- Practice criminal law or assist in the practice of criminal law in a professional environment with a team of respected and experienced attorneys, using a team approach to the handling of cases.
- Participate in year-long training programs for new and inexperienced lawyers.
- Develop leadership responsibilities in the training and supervision of other lawyers.
- Participate in a program that provides practice mentors and trial assistance.
- 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 far exceed the continuing legal education (CLE) requirements as established by the State Bar of Arizona.
- Work in comfortable environments in close proximity to the courts.
- Utilize computerized research such as Westlaw and an office motion bank, as well as the availability of a complete criminal law library.
- Work in an exciting and dynamic law office dedicated to assisting those people in our society least able to defend themselves.
- Take advantage of an excellent benefits package (Pima County Human Resources).
Application Process
Interested applicants may obtain for review the official job descriptions for the various positions, Pima County Benefits information, and download the application from Pima County Human Resources. All job applications and resumes must be completed and submitted to the Pima County Human Resources Department. All job openings in Pima County Government are open and competitive unless otherwise noted.
Brief Descriptions 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 juvenile or appellate practice and may supervise assigned personnel.
Training and Experience: Graduation from an accredited school of law, admission to the Arizona State Bar at the time of appointment, and a commitment to work with indigent clients.
Note: In addition to the Pima County Employment Application, applicants for the Attorney position must also fill out the Supplemental Application for Attorneys.
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 and Experience: Successful completion of course work in legal terminology and two years of clerical experience involving the preparation 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 performing related work as required.
Training and 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 and 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 of which involved criminal investigation; OR two years of experience as a criminal investigator with Pima County.
Various Office Support Clerical Classifications: Office Support II, III, and IV (Legal Transcribers). These are tested classifications; please contact the Pima County Human Resources Department for more information.
Law Clerk: The Public Defender’s office utilizes qualified law clerks to assist lawyers in research projects. A pool of law clerks is solicited from the University of Arizona College of Law, however consideration will be given to any person who is either a 3rd year law student or a graduate lawyer. For information on clerking opportunities at the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender contact Tanya Miller at 243-6800.
Internship and Volunteer Opportunities
The Pima County Public Defender's Office offers interesting and valuable career opportunities for Volunteers and Interns to work closely with highly trained and experienced staff members dedicated to serving the indigent accused. We invite you to join our team of legal professionals working in a dynamic and enriching environment to make a difference in many people's lives. If interested in volunteer opportunities, please send a letter of interest to the attention of the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender, 32 North Stone Avenue, 4th Floor, Tucson, Arizona 85701.
Criminal Investigative Aide: Interns work under the supervision of a criminal investigator in the Criminal Investigation section. Interns are recruited from local colleges and earn academic credit for hours spent in field work. For information concerning internship programs contact Vicci Broom at 243-6800.
38e Interns: 38e interns are law students who are allowed to have hands on experience with an experienced attorney. They will get to follow the attorney through interviews, court hearings, and other interesting moments of an attorneys day. These students have the chance to receive Law School credit while learning some of the most interesting parts of an attorneys job. For information concerning a 38e Internship contact Andy Silverman at the University of AZ College of Law at 621-1975.
IT IS THE POLICY OF PIMA COUNTY NOT TO DISCRIMINATE IN EMPLOYMENT
OR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES
PIMA COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER