Assistant Public Defender

State of North Carolina; Kentucky; On-site; USD 56,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The State of North Carolina, Office of the Public Defender, District 14 in Cumberland County, seeks a qualified Assistant Public Defender to represent indigent clients in District Court. This time-limited, grant-funded full-time position ends on June 30, 2027.

Required: Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school and active North Carolina license to practice law. Knowledge of constitutional and procedural law, and strong advocacy skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of federal, state, constitutional law and rules of evidence.
• Strong written and verbal communication, interviewing and organizational skills.
• Ability to analyze facts and apply law; conduct legal research; develop litigation strategy; examine witnesses; deliver openings and closings.

Responsibilities

• Represent indigent defendants in District Court.
• Prepare, organize and conduct witness examinations; deliver openings and closing arguments.
• Advocate and apply relevant law to case facts in court.

Skills

Legal research

Litigation strategy

Oral advocacy

Evidence handling

Education

Juris Doctor degree (ABA accredited)

Active North Carolina bar license

Job description

About Us

DO YOUR CAREER JUSTICE! Each and every day, North Carolina's courts help provide safety for our communities, prosperity for our economy, and protection for the rights, liberties, and freedoms that sit at the foundation of our state and federal constitutions. Consider an exciting and rewarding career with us and join the more than 7,000 elected officials and employees who make up our workforce and help us ensure that justice is administrated without favor, denial, or delay.

Location & Salary

Cumberland, North Carolina, United States

$56,000 - $70,000/year

Description Of Work

The Office of the Public Defender, District 14, Cumberland County, seeks a qualified individual to serve as an Assistant Public Defender. The selected candidate will represent indigent persons charged with criminal offenses in District Court.

This position is time-limited, grant funded, full-time. Funding for this position will end on June 30, 2027.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies

Knowledge of: Federal, State, common and constitutional law; judicial procedures and rules of evidence; case, statutory, regulatory and common law; NC General Statutes to defend criminal cases; judicial and quasi-judicial procedures; and legal research methods.

Skills in: strong communication, writing, interviewing, and organization.

Ability to: analyze facts, laws, rules, regulations, interpretations, and related written documents and apply applicable law to those facts; conduct legal research; plan, develop and execute an effective litigation strategy to achieve desired results; prepare, organize and conduct witness examinations; deliver opening statements, closing arguments, and evidentiary objections; and express complex legal concepts and related facts in a clear and concise manner.

Qualifications

Juris Doctor degree from an ABA accredited law school and an active license to practice law in North Carolina.

EEO Statement

The State of North Carolina is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and dedicated to providing employees with a work environment free from all forms of unlawful employment discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The state provides reasonable accommodation to employees and applicants with disabilities; known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and for religious beliefs, observances, and practices.

All NC Judicial Branch agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers.

The North Carolina Judicial Branch participates in E-Verify, an internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from the US Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an "equivalent combination of education and experience." If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See the Education and Experience Equivalency Guide for details.

Contact

[e-mail]