervise professional and support personnel. The Chief will also develop and implement strategic plans, goals, and initiatives, establish office policies and procedures, propose and manage budgets, resolve complex legal situations, collaborate with county agencies to enhance the quality of indigent defense in the county and strive to ensure indigent defendants receive equal justice under the law.
The Chief Public Defender must possess a strong commitment to indigent defense and experience in organizational growth, supervision, and stakeholder relationship management. Essential qualities include the ability to engage constructively with authority, a passion for justice, and a commitment to upholding the presumption of innocence. The Chief must demonstrate assertiveness, compassion, and empathy, along with effective leadership skills. This role demands resilience and a proactive approach to improving representation for low-income individuals, high standards of legal defense, and prioritizing the well-being of clients and staff. The Chief reports to a nonpartisan board appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Operational Management: Directs and oversees the daily operations of the Harris County Public Defender’s Office, ensuring efficiency and alignment of team members with the larger goal of delivering effective public defense and quality representation for indigent clients. This role includes guiding the leadership team, setting strategic goals, direction, and policies for the office, and demonstrating principled leadership and sound ethics while promoting an equitable environment for staff and clients. Responsibilities encompass problem-solving, managing all operational aspects of the Public Defender’s Office, preparing and approving budgetary inputs, attending management meetings, and performing related managerial responsibilities.
- Strategic Planning & Leadership: Provides vision and spearheads strategic planning for office expansion. Also, provides leadership in administering all activities and functions of the Harris County Public Defender’s Office. In addition, this role is responsible for the supervision of managerial personnel and coordinates with them to ethically resolve problems, integrate, and modify operational strategies, policies, and tactics, formulate responses to changing internal and external conditions, and develop plans, long-range goals, and objectives.
- Legal Functions: Performs various tasks to ensure the effective delivery of legal services, including but not limited to supporting legal operations, ensuring commitment to the vigorous defense of client rights and interests, offering expertise or guidance on particularly challenging or complicated legal cases, and collaborating with other attorneys as needed to develop effective strategies.
- Communications: Engages in regular communications with other stakeholders, the County Commissioners, County stakeholders, impacted communities, and advocacy organizations.
- Financial Operations: Works closely with the Harris County Office of County Administration Justice Planning Division and other relevant county departments to develop a budget for executing the functions and capabilities of the Public Defender’s Office and implement plans and strategies for operating within the budget approved by the Commissioners Court.
- Personnel Management: Supervises, counsels, evaluates, and trains staff within the Public Defender's Office, ensuring a robust talent pipeline to meet the office's evolving needs. Conducts interviews for staff selection, demotion, and promotion. Develops procedures and policies that promote staff accountability, productivity, recruitment, retention, and continuous professional development, particularly in the context of an expanding office. Responsible for workforce and succession planning, including assessing current and future staffing needs and implementing strategies to effectively scale operations and support the increased demands on the office.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Represents, speaks for, and acts on behalf of the Public Defender Office, engaging with the Commissioners Court, county management, the judiciary, the District and County Attorney’s Office, local law enforcement, county judicial, administrative services, CAPDS, local advocacy groups, representatives from the Texas Legislature, the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC), local bar associations, and other relevant stakeholders.
- County Goal Advancement: Works with key criminal legal system stakeholders to advance Harris County’s indigent defense system in alignment with the county’s safety and justice goals, particularly those related to fairness, equity, and effectiveness of criminal legal system operations.
- This Job Description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Management may, at its discretion, assign, or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
Strategic Plan Link
Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net. This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.
Education and Experience:
J.D./LL.B. from an accredited law school.
Ten (10) years of experience practicing law.
- Experience with budget management, budget development, and securing funding for an organizational budget, including preparing, monitoring, and analyzing budgetary allocations to ensure effective resource allocation within the office.
- Substantial demonstrated experience managing criminal defense attorneys and other legal, administrative, and professional staff.
Licensure:
Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas or eligible to be licensed to practice law in the State of Texas.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Candidates for Chief Public Defender should possess leadership, litigation, public defense, supervision, management, and budgeting skills.
- Has led a managerial or supervisory experience.
- Has litigated criminal cases for at least ten (10) years.
- Has worked as a lawyer in a public defender office.
- Has managed daily operations for a legal organization.
- Has helped create or oversee an organizational budget.
- Has the ability to manage simultaneous projects effectively while maintaining attention to detail.
- Has skills in handling high-stress situations and making quick, informed decisions.
- Demonstrated commitment to racial, social, and economic justice (or equity) and creating a fair, equitable, and effective criminal justice system.
- Comprehensive knowledge of methods, practices, and applications of pleading criminal cases, as well as effective case presentation techniques in court.
- Excellent leadership, organizational, change management, problem-solving, decision-making, negotiation, and evaluation skills.
- Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, and team-building skills.
- Ability to motivate, train, supervise, and develop attorneys and support staff.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with departmental clientele, representatives of outside agencies, other County employees and officials, and the public.
- Ability to develop and execute budgets within a governmental organization, allocate resources, and evaluate programs.
NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.
Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:
Regular Full-time
Monday – Friday | 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Occasional weekends, holidays, and overtime may be required based on the specific needs and demands of the department.
Salary:
Depends on Qualifications
Based on 26 pay periods
- This position is based in an office environment, where the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, scanners, and filing cabinets is routine.
- The physical demands associated with this job are minimal, with occasional lifting and moving of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. The role is predominantly sedentary, involving mainly sitting with occasional standing and walking.
- Reports To Position: Harris County Commissioners Court, Harris County Public Defender Board of Directors.
- Supervises Positions: Attorneys, investigators, administrators, social workers, and other professional and support personnel.
TO APPLY:
Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.
Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.
Salary : $2,080
