ATTORNEY TRAINER (RE-POST) (ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER III)

State of Maryland; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

The Maryland Office of the Public Defender seeks an Attorney Trainer to design and deliver high-performance trial advocacy curriculums, coach litigators, and co-counsel complex cases as needed. Based in Anne Arundel County, this role shapes training from orientation to felony trial mastery across Maryland, emphasizing equity and excellence.

Applicants should have a JD and at least five years of criminal defense experience, plus strong teaching and feedback skills.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
• Five (5) years of active criminal defense litigation experience, including extensive experience handling felony trials and complex litigation.
• Advanced understanding of Maryland criminal law, rules of evidence, and constitutional procedure.
• Mastery of courtroom presentation, trial strategy, legal writing, and persuasive storytelling.
• Strong ability to deliver constructive, developmental feedback to professional peers and present complex material to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Curriculum Design & Instruction: Develop and facilitate MOPD’s foundational and continuing legal education (CLE) programs, including the intensive New Attorney Orientation and core programmatic partnerships like Gideon's Promise.
• Individualized Coaching & Mentorship: Conduct one-on-one video reviews of attorney mock performances and courtroom trials; provide structured feedback.
• Evaluation & Quality Assurance: Conduct statewide litigation needs assessments and design metrics to evaluate retention of trial skills.
• Strategic Collaboration & Resource Creation: Partner with District Public Defenders and specialized divisions to incorporate advanced sciences into general trial defense.
• Administration: Track attendance, manage certification credits, and complete standard agency data reporting.

Skills

Advanced litigation skills

Instructional skill

Digital proficiency

Mission alignment

Maryland criminal law knowledge

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

Introduction

The Maryland Office of the Public Defender (MOPD) is seeking a visionary, mission-driven litigator to serve as an Attorney Trainer within our statewide Training Division. At MOPD, we provide zealous, client-centered, and constitutionally mandated representation to indigent individuals across Maryland. The Attorney Trainer is instrumental in cultivating our advocacy force. This position designs and delivers high-performance trial advocacy curriculums, provides intensive individualized litigation coaching, and occasionally co-counsels complex cases in the courtroom.

The Maryland Office of the Public Defender is a statewide agency that provides superior representation to indigent clients at all stages of the criminal case, including trial, appeal, and eligible post-conviction proceedings. Representation is provided through offices and services at 52 locations statewide with a workforce of approximately 1000 employees. At MOPD, we use our legal education and expertise to fight for justice and fairness. As tenacious advocates, we refuse to remain silent amid human suffering. Our unique talents, identities, educational backgrounds, and perspectives guide us in providing superior representation to our clients. We stand firm against prejudice, systemic racism, and inequity in all communities and spaces. OPD promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of its work and welcomes candidates with lived experience in the criminal legal system.

GRADE

ASTD22

LOCATION OF POSITION

Anne Arundel County (Training Division Headquarters)

Main Purpose of Job

OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION

The Maryland Office of the Public Defender (MOPD) is seeking an exceptional, forward-thinking litigator and educator to join our statewide Training Division as an Attorney Trainer. At MOPD, we believe that every client—regardless of their background or financial resources—deserves elite, zealous, and client-centered advocacy. As an Attorney Trainer, you will not just teach the law; you will cultivate the skills, passion, and strategic thinking of our state’s public defenders. This role is a unique hybrid of strategic curriculum design, performance-based courtroom coaching, and direct litigation mentorship. Operating from our Training Division headquarters with statewide reach, you will directly shape the legal minds defending our communities. You will build and lead high-impact training programs that take new attorneys from their first day of orientation to complex felony trials, using modern adult-learning models and dynamic trial advocacy techniques. If you are a seasoned trial lawyer with a passion for mentorship, a deep commitment to systemic equity, and the desire to empower the next generation of public defenders, this is your opportunity to make a systemic impact on justice in Maryland.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Curriculum Design & Instruction: Develop and facilitate MOPD’s foundational and continuing legal education (CLE) programs, including the intensive New Attorney Orientation and core programmatic partnerships like Gideon's Promise. Design interactive workshops on all stages of litigation: voir dire, opening statements, cross-examinations, and sentencing advocacy.
• Individualized Coaching & Mentorship: Conduct one-on-one video reviews of attorney mock performances and courtroom trials. Review and provide structured developmental feedback on written advocacy (motions to suppress, sentencing memoranda). Co-counsel complex trials with junior attorneys to provide live, structured courtroom mentorship.
• Evaluation & Quality Assurance: Conduct statewide litigation needs assessments across MOPD’s specialized divisions and 12 operational districts. Design and track metrics to evaluate the long-term classroom retention of trial skills.
• Strategic Collaboration & Resource Creation: Partner with District Public Defenders and specialized divisions (e.g., Forensics, Mental Health) to incorporate advanced sciences into general trial defense. Maintain and update the division’s digital trial notebooks, manuals, and templates.
• Administration: Track attendance, manage certification credits, and complete standard agency data reporting.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.

Experience: Five (5) years of active criminal defense litigation experience, including extensive experience handling felony trials and complex litigation.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES (KSAs)

• Expert Knowledge: Advanced understanding of Maryland criminal law, rules of evidence, and constitutional procedure (4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments).
• Advanced Litigation Skills: Mastery of courtroom presentation, trial strategy, legal writing, and persuasive storytelling.
• Instructional Skill: Strong ability to deliver constructive, developmental feedback to professional peers and present complex material to diverse audiences.
• Digital Proficiency: Competency with virtual learning environments (Google Meet, Zoom, MS Teams, LMS platforms) and media presentation software.
• Mission Alignment: A deep and active commitment to systemic equity, racial justice, and MOPD’s mission of client-centered representation.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior experience as a clinical law professor, trial advocacy instructor, or systematic peer mentor/coach.
• Familiarity with the national standards of public defense practice and client-centered advocacy.
• Demonstrated experience using modern adult learning models (such as performance-based advocacy training).

SELECTION PROCESS

1. A structured interview panel.
2. A brief teaching/instructional demonstration (conducted virtually or in-person).
3. A review of a submitted writing sample (such as a pretrial motion to suppress or trial brief).

BENEFITS

The Maryland Office of the Public Defender offers a generous benefits package that includes excellent medical, dental, and vision insurance. Benefits also include retirement savings, life insurance, and the option to participate in supplemental retirement options. MOPD Employees receive 6 days of personal leave, 15 days of sick leave, and at least 10 days of annual leave each calendar year, in addition to paid holidays and parental leave.

For more details and a full list of benefits as an employee with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender click here.

SALARY

Salary is dependent on experience, and the State of Maryland salary rules will apply to any offer made.