Pima County Legal Defender

Employment

 

Office Standards:

Our office is committed to providing the highest quality legal representation for our clients. Confidentiality, courtesy and understanding in relationships with our clients, coworkers, and the courts are a major part of our service.

Employment with the Office of the Legal Defender:

The Pima County Legal Defender's Office offers the opportunity for individuals to:

• practice law or assist the practice of law in a professional environment with the opportunity for autonomy yet under the guidance of well-respected and experienced attorneys.

• focus on ensuring that justice is balanced by protecting the constitutional rights of our clients.

• work in an environment that includes attorneys, legal assistants, legal secretaries, criminal investigators, clerical, administrative, and computer support personnel.

• participate in excellent in-house, State, County, and National training opportunities which meet continuing legal education (CLE) requirements as established by the Arizona State Bar.

• work in comfortable environments in close proximity to the Courts.

• utilize computerized research such as Lois Law, Westlaw, and Motion Banks.

• take advantage of an excellent benefit package (Pima County Human Resources).

On an ongoing, year round recruitment basis, the Pima County Public Defender's Office seeks qualified Attorneys, Legal Office Support Specialists (Legal Secretary), and Legal Assistants to fill vacancies. All other positions are filled on an as-needed basis as vacancies occur.

Brief Description of Positions:

Attorney: Coordinates and conducts professional legal work in and out of the courtroom. An attorney may specialize in one or more areas of law such as appellate practice and may supervise assigned personnel. Training & Experience: Graduation from an accredited school of law. Admission to the Arizona State Bar at time of appointment. A commitment to working with indigent clients is preferred.

Legal Office Support Specialist (Legal Secretary): Under general supervision performs work of moderate difficulty performing a variety of legal secretarial or specialized legal clerical tasks in direct support of a legal function and performs related work as required. Training & Experience: Successful completion of course work in legal terminology and two years of clerical experience involving the preparation and processing of legal documents or providing legal clerical support to an attorney. (Additional relevant experience may substitute for course work and experience) OR one year of experience as a Processing Clerk or Legal Transcriber with Pima County in a law enforcement, criminal justice or court system. Typing and transcribing proficiency testing required.

Legal Assistant: Under general supervision performs legal work of moderate difficulty assisting lawyers in case preparation and performs related work as required. Training & Experience: An Associate's degree or a certificate of completion from an accredited college or technical school as a legal assistant or paralegal. (Relevant experience in a legal setting under direction of an attorney may substitute for the aforementioned education.)

Criminal Investigator Specialist: Under direction, performs work of unusual difficulty conducting highly complex and specialized investigations and preparing documentation for presentation in court, and performs related work as required. Training & Experience: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in law enforcement, law, criminal justice, or any other investigative area related to area of assignment such as accounting, finance, or computer science and two years of investigative experience in a specialized area. Additional relevant experience or education may substitute for a portion of the aforementioned OR five years of investigative experience at least three years of which involved criminal investigation OR two years of experience as a criminal investigator with Pima County.

Various office support clerical classifications: such as Office Support II,III, and IV (Legal Transcribers). These are tested classifications, please contact Pima County Human Resources Department.

Internship/Volunteer Opportunities:

Field work as an investigative aide: Interns work under the supervision of a criminal investigator in the Criminal Investigation section. Interns are recruited from local colleges each semester and earn academic credit for hours spent in field work. Please call (520) 740-5775 for more information.

Internship as a 38E Student: Second or third year law students at the University of Arizona are recruited as legal interns to earn academic credit. For more information contact the University of Arizona College of Law.

Volunteers: If interested in other volunteer opportunities, please send a letter of interest to the attention of Isabel Garcia, the Legal Defender at our downtown location.

Interested applicants may obtain for review the official job description for the various positions, Pima County benefits information, and download the application from the Pima County Human Resources Department. All job applications and resumes must be completed and submitted to: Pima County Human Resources Department. All job openings in Pima County Government are open and competitive unless otherwise noted.

IT IS THE POLICY OF PIMA COUNTY NOT TO DISCRIMINATE IN EMPLOYMENT OR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER