Deputy Public Defender I - Extra Help

The Public Defender's Office

The Public Defender and his Office have the mandated responsibility of defending any person who is not financially able to hire legal counsel and who is charged with the commission of any contempt or offense that is triable in the superior or municipal courts or in proceedings relating to the nature or conditions of detention prior to adjudication. Additionally, the Public Defender represents qualified individuals in probate and welfare proceedings.
 
When you join the Office as a Deputy Public Defender I - Extra-Help, you will perform legal work involving the investigation, preparation, and presentation of criminal and civil cases before the courts. Using your independent judgment and initiative, you will work directly with both English and non-English speaking clients to:

• Investigate, research, prepare, and defend criminal and/or civil cases
• Interpret and apply laws, court decisions, and other legal authorities for use in the preparation of cases, opinions, and briefs
• Prepare pleadings and other legal documents in connection with trials, hearings, and other legal proceedings
• Conduct general legal research
• Interview and advise witnesses regarding to criminal complaints

The ideal candidate will have a substantial interest in criminal defense work and possess:

• Experience working as an attorney, law clerk, or other professional legal position
• Impeccable research and writing abilities
• Experience and knowledge of post-conviction relief
• Demonstrable excellence in public speaking
• Experience working in a Public Defender's office
• The highly desirable ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish and English

Please note: As a part of the minimum qualifications for the position, current, active membership in the State Bar of California is required. To meet this portion of the minimum qualifications, you must be sworn in as a current, active member of the State Bar of California. 

THE COUNTY OF SONOMA


Sonoma County offers a rare and compelling array of scenic, recreational, and geographic characteristics – including over 200 award-winning wineries, inspiring coastline and beaches, the Russian River, and majestic redwoods. The County encompasses over one million acres of land and water; rich with agriculture, parks, campsites, lakes, and open space. Sonoma County is also home to a wide variety of restaurants, art and music festivals, farmers' markets, and concert venues. Local schools continually rank high on California's Academic Performance Index, and the Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University offer higher education opportunities. Sonoma County is an increasingly diverse region and is home to approximately 500,000 residents. The Latino population has grown by almost 230% within the last 25 years and is approximately 27% of the population. In 2016, slightly over half of Sonoma County’s population was between 25 and 64 years old; however, between 2007 and 2016, the fastest growing age range in the county were those aged 65 to 74. 

 

Please visit www.sonomacounty.ca.gov and sonomacountyconnections.org for additional information about Sonoma County - the place to live, work, and build your career legacy.

EXTRA-HELP EMPLOYMENT
Extra-help employees relieve or augment permanent staff. Temporary, extra-help employees are not in the classified civil service and do not have property rights to permanently allocated positions. In addition, they do not receive most employee benefits such as: long-term disability insurance coverage; accrual of vacation; participation in the County retirement program; or eligibility to take promotional examinations. Temporary, extra-help employees are limited in their employment to a maximum of one calendar year. These employees must be off of work for three months before they can be re-employed on an extra help basis. Extra-help employees who meet the eligibility requirements may qualify for a County contribution toward medical coverage.

The Public Defender's Office is currently recruiting to fill multiple temporary, extra-help Deputy Public Defender I positions. This employment list may also be used to fill future extra-help positions as they occur during the active status of the list. *Salary is negotiable within the established range.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Experience: None required.

Professional License: Current active membership in the State Bar of California.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position.Knowledge of: duties, powers, limitations, and authorities of the Office of the Public Defender; principles of criminal law, principles of trial procedure and rules of evidence; legal research methods and judicial procedures; statutory and constitutional laws of the State of California; written and oral communications, including language mechanics, syntax and English composition.

Ability to: research, analyze and apply legal principles, facts, evidence and precedents to legal problems; prepare and present statements of law, fact and argument clearly, logically and persuasively in written and oral form; establish and maintain effective working relationships with other staff members, departmental representatives, county officials, the courts, law enforcement agency officials, and the general public; understand and accept differences in human behavior, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all your employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application and should be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the application, examination, and department selection processes.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:
 
An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal (pass/not pass) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's combination of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position to ensure satisfaction of the minimum qualifications for this position. Candidates who possess the minimum qualifications for the position will be placed on an extra-help employment list and referred to the department. The department may contact candidates from the employment list who possess the most appropriate job-related qualifications for further consideration.

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer are contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.
 
HR Analyst: JT
HR Technician: RR

Salary : $53 - $65