Public Defense Attorney I

King County, WA; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Pay

Comprehensive benefits package

Pension

Unionized workplace

Mentoring and training

Robust support staff

Opportunity to impact lives

Diverse practice areas

Funding for expert witnesses

Job summary

The King County Department of Public Defense (DPD) seeks dedicated Public Defense Attorneys who are passionate about advocating for our clients. You’ll work alongside skilled investigators, mitigation specialists, paralegals, and other committed support staff, ensuring that we provide exceptional, client-centered representation.

Join a team that offers extensive courtroom experience, robust training, and mentoring, with caseloads designed to sustain long, meaningful careers serving some of the

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.

Job description

This position is open for continuous recruitment.

The department reserves the right to close this position and/or make updates to the position description below as deemed necessary.

The King County Department of Public Defense (DPD) is seeking dedicated Public Defense Attorneys who are passionate about advocating for our clients. Our collaborative approach means that you’ll work alongside skilled investigators, mitigation specialist, paralegals, and other committed support staff, ensuring that we provide exceptional, client-centered representation.

These standards assign greater weight to more serious charges, resulting in lower caseload limits for defenders handling complex or severe offenses. They are designed to ensure that DPD attorneys have the time and capacity to fully investigate and litigate every client’s case. DPD also believes these standards—together with the robust training and support all staff receive—will enable public defenders and legal professionals to build long, sustainable careers providing high-quality representation to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

While it will take multiple years to reach full implementation of the revised caseload standards, DPD has been instrumental in advocating for this change and is committed to full implementation. DPD is a leader on caseload standards nationally and has also provided technical support to other offices on this topic.

DPD may reimburse successful applicants for the New Admittee License Fee (up to $475 depending on status and admission date) WSBA Non-Exam Application Fees (ranges from $595-$970 depending on application type) and the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) investigation fee (ranges from $120-$925 depending on legal background).

As a DPD Attorney, You’ll 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.

Job Duties

• 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.