What are the responsibilities and job description for the Contract Conflict Panel Attorneys position at Orleans Public Defenders?
OPD is seeking contract attorneys for our Conflict Panel for Criminal District Court, Juvenile Court, and Municipal and Traffic Court.
OPD's Conflict Panel is a group of private attorneys contracted to handle cases the OPD Trial Division is unable to represent due to ethical or other conflicts of interest. Conflict Panel attorneys work independently of the main public defender's office on a part-time contract basis in conjunction with their own private practice.
Duties: Conflict Panel Attorneys act as counsel to clients with felony, misdemeanor, delinquency, or Child in Need of Care charges in all phases of court proceedings including, but not limited to: bond advocacy, arraignment, pretrial hearings, trial preparation, plea negotiations, trial and sentencing. The Panel Attorney is responsible for the investigation and preparation of OPD assigned cases, but may receive contract investigative and contract social work as OPD's capacity allows. The Panel Attorney complies with all legal standards and requirements.
Conflict Panel Attorneys must be committed to OPD’s mission of zealous representation of clients in legal proceedings. In addition, the Panel Attorney (to the extent possible) is expected to maintain a continuing duty to the client. The Panel Attorney counsels and renders or assists in securing appropriate legal services for the client in matters arising from the original criminal proceedings and maintains contact to ensure the protection of the client’s rights so long as the client remains under court jurisdiction.
OPD is currently offering three types of contracts for approved Contract Conflict Panel Attorneys:
- Experienced Felony contract;
- Caseloads of primarily Life Without Parole cases and high-level felonies. The Contract Conflict Panel Attorney would be solely responsible for a caseload during the contract term.
- Municipal, Magistrate, and Lower-Felony contract;
- Includes representation in Municipal Court, in all phases of the proceedings, bond advocacy in Magistrate Court, and vertical representation of clients in misdemeanors and low-level felony cases as assigned during the contract term.
- Disposition contracts
- Contract is for a limited number of cases the Panel Attorney is responsible for through the disposition of the case.
If approved, the Contract Conflict Panel Attorney will be required to sign a contract designating the contract type, caseload they can be assigned, and the amount of compensation provided, in addition to the rules and regulations they must abide by during the course of their representation of clients.
Qualifications: Applicants must be licensed to practice law in the State of Louisiana and be in good standing. Applicants must possess at least one year of criminal defense experience in trial work or other related work, and demonstrated commitment to criminal and indigent defense.
Applicants must be interested in working with individuals charged with criminal offenses from diverse cultural, racial, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.
The position requires excellent legal research and writing skills, and knowledge of and commitment to the national standards of criminal defense. Additionally, the position requires initiative, enthusiasm and unwavering commitment to clients. The ideal candidates will be an accomplished advocate and an independent and organized worker.
To Apply: Qualified and interested applicants must submit all of the following to be considered for this position: resume, cover letter explaining your interest in joining the panel, writing sample and 3 professional references. Incomplete applications will not be considered. All materials should be submitted to conflictadmin@opdla.org.
This is a contract position. Conflict Panel Attorneys are required to sign a contract designating the maximum number of cases they can be assigned and the amount of compensation provided, in addition to the rules, regulations and standards they must abide by during the course of their representation of clients, in part defined by the LPDB standards.
Please send any questions to Radha Yerramilli, Conflict Managing Attorney at ryerramilli@opdla.org.
OPD is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, veteran status or sexual orientation.
The Orleans Public Defenders provide representation to indigent criminal defendants in Orleans Parish. OPD’s mission is to fight for our clients by providing excellent client-centered representation, reforming the system and partnering with the community. OPD is committed to representation that respects the humanity and dignity of those within the criminal legal system.
