Chief Public Defender - Fifth Judicial District

Minnesota Board of Public Defense; Mankato (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Minnesota Board of Public Defense seeks a Chief District Public Defender to lead the Fifth Judicial District. This role oversees administrative staff and attorneys, ensuring compliance with state standards and public defender policies. The district serves 15 counties with multiple offices and handles thousands of cases annually.

Current term expires December 31, 2029. The Chief coordinates with court personnel and State Public Defender, guiding policy and program delivery across the district.

Qualifications

• Admission to the Bar of Minnesota is required.
• Five years of experience as a criminal-law attorney with prior administrative experience.

Responsibilities

• Supervise district employees and offices;
• Hire, discipline or terminate employees under supervision;
• Supervise and evaluate attorneys and support personnel;
• Respond to inquiries from the public concerning the District Public Defender Office;
• Receive and respond to client complaints and resolve issues;
• Assign cases to balance workload and resolve scheduling;
• Interview, train, mentor and evaluate staff;
• Maintain liaison with court administration and judges;
• Coordinate with other Chief District Public Defenders and State Public Defender on policy.

Skills

Staff supervision

Public speaking

Public defense management

Education

Bar admission in Minnesota

Job description

The Chief District Public Defender is responsible for the administration of public defender services in the district, consistent with standards adopted by the State Board of Public Defense and the policies and procedures adopted by the State Public Defender. The Fifth Judicial District Chief Public Defender supervises a staff of 56 including 38 attorneys. The Chief Public Defender is responsible for providing service in 15 southwestern Minnesota counties with 17 judges. The district opens approximately 6,500 cases yearly with an annual district budget of $8.4 million. The district office isMankato, MN with satellite offices in Fairmont, Marshall, and Worthington.

Chief public defenders are appointed to four year terms. The current term of the Fifth District Chief Public Defender position expires December 31, 2029.

Definition/Summary of Duties

• The supervision and administration of district employees and offices;
• Hiring, disciplining or the termination of employees under her/his supervision;
• Supervises and evaluates the work of attorneys and support personnel;
• Receives and responds to inquiries from the public concerning the activities of the District Public Defender Office and its employees;
• Receives and responds to complaints from clients and makes decisions on resolution of complaints;
• Assigns cases to insure an even distribution of the workload;
• Works to resolve court scheduling issues and conflict assignments;
• Interviews, trains, mentors and evaluates assigned employees;
• Maintains liaison with court administration, judges and other court personnel;
• Undertakes related additional duties and assignments as required by the Board of Public Defense or State Public Defender;
• Coordinates with other Chief District Public Defenders, Administrative Services Office and State Public Defender on policy issues and activities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge:

• Considerable knowledge of legal and policy issues affecting public defenders and their clients, on both state and national levels.
• Considerable knowledge of management and operations of public defense programs.
• Considerable knowledge of legislative processes that affect criminal and juvenile law, and affect public defense agencies in Minnesota.

Skills:

• Substantial demonstrated skills in representation of indigent adult and juvenile defendants.
• Substantial demonstrated skills in public speaking and media relations.
• Considerable skills related to governmental agency management.

Abilities:

• Considerable ability to supervise attorneys and support staff;
• Considerable ability to establish effective working relationships with court personnel;
• Considerable ability to plan and evaluate public defender programs and service-delivery strategies;
• Considerable ability to work well with people from diverse racial, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualifications:

• Admission to the Bar of the State of Minnesota AND
• Five years’ experience as a practicing attorney in the area of criminal law. Prior administrative experience.