Limited Practitioner

New Mexico State Personnel Office; New Mexico; On-site; USD 60,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

Law Offices of the Public Defender in New Mexico is seeking a Limited Practitioner to bridge the gap between law school graduation and bar admission. You will support attorneys, conduct basic research, draft motions, and assist with case preparation while gaining practical experience in indigent defense.

Third-year law students or recent graduates may join before bar admission; positions lead to attorney status based on performance and availability.

Qualifications

• Completion of at least two years in an ABA-accredited law school.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's License.
• Employment eligibility to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship.
• Preference may be given to multilingual applicants fluent in English and other languages.

Responsibilities

• Assists attorneys in preparing legal documents, conducting legal research, and handling administrative tasks.
• May attend court hearings, trials, and client meetings to provide support to attorneys.
• Help with case preparation, including reviewing discovery, drafting motions, and organizing case files.

Skills

Legal research

Drafting motions

Case preparation

Discovery review

Administrative support

Education

ABA-accredited law school (2 years)

Job description

Bridge the gap between graduating from law school and passing the bar.

This position allows the LOPD to extend an offer to applicants prior to graduation from law school, which provides a law student the guarantee of employment after graduation and the LOPD the guarantee of an employee dedicated to indigent defense. The purpose of the limited practitioner position is to bridge the time from when a student graduates law school and is sworn in as a practicing attorney. Since the LOPD is a government agency, it is unable to hire an individual as an attorney unless they are sworn and licensed by a state bar. Individuals extended an offer are expected to join the LOPD team soon after taking the bar exam for extensive training on criminal defense, local rules and practices, and the LOPD's approach to providing holistic representation. Once the limited practitioner is sworn in and performing at the expected level of practice, the limited practitioners will be moved into a public defender attorney position based on demonstrated performance and availability of positions.

Pay Information

Limited Practitioner's are paid $31.98 hourly/$6 5 18.00 annual base salary.

The typical starting salary for a PD2 position is $37.7415 hourly/$78,502.00 annual base salary.

The position is designed to hire for positions in LOPD offices throughout the state.

Under the supervision and direction of an assigned licensed attorney a Limited Practitioner is expected to perform some or all of the duties outlined. Assists attorneys in preparing legal documents, conducting legal research, and handling administrative tasks. Limited Practitioners may also attend court hearings, trials, and client meetings to provide support to attorneys. They help with case preparation, including reviewing discovery, drafting motions, and organizing case files. Limited Practitioners are typically third year law students or recent law school graduates gaining practical experience.

Application Deadlines

We accept applications from fall and spring graduates on a rolling basis. We recommend submitting applications based on the following deadlines:

• Fall graduates submit applications by September 30.
• Spring graduates submit applications by February 28.

Timeline for Interview Process

• September and October for fall and spring graduates. Fall graduates are encouraged to submit their applications at the beginning of their 3L year and no later than September 30.
• February and March for spring graduates.
• Interviews may also be scheduled upon receipt of application.

Completion of a minimum of at least two years in an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school.

Must possess and maintain a valid driver's License.

Employment eligibility to work with the Law Offices of the Public Defender (LOPD) in the U.S. is required. We are not able to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa.

Collective Bargaining: This position is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Default FLSA: Non-exempt

The Law Offices of the Public Defender is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, spousal affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, political affiliation or religion, mental or physical disability, or serious medical condition.

Preference may be given to multilingual applicants fluent in English and other languages.

Any students seeking a Limited Practitioner position must submit a full application.

Application Materials Being Requested:

1. Current Resume
2. Cover Letter
3. Current Transcripts

We encourage all applicants to consider working at any of our LOPD offices. Within the supplemental questions below you will be asked to select the locations/offices in which you are considering employment and ranking them.