What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Public Defender - Prison Legal Services position at National Legal Aid & Defender Association?
Position Description
You will serve as an Assistant Public Defender (APD) in the Prison Legal Services (PLS) Section of our Intake & PLS Department. Advocacy is at the core of a PLS attorney's job. Attorneys in the group advocate before the Ohio Parole Board on behalf of individuals seeking release onto parole after decades in prison. PLS attorneys also zealously defend people who are facing reimprisonment at parole and post-release control violation hearings. They also provide legal orientations to incarcerated people at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (“ORW”) in Marysville and answer questions pertaining to criminal sentencing, appeals, jail-time credit, release mechanisms, and other criminal matters.
The position is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. PLS attorneys visit ORW to provide legal orientation once or twice a month and typically meet with clients at other prisons across the state once or twice a month as well.
You will work closely with five fellow PLS attorneys, two supervising attorneys, and an administrative professional, and will collaborate with colleagues on client advocacy. A successful candidate will have strong advocacy skills and a client-centered ethos.
Your essential duties will include but are not limited to:
Represent indigent individuals at parole and post-release control violation hearings. This requires adequate preparation, investigation, and legal research to engage in an adversarial administrative hearing process.
Represent indigent individuals seeking release onto parole at hearings before the Ohio Parole Board. This requires close contact with the client's family and community support systems. It also requires written and oral advocacy.
Provide legal advice to incarcerated individuals at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio.
Collaborate with other attorneys in the Agency on strategic litigation and advocacy, including writs of mandamus.
Work with Intake & PLS Department Manager and PLS Supervisors to complete administrative tasks related to operation of the PLS section.
You will serve as an Assistant Public Defender (APD) in the Prison Legal Services (PLS) Section of our Intake & PLS Department. Advocacy is at the core of a PLS attorney's job. Attorneys in the group advocate before the Ohio Parole Board on behalf of individuals seeking release onto parole after decades in prison. PLS attorneys also zealously defend people who are facing reimprisonment at parole and post-release control violation hearings. They also provide legal orientations to incarcerated people at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (“ORW”) in Marysville and answer questions pertaining to criminal sentencing, appeals, jail-time credit, release mechanisms, and other criminal matters.
The position is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. PLS attorneys visit ORW to provide legal orientation once or twice a month and typically meet with clients at other prisons across the state once or twice a month as well.
You will work closely with five fellow PLS attorneys, two supervising attorneys, and an administrative professional, and will collaborate with colleagues on client advocacy. A successful candidate will have strong advocacy skills and a client-centered ethos.
Your essential duties will include but are not limited to:
Represent indigent individuals at parole and post-release control violation hearings. This requires adequate preparation, investigation, and legal research to engage in an adversarial administrative hearing process.
Represent indigent individuals seeking release onto parole at hearings before the Ohio Parole Board. This requires close contact with the client's family and community support systems. It also requires written and oral advocacy.
Provide legal advice to incarcerated individuals at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio.
Collaborate with other attorneys in the Agency on strategic litigation and advocacy, including writs of mandamus.
Work with Intake & PLS Department Manager and PLS Supervisors to complete administrative tasks related to operation of the PLS section.
- In your application, please upload and attach a cover letter and a writing sample. Applications without a cover letter and writing sample will not be reviewed.*
