Public Defense Attorney (3rd Year Law Student & Fellow/Clerk), Fall 2027

King County; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 103,000 - 118,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Pension benefits

Union support

Mentoring and training

Work across practice areas

Job summary

King County's Public Defense Attorney team seeks 3rd‑year law students, fellows, and clerks for Fall 2027 with a hybrid work model and onsite requirements in Seattle/Kent offices.

Responsibilities include high‑quality representation from arraignment through trial, with support from a diverse team; duties span plea negotiations, motions, and client‑centered advocacy in criminal and family defense, including indigent clients.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Bar admission in Washington by July 2027 or eligibility under Rule 8.
• Ability to travel throughout King County.

Responsibilities

• Provide high‑quality legal representation for indigent clients from arraignment through trial.
• Handle plea negotiations, motions practice, and trial advocacy.
• Collaborate with investigators, mitigation specialists, and paralegals to develop trial strategies.
• Represent diverse clients, including those with mental illness or trauma, in criminal and civil defense matters.

Skills

Legal research

Oral advocacy

Client communication

Cultural competency

Travel readiness

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Job description

DPD is recruiting 3rd year law students, judicial clerks and fellows to begin employment Fall 2027. The posting will remain open until filled and may close at any time without prior notice. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Applications submitted by 11:59 p.m. on September 4, 2026, will be given priority consideration.

The Department of Public Defense (DPD) seeks thoughtful, creative, energetic advocates to join our dynamic and diverse team which includes a staff of over 520 including attorneys, mitigation specialists, investigators, paralegals, and legal administrators who collaborate to advance our clients’ goals.

DPD prides itself on hiring client-centered advocates. We prefer applicants who have participated in a law school clinical program, interned for a public defender program, or who have lived experience in the criminal legal or family surveillance systems.

WHY JOIN DPD?

DPD is a well‑resourced public defense agency in a state that was the first to adopt new caseload standards grounded in the National Public Defense Workload Study (RAND). In July 2025, we began implementing a novel case‑weight credit model designed to promote sustainable workloads and ensure that every client receives the time and attention their case requires. Felony pretrial cases are assigned between 1 and 8 credits based on the seriousness of the alleged offense and misdemeanor pretrial cases are assigned either 1 or 1.5 credits per case. In 2027, DPD expects to assign no more than 89.4 felony credits or 244 misdemeanor credits per lawyer. We are making significant progress on a multi‑year phased reduction process aimed at helping public defenders meet their constitutional and ethical obligations to each client by systematically reducing caseloads each year. DPD uses real‑time data analytics to monitor caseloads to ensure lawyers caseloads comply with caseload limits.

Our credit model is based on the Washington State Bar Association’s Standards for Indigent Defense Services (revised September 2024), which apply to both criminal and family defense. The goal is to create conditions where public defenders can consistently provide the level of representation the Constitution demands—while building sustainable and fulfilling careers serving underserved communities.

DPD provides high‑quality legal representation to indigent clients facing felony or misdemeanor charges in adult or juvenile court, loss of family integrity in dependency and termination cases, and petitions for involuntary commitment because of alleged mental illness or substance abuse.

We also advocate to reduce the harm and reach of the criminal and civil legal systems that restrict our clients’ liberty and disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Internally, we strive to foster a flexible workplace culture that is inclusive, respectful, and supportive—grounded in a shared commitment to anti‑oppression principles and equity across lines of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, class, and other identities.

To learn more about DPD, visit our website.

As a DPD Attorney, you will enjoy:

• Competitive Pay.
• A comprehensive benefits package, including a pension.
• Support from a unionized workplace.
• A chance to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those navigating the criminal and civil legal systems.
• Extensive courtroom and trial experience, supported by a team that includes supervisors, investigators, paralegals, legal assistants, and mitigation specialists.
• Opportunities to work across multiple practice areas, including adult criminal, juvenile, dependency, and involuntary commitment courts.
• Resources to mount a robust defense, including funding for expert witnesses.
• Access to mentoring and high‑quality training, both in‑house and through national programs.
• Caseloads, among the most sustainable in the country, grounded in a phased case‑weight model based on national research.
• Generous vacation and sick leave to support attorney well‑being and career sustainability.

Candidates hired through this recruitment will be considered by DPD for initial salary placement at Steps 3 through 4 ($103,272.25 - $118,237.19), dependent upon experience.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide high‑quality legal representation and advocacy for indigent clients, including individuals with limited English proficiency and those with disabilities.
• Handle all stages of representation—from arraignment through trial, and when necessary, sentencing and select post‑conviction motions—under DPD’s vertical model of public defense, which ensures continuity of representation by the same attorney throughout the case.
• Conduct plea negotiations, mitigation, and other case resolution strategies.
• Engage in motions practice, including legal research, drafting, and arguing pretrial motions, often in collaboration with expert witnesses.
• Represent and advocate for a diverse client base, including individuals experiencing mental illness, substance use disorder, and/or trauma.
• Develop and implement effective legal strategies that address both legal and client‑centered needs, in collaboration with investigators, mitigation specialists, and paralegals.

Required Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Sit for the Washington State Bar Examination in July 2027 or, for clerks and fellows, admission to the bar in Washington or another state that would enable qualification under Rule 8.
• Be at least 21 years old.
• Be able to handle on‑call 24‑hour coverage – which, per attorney, currently requires approximately one week a year or two Saturday calendars a year.
• Have the ability to travel throughout King County.

Abilities and Skills:

• Develop trial, research, and writing skills. Provide client‑driven representation that includes frequent and detailed communication with the client, choosing the most effective medium for the client.
• Champion equity and human rights; possess an understanding of pervasive, systematic racism and its long‑term effects; feels comfortable engaging in candid and sincere conversations about race and equity in our work.
• Manage the competing needs of multiple clients in a fast‑paced environment.
• Communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those experiencing stress, trauma, or mental illness, while providing respectful and client‑centered representation.
• Thrives in a diverse work environment and in service to a diverse clientele—respecting differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, and other lived experiences—while recognizing our shared humanity.

Highly Desirable If:

• Have proficiency in languages other than English, particularly Spanish.
• Possess clinical training in public defense.
• Lived experience as someone impacted by the criminal legal system or family surveillance system.

King County offers great benefits, to include a pension plan, holidays, transit pass, plus training and education opportunities to promote growth and development. Our focus is to provide our employees with work life balance.

Who May Apply:

• Attorney – 3rd‑Year Law Student: This recruitment is open to 3rd year law student candidates graduating between December 2026 and June 2027.
• Fellow/Clerk: This recruitment is open to attorney applicants engaged in legal fellowships or clerkships.

Work Location and Schedule

The Public Defense Attorney team works in a hybrid model. During the probationary period, employees are required to work onsite four (4) days per week. The ratio of telecommuting to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County‑issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Public Defense Attorneys may be required to travel to various locations throughout King County, including courts, jails, hospitals and treatment centers. If assigned to the civil commitment unit, you will primarily report to hospitals and treatment centers across the county. Because DPD prioritizes robust client contact and in‑person court presence, work locations and reporting requirements may change to meet these priorities. This position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). As an exempt employee, you are expected to work the hours necessary to satisfactorily perform your job and will not be eligible for overtime pay or compensatory time. Rotation of work location, practice area, and workflow is an essential function of this position and may occur as needed to support operations. You may be assigned to any of our Seattle or Kent offices:

• Dexter Horton Building – 710 Second Avenue, Seattle
• Jefferson Street Building – 1401 East Jefferson, Seattle
• Ninth & Jefferson Building – 908 Jefferson Street, Seattle
• Meeker Street Building – 420 West Harrison Street, Kent
• Kent Professional Center – 124 4th Avenue South, Kent
• Redmond District Court – 8601 160th Ave NE, Redmond

DPD Policies

DPD Ethical Walls Policies and Procedures will apply to employees, such that if you work or have worked for one of DPD's divisions, you may be ineligible to work in another division. Outside Work Policy for Attorneys will apply to employees, such that you must receive approval from your supervisor and Managing Attorney before being permitted to engage in outside employment for compensation or volunteer.

Union Membership

This position is proudly represented by Service Employees International Union, Local 925, and interested applicants can review the collective labor agreement for more information.

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action‑oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.