Public Defender 2 (3361)

City of Santa Fe Springs; Las Cruces (NM); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible/teleworking

Job summary

The Law Offices of the Public Defender in New Mexico seeks a PD2 attorney to represent juvenile and adult indigent clients in litigation, appeal, and related defense work. You will advise clients, participate in plea negotiations, and prepare legal documents under supervision, with opportunities for flexible scheduling and telework.

Candidates must be licensed to practice law in New Mexico or eligible for a limited NM license, with possible geographic pay differential and compliance with state

Qualifications

• Current licensure as an attorney by the Supreme Court of New Mexico.
• Current license in good standing from another state and eligible to apply for public employee limited license pursuant to Rule 15-304 NMRA.

Responsibilities

• Attorneys at this level may handle a variety of cases, including misdemeanor, juvenile, youthful offender or appellate cases.
• Advise and counsel clients regarding case strategy and possible outcomes.
• Will conduct plea bargaining, when appropriate, with District Attorneys and other parties to establish agreements to resolve cases.
• Drafts/reviews, proposes and prepares reports and legal documents.
• Will attend seminars, training classes and review current professional literature to maintain and develop professional skills and knowledge.

Skills

Plea bargaining

Case strategy

Legal drafting

Client counseling

Education

License to practice law in New Mexico

Licensed in good standing in another state and eligible for NM limited license

Job description

Objectives Summary The objective summary of this job classification is to provide professional legal services for the Law Offices of the Public Defender in representing juvenile and adult indigent clients in areas of litigation, appeal, counsel, research and analysis.

Pay Information

• This position qualifies for an additional hourly pay differential of $3.05 hourly / $6,344.00 annually.

Hourly pay differential reflects geographic and retention pay incentives, as applicable to the position advertised.***

For more information about living in Las Cruces, New Mexico, click here.

Our department offers flexible work opportunities, including teleworking (a.k.a. working from home) and work schedules outside the typical 8 am to 5 pm schedule. Applicants selected for a position are encouraged to discuss these options with the hiring manager early in the hiring process to ensure the specifics of any terms and conditions of an approved flexible work arrangement are clearly understood.

Essential Functions

Public Defender (PD2)

• Attorneys at this level may handle a variety of cases, including misdemeanor, juvenile, youthful offender or appellate cases.
• May assist higher level Attorneys with complex cases.
• Advise and counsel clients regarding case strategy and possible outcomes.
• Work is performed under the direction, guidance and supervision from more experienced colleagues and supervisor/manager.
• Will conduct plea bargaining, when appropriate, with District Attorneys and other parties to establish agreements to resolve cases.
• Will attend seminars, training classes and review current professional literature to maintain and develop professional skills and knowledge.
• Drafts/reviews, proposes and prepares reports and legal documents.
• Performs related and other duties as assigned.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Minimum Qualifications

License to practice law in New Mexico, or eligible for a limited license issued by NM Supreme Court.

Employment Requirements

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 covered by a collective bargaining agreement and all terms/conditions of that agreement apply and must be adhered to.

Default FLSA: Exempt: (including Managers/Supervisors, Executive, Administrative, Professional Exempt Status): In accordance with DOL FLSA and LOPD NMAC and LOPD’s Compensation Agreement that is signed upon hire during onboarding, classifications identified as Exempt may be compensated for all authorized hours worked over 80 hours in a pay period. These classifications are eligible for compensatory time (paid time off accrued) at an even (1:1) rate if they request to work extra hours in advance and get approval from their supervisor. These classifications are not eligible for cash payments for extra hours worked. Compensatory time may be paid-out upon leaving the department depending on budget availability.

Geographic Pay Differential: This position may qualify for Geographic Pay Differential. Please refer to the LOPD website, Geographic Differential, for more information.

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.

This job advertisement may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

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

Employee Benefits

The State's General Services Department Risk Management Division, Employee Benefits Bureau (EBB), is responsible for the procurement and oversight of employee benefits - including Medical, Pharmacy, Dental, Vision, Short & Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance. The State's Group Benefits Plan also offers COBRA, Flexible Spending Account Programs, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Erisa Administrative Services, Inc. (Erisa) is the State's Third Party Administrator. They provide benefits administration to all plan participants, and offer knowledgeable staff to answer your questions. To learn more about the benefits available please click here.

Benefits

In addition to the benefits listed above, the Law Offices of The Public Defender offers a retirement plan and a medical program for retirees. For more information regarding the plan you can visit the following websites:

• Public Employees Retirement Association of New Mexico Website
• New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority

Total Compensation Package

As an employee of the Law Offices of the Public Defender (LOPD), you receive regular pay for your services. The other part of your total compensation is the value of the benefits LOPD makes available to you and, if applicable, your family. The Total Compensation Estimator is for illustrative purposes only and provides benefits-eligible employees an estimate of their total compensation based on selected options from the drop-downs in the estimator.

• Please click here to download the Total Compensation Estimator on our website, Join Our Team section.

This estimator is not a legal document. All benefits are governed by the actual benefit plans, which have precedence over the information reported in this calculator. Rates are not guaranteed and may change annually based on legislative decisions. If you have any questions about this estimator, don't hesitate to get in touch with Human Resources at [e-mail]

• State and Federal Laws - Rights of Employees* Employers are required by state and federal law to post certain information concerning the rights of employees. The required posters are listed below and may be printed individually using a standard printer and paper.
• Human Rights Act Poster- PDF file
• New Mexico Job Health and Safety Protection (State OSHA)
• New Mexico Workers' Compensation Act and supply of Notice of Accident (NOA) Forms
• Human Trafficking - (English) (Español) (Navajo)
• Paid Sick Leave - (English) (Español) (Vietnamese) (Diné Navajo) - PDF
• The Whistleblower Protection Act
• Immigrant and Employee Rights Section Right to Work - (English/Español)

New Mexico state minimum wage is $12.00 per hour effective January 1, 2023. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. More information can be read at Minimum Wages Information.

• Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law - (English), (Español)
• Job Safety and Health Protection - (English), (Español)
• Employee Polygraph Protection Act - (English), (Español)
• Family Medical Leave Act - (English), (Español)
• Pregnant Workers Fairness Act - (English), (Espanol)
• Employee Rights under USERRA - (English), (Español)

Please contact [e-mail] for questions.

PD2 Questionnaire

01
PD2 Q:1

• Current licensure as an attorney by the Supreme Court of New Mexico.
• Current license in good standing from another state and eligible to apply for public employee limited license pursuant to Rule 15-304 NMRA.
• None of the above

02
PD2 Q:2 How many total years of experience as a practicing attorney do you have documented in the Work Experience section of your application? PLEASE NOTE: If the years of experience that you indicate below cannot be found in the Work Experience section of this application, your application may not be eligible for further consideration. It is recommended that you attach documents that support your work experience at this time. If you are attempting to attach documents, but are unable to, you should email [e-mail]. with the documents and your contact information. Or, if selected for an interview, you should bring the documents to your interview.

• 15+ years of experience
• 14 years of experience
• 13 years of experience
• 12 years of experience
• 11 years of experience
• 10 years of experience
• 9 years of experience
• 8 years of experience
• 7 years of experience
• 6 years of experience
• 5 years of experience
• 4 years of experience
• 3 years of experience
• 2 years of experience
• 1 year of experience
• Less than 1 year of experience
• None

03
PD2 Q:3 Please provide licensure details below for all states in which you are licensed or have been licensed to practice law including license number, location issued, expiration date and status. PLEASE NOTE: if this information is not provided, your application may not be recognized as being qualified for this position. It is recommended that you attach documents that support your licensure details (as requested above) at this time. If you are attempting to attach the documents to support the details of your licensure, but are unable to, you should email [e-mail] with the attachments and your contact information. Or, if selected for an interview, you should bring the documents to your interview.

04
PD2 Q:4 Do you have experience working as an Magistrate or Criminal Litigation Attorney? PLEASE NOTE: If the years of experience that you indicate below cannot be found in the Work Experience section of this application, your application may not be eligible for further consideration. It is recommended that you attach documents that support your work experience at this time. If you are attempting to attach documents, but are unable to, you should email [e-mail]. with the documents and your contact information. Or, if selected for an interview, you should bring the documents to your interview.

• 15+ years of experience
• 14 years of experience
• 13 years of experience
• 12 years of experience
• 11 years of experience
• 10 years of experience
• 9 years of experience
• 8 years of experience
• 7 years of experience
• 6 years of experience
• 5 years of experience
• 4 years of experience
• 3 years of experience
• 2 years of experience
• 1 year of experience
• Less than 1 year of experience
• None

05
PD2 Q:5 Do you have experience preparing and arguing motions?

• Yes
• No

06
PD2 Q:6 Do you have additional legal related experience (such as internship, or law clerk experience)?

• Yes
• No

07
Briefly describe when and how you obtained this experience. Please note if you answered "No" to the previous question, type "n/a" as your response to this question.

08
PD2 Q:8 Do you have experience working with marginalized populations such as indigent individuals, immigrants, and those living in homelessness or with mental health and/or substance abuse issues?

• Yes
• No

09
Briefly describe when and how you obtained this experience. Please note if you answered "No" to the previous question, type "n/a" as your response to this question.

10
Please choose the level that best describes your fluency in any language(s) other than English. I understand that I may be asked to certify my language proficiency upon hire and that I may be required to provide translation services if selected for this job.

• Advanced
• Intermediate
• Beginner
• Not Familiar

11
If you chose Beginner or above in the previous question, please identify in the text box what language(s) you are fluent in. Note: If you selected Not Familiar in the previous question please write, N/A in the text box below.

12
PD2 Q:12 For current State of New Mexico employees: I understand that the Law Offices of the Public Defender will only accept up to 40 hours of annual leave and all sick leave. Furthermore, upon transfer, I will begin a new probationary period regardless of a break in service from my current state agency.

• I Understand

13
PD2 Q:13 I understand that my response to the question regarding years of experience as a practicing attorney will be confirmed. I have included my related work experience in the Work Experience Section of my application with a detailed description of my related duties. If I am attempting to attach documents, but unable to, I should email [e-mail]. with the documents and my contact information. Or if selected for an interview, I may bring the documents to my interview.

• I Understand
• Required Question