Public Defender Attorney I

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

This position represents indigent adults and juveniles charged with less serious criminal offenses in Richland County. This position may handle a misdemeanor case load within the City of Columbia Municipal Court or Richland County Magistrate Court; investigates cases; contacts clients; conducts meetings with clients, witnesses, law enforcement and more; coordinates with social services as needed; reviews discovery; prepares for bench trials/jury trials/plea dates; and files and argues motions. This position operates within established legal and organizational guidelines while exercising independent judgment in case management.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• Prepares and argues criminal cases in court. Prepares and argues motions; negotiates plea bargains on behalf of criminally charged clients; represents clients at preliminary hearings; participates in case investigations including crime scene investigations; interviews witnesses and victims; reviews and examines evidence; reviews discovery; researches and evaluates legal issues; prepares witnesses for trial; prepares for trials; makes court appearances; selects juries; etc.
• Receives and responds to client or public inquiries, concerns, and complaints in areas of responsibility.
• Drafts own legal documents with little to no supervision or oversight.
• Meets with clients in the courthouse, at jails, and at correctional or detention facilities; meets with partner agencies.
• Plans and gives presentations to various community civic organizations as requested.
• Maintains files and notes related to representation.
• Attends professional conferences, training, seminars, workshops, etc., as necessary to maintain job knowledge and skills.
• Contributes to internal and external trainings.
• Completion of SCCID training PD 101, 102, and 103.
• Handles trials with senior supervision.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Juris Doctor.
• No experience required. Experience in criminal law preferred.

Licenses/Certifications/Other:

• Must possess a valid state driver’s license.
• Must have a license to practice law in South Carolina.
• Must possess and maintain current membership in the S.C. Bar Association.
• Requires transportation to attend court hearings in other locations and to visit clients in jails and prisons.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Data Involvement:  Requires synthesizing or integrating analysis of data or information to discover facts or develop knowledge or interpretations; changes policies, procedures, or methodologies based on new facts, knowledge, or interpretations.
• People Involvement:   Requires interaction with clients, with clients’ families, with agency service providers, with court personnel, with the Solicitor’s Office, and with law enforcement; requires negotiating; and requires exchanging ideas, information, and opinions with others in an effort to arrive jointly at decisions, conclusions, or solutions. Requires client consultation in correctional and detention facilities.
• Involvement with Things:  Requires handling or using machines, tools, or equipment requiring brief instruction or experience, such as computers, fax machines, copiers, telephones, or similar equipment; may service office machines, including adding paper and changing toner.
• Reasoning Requirements:  Requires performing work involving the application of principles of logical thinking or legal practice to diagnose or define problems; collects data; solves abstract problems with widespread unit or organizational impact; and requires the ability to interpret and apply law and judicial decisions and prepare opinions, briefs, memoranda, and other documents. Requires the ability to prepare motions, briefs, memoranda, and other documents in support of representation of individual clients with little to no supervision or oversight; requires the ability to formulate and make arguments to advance the interests of clients in court.
• Mathematical Requirements:  Requires using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and/or calculating ratios, rates, and percentages.
• Language Requirements:  Requires reading and interpreting professional materials involving advanced bodies of knowledge related to law and other complex disciplines; writing extremely complex papers and reports; and speaking to high-level political, legal, or other such groups.
• Mental Requirements: Requires using advanced professional-level work methods and practices in the analysis, coordination, or interpretation of work of a professional, legal, or managerial nature; requires the ability to formulate important recommendations or make technical decisions that have an organization-wide impact; and requires sustained, intense concentration for accurate results and continuous exposure to sustained, unusual pressure.
• Computer Requirements:  Requires using MS Office Suite programs and knowledge and skills in general computer and web-based database systems.
• Judgments and Decisions: Responsible for actions of others, requiring making decisions affecting co-workers, clients or others in the general public; works in a moderately fluid environment with guidelines and rules, but with frequent variations from the routine.

Physical Requirements:

The work is sedentary work which requires the person in this position to occasionally exert up to 10 pounds of force to grasp, lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Grasping:  Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.
• Manual Dexterity: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Mental Acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. Shouting in order to be heard above ambient noise level.
• Visual Acuity: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading. Including color, depth perception, and field vision.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

May be required to work hours other than the regular schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays. This position requires regular and reliable attendance and the employee’s physical presence at the workplace. The job risks exposure to no known environmental hazards. Work is performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to change and responsiveness to changing goals, priorities, and needs.

EEO AND ADA MESSAGE

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein.  Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were written out in this job description.

Richland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  ADA requires the County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.  Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

Richland County has the right to revise this job description at any time. This description does not represent in any way a contract of employment.