Attorney I

City of Indianapolis; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Indianapolis Marion County seeks an attorney to provide effective representation of indigent defendants in misdemeanor, juvenile, or appellate courts, civil contempt, or CHINS proceedings. The role requires independent judgment when policies are unavailable and will involve complex decisions with impact on agency policy.

Incumbents must exercise initiative, creativity, and problem-solving skills, reporting to Division Chief, and adhering to Indiana Public Defender standards while

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate and license to practice law required.
• Strong verbal, written, communication and presentation skills.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Appears in court to provide effective representation of counsel to indigent persons in civil contempt proceedings, CHINS Proceeding, mental health court or persons charged with committing misdemeanor criminal offenses in adult, juvenile or appellate courts
• Conducts legal and factual review of the case; evaluates the legal and factual evidence for, or against, the client; engages in pretrial motion practice; and takes and defends depositions
• Consults with client, interviews witnesses and consults with medical, forensic, DNA or other experts as needed to effectively represent client
• Consults with opposing counsel to negotiate case disposition to include plea agreements and other disposition, including litigating case to the court or trying to jury
• Communicates with clients through regular methods to include telephone conversations, in person interviews, and jail consultations
• Reviews and updates court files; keeps client and families updated on case progress
• Delegates assignments to paralegal I and investigators, as appropriate
• Collaborates with social workers on multi-disciplinary strategies to achieve client objectives
• Must maintain confidentiality at all times
• This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Oral advocacy

Presentation skills

Education

Juris Doctorate

Job description

Overview

Agency Summary
The Marion County Public Defender Agency provides legal representation for Marion County citizens who cannot afford to hire their own lawyer in matters involving liberty interests, including criminal cases. Our services are provided as a public service. We work with the felony, misdemeanor, Title IV D, civil commitment, and juvenile courts. We also work on cases related to termination of parental rights as well as appeals.Our agency also offers education, services, and programs focused on different ways to serve jail sentences. The agency is able to do this by cultivating a productive, collaborative, and compliant work environment in order for our workforce to meet the needs of the constituents of Indianapolis and Marion County.

Job Summary

Position is responsible for providing effective representation of counsel to indigent persons charged with the equivalent of misdemeanors in either juvenile, misdemeanor, or appellate courts, or facing civil contempt, or CHINSproceedings.Independent Judgment is regularly utilized when there are no available policies and procedures. Independent actions and judgment are exercised in making decisions that are complex in nature and have considerable impact on Public Defender Agency policy. Decisions and actions may be controlled by state and federal laws. The actions and decision-making process allow for considerable latitude in making informed judgments, quick decisions, or decisions without the benefit of consultation. The incumbent is expected to exercise initiative, creativity, and independent problem-solving skills. Position reports to Division Chief.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The City of Indianapolis Marion County is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. We value diversity in perspectives and experiences among colleagues and the residents of this city of whom we serve.

Position Responsibilities

• Appears in court to provide effective representation of counsel to indigent persons in civil contempt proceedings, CHINS Proceeding, mental health court or persons charged with committing misdemeanor criminal offenses in adult, juvenile or appellate courts
• Conducts legal and factual review of the case; evaluates the legal and factual evidence for, or against, the client; engages in pretrial motion practice; and takes and defends depositions
• Consults with client, interviews witnesses and consults with medical, forensic, DNA or other experts as needed to effectively represent client
• Consults with opposing counsel to negotiate case disposition to include plea agreements and other disposition, including litigating case to the court or trying to jury
• Communicates with clients through regular methods to include telephone conversations, in person interviews, and jail consultations
• Reviews and updates court files; keeps client and families updated on case progress
• Delegates assignments to paralegal I and investigators, as appropriate
• Collaborates with social workers on multi-disciplinary strategies to achieve client objectives
• Must maintain confidentiality at all times
• This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time

Qualifications

Juris Doctorate and license to practice law required. Strong verbal, written, communication and presentation skills are required along with top level interpersonal and facilitation skills. Computer knowledge a must. Must have a valid driver’s license. Additionally, all Division attorneys must comply with all relevant Indiana Public Defender Commission standards, guidelines, and requirements.

Working Conditions

Essential functions are regularly performed in an office setting without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

Physical Conditions

• Sitting at a desk the majority of the day
• Some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5-10) pounds
• Tasks may involve extended periods of time at keyboard or workstation
• Tasks require the ability to perceive and hear sounds and see visual cues or signals
• Tasks require the ability to communicate orally

All rates are bi-weekly.

2026 Rate Sheet - To view our rate sheet, please copy and paste this link into your web browser: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:67382b58-4d1a-4519-89d7-8453f91e19a1

Life Insurance Employee Only (rates per $1,000 per month):

• Basic: Employer Paid
• Optional Life Insurance Employee Only (rates per $1,000 per month)

Additional

• 25-29 $0.058
• 30-34 $0.083
• 35-39 $0.099
• 40-44 $0.132
• 45-49 $0.223
• 50-54 $0.363
• 55-59 $0.600
• 60-64 $0.795
• 65-69 $1.329
• 70 + $2.054

Important Perf Update

• For more information on eligibility options, refer to Proposal 21-288 https://bit.ly/3exq8yR
• All employees hired/rehired after 1/1/2022 have a choice to select the PERF Hybrid plan (3% + Pension) or the INPRS My Choice: Retirement Savings plan (3% + 1% Contribution). The Hybrid plan consists of two components:

Annuity Savings Account (ASA) -This consists of the mandatory employee contribution of three (3%) percent of compensation (made for the employee by the City), plus interest credits or earnings. You're always vested in your ASA portion - it's always yours.

Pension - The pension portion of the retirement benefit is funded by contributions made by the employer over the course of the employee's career and separate from the annuity savings account. Employees enrolled in the PERF Hybrid plan are eligible for retirement benefits at age sixty-five (65) if they have ten (10) or more years of creditable service. After June 30, 1995, employees may retire at age sixty (60) with at least fifteen (15) years of credible service or if the member's age in years plus the years of credible service equals at least 85 and the member is at least fifty-five (55) years of age. With fifteen (15) or more years of creditable service, the employee may retire as early as age fifty (50) with a reduced pension.

Employees hired/rehired by the City and County between 1/1/2017 and 12/31/2021 will be automatically enrolled in the PERF My Choice: Retirement Savings plan. This plan is an annuity savings account (ASA) only plan and does not have a pension component. Any service that an employee has in the My Choice: Retirement Savings Plan will not count toward the service time requirements for pension eligibility in the Hybrid Plan.

With the PERF My Choice: Retirement Savings Plan, the ASA is split up into two parts:

Part one - This consists of the mandatory employee contribution of three (3%) percent of compensation (made for the employee by the City), plus interest credits or earnings. You're always vested in your ASA portion - it's always yours.

Part Two - This Consists Of An Additional Variable Rate Contribution Paid By The City Toward Your ASA. This Variable Rate Contribution Is Currently 1% Of Your Gross Wages. Vesting In The Value Of The Variable Rate Employer Contribution Will Vary By Length Of Participation. You Are

• 20 percent vested after 1 full year of participation
• 40 percent vested after 2 full years of participation
• 60 percent vested after 3 full years of participation
• 80 percent vested after 4 full years of participation
• 100 percent vested after 5 full years of participation
• All employees hired/rehired prior to 1/1/2017 are grandfathered into PERF Hybrid plan. The Hybrid plan consists of two components:

Annuity Savings Account (ASA) -This consists of the mandatory employee contribution of three (3%) percent of compensation (made for the employee by the City), plus interest credits or earnings. You're always vested in your ASA portion - it's always yours.

Pension - The pension portion of the retirement benefit is funded by contributions made by the employer over the course of the employee's career and separate from the annuity savings account. Employees enrolled in the PERF Hybrid plan are eligible for retirement benefits at age sixty-five (65) if they have ten (10) or more years of creditable service. After June 30, 1995, employees may retire at age sixty (60) with at least fifteen (15) years of credible service or if the member's age in years plus the years of credible service equals at least 85 and the member is at least fifty-five (55) years of age. With fifteen (15) or more years of creditable service, the employee may retire as early as age fifty (50) with a reduced pension.

City Employees hired/rehired between 1/1/2017 and 12/31/21 that are members of the City AFSCME labor union can choose to enroll in either the PERF My Choice: Retirement Savings plan or the PERF Hybrid plan. Both plans are described above. Employees have 60 days to choose which option they want, and by state law this cannot be changed. If no choice is made, the employee will then be automatically added to the PERF My Choice: Retirement Savings plan.

The Indiana General Assembly has enacted a provision that allows public employees to make voluntary contributions in addition to the mandatory three percent (3%) contributions. Employees may contribute up to an additional ten- percent (10%) of their compensation per pay period to the annuity savings account. This means that the maximum level of contributions to the annuity savings account under this new provision is thirteen percent (13%) of an employee's compensation per pay period.

Employees who separate from the city within their first ten (10) years of employment need to contact INPRS - PERF regarding their ASA account.

Questions relating to PERF may be directed to INPRS - PERF at:

Indiana Public Retirement System
Public Employees' Retirement Fund
One North Capitol, Suite 001
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
[phone]