Indigent External Counsel Coordinator

Spokane County; Spokane (WA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Spokane County is seeking a senior administrative officer to ensure continuous case coverage across all case types when public defender, CFD, or indigent defense is unavailable due to conflicts or capacity issues.

The role reports to the Senior Director of Law & Justice and oversees conflict/external counsel assignment, contracting, budgeting, and coverage reporting to the Superior Court and County Commissioners.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Four (4) years of experience in legal service delivery/administration, contract oversight and management, budgeting or management of external service providers.
• Member of the Washington State Bar Association.
• An equivalent combination of related education and/or experience may be considered.

Responsibilities

• Receives conflict case referrals and assigns cases to qualified external counsel promptly.
• Ensures continuous case coverage by monitoring progress and addressing delays.
• Maintains records of referrals, assignments, timelines, and panel utilization.
• Develops, maintains, and oversees the external counsel panel.
• Drafts and renews contracts for external counsel and ensures compliance with policies.
• Reviews billing and manages the annual external counsel budget.
• Provides reports on coverage performance and budget status.
• Operates the conflict case management system and ensures data integrity.

Skills

Case management

Education

Juris Doctorate (J.D.)

Washington State Bar Association member

Tools

Case management software

Job description

Job Summary:

The position allocated to this class is a senior, neutral administrative officer responsible for ensuring continuous case coverage across all case types when the Spokane County Public Defender's Office (PD) or the Counsel for Defense Department (CFD) is unable to provide representation due to a conflict of interest, capacity constraint, or other coverage gap or when indigent representation is ordered in Civil cases, including Minor Guardianship or Child in Need of Services (CHINS). This position operates independently of both the PD and CFD offices and reports directly to the Senior Director of Law & Justice. The coordinator serves as the county's primary point of accountability for conflict/external counsel assignment and contracting, panel development, budget management within the annual conflict counsel appropriation, and coverage reporting to the Superior Court bench and the Board of County Commissioners.

Job Description:

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Receives conflict case referrals from the Public Defender and Counsel for Defense offices and civil indigent case referrals from Superior Court and assigns cases to qualified external counsel in a timely manner, ensuring sameday action whenever possible.
• Ensures continuous case coverage by monitoring assignment progress, addressing delays, and escalating emergent coverage issues to the County CEO and Superior Court administration when required.
• Maintains accurate records of case referrals, assignments, timelines, case outcomes, attorney availability, and panel utilization to support reporting and program oversight.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for the Superior Court regarding case assignment status and provides updates as needed.
• Develops, maintains, and oversees the external counsel panel by recruiting, vetting, onboarding, and monitoring qualified attorneys across all case types, ensuring adequate capacity to meet demand.
• Conducts periodic reviews of panel counsel performance and availability and removes or replaces attorneys who no longer meet program standards.
• Drafts, negotiates, executes, and renews contracts for external counsel in coordination with County Purchasing and the Prosecutor’s Civil Division, and ensures contract compliance with applicable policies and statutes.
• Reviews and verifies billing and invoicing submitted by external counsel for accuracy, completeness, and adherence to contracted rates and case type scope.
• Administers the annual external counsel budget by tracking expenditures, monitoring trends, preparing required reports, and alerting leadership when supplemental funding may be needed.
• Prepares annual budget requests for the external counsel program based on utilization data, panel capacity needs, and projected case volumes.
• Identifies and supports pursuit of grant opportunities and external funding sources that may reduce county costs for indigent defense coverage.
• Provides written and verbal reports to the Superior Court bench, County CEO, and Board of County Commissioners on coverage performance, trends, capacity, and budget status.
• Develops and maintains operational procedures for case intake, assignment protocols, panel management, documentation, and quality monitoring, ensuring consistency and transparency in program operations.
• Ensures external counsel assignments and program practices comply with RCW 10.101, GR 42, Spokane County Code 1.17A, Washington Supreme Court caseload standards, and related statewide and local requirements.
• Monitors developments in indigent defense law, statewide standards, and professional obligations and updates internal processes as needed.
• Oversees or operates the conflict case management system and ensures accurate case entry, reporting capability, and data integrity to support planning and decisionmaking.
• Produces data-driven analysis of case volume, panel utilization, cost-per-case trends, and coverage gaps for executive and policy reporting.
• Other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from an accredited college or university school of law, and
• Four (4) years of experience in legal service delivery/administration, contract oversight and management, budgeting, financial forecasting or management of external service providers. Experience coordinating indigent defense systems preferred.
• Member of the Washington State Bar Association.
• An equivalent combination of related education and/or experience may be considered.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of:

• RCW 10.101 (county indigent defense obligations); GR 42 (judicial administration of public defense).
• Spokane County Code Section 1.17A (caseload credit standard).
• Washington indigent defense standards, applicable laws, and Supreme Court Orders governing caseload compliance
• Applicable RPCs governing conflicts of interest in public defense
• Conflictofinterest structures and court operations.
• Contract administration and budget practices.
• CXrR 3.3 speedy trial obligations and their operational implications for case coverage timelines.

Ability to:

• Manage contracts, monitor legal services billing and administer program budgets.
• Analyze problems and implement solutions.
• Maintain accurate and confidential records.
• Communicate effectively with courts and stakeholders.
• Manage highvolume, timesensitive workloads.

Skilled in:

• Building or significantly expanding a program from limited existing infrastructure.
• Preparing and administering budgets, including grant compliance and legislative reporting.
• Case tracking systems, spreadsheets, and reporting tools.