Application Requirements

ATTACH COVER LETTER AND RESUME

The State of Minnesota Board of Public Defense welcomes all qualified applicants to apply to the Chief Public Defender vacancy serving the Ninth Judicial District. The Chief District Public Defender is responsible for the administration of public defender services in the district, consistent with standards adopted by the State Board of Public Defense and the policies and procedures adopted by the State Public Defender.

The Ninth Judicial District is a large (25,000 square miles) mostly rural district comprised of seventeen counties in Northwestern Minnesota, which includes the Red Lake, Leech Lake, Bois Forte, and White Earth Anishinaabe reservations. The Ninth Judicial District Public Defender Office consists of 75 staff, five full-time offices, and opens approximately 12,000 cases a year.

Definition/Summary of Duties

Under general direction and approval of the Board of Public Defense, and the State Public Defender; the Chief District Public Defender is responsible for the supervision and administration of district employees and offices. The Chief Public Defender is also responsible for the following examples of duties. This list is not exhaustive.

• Responsible for the hiring, disciplining or the termination of employees under her/his supervision
• Supervises and evaluates the work of attorneys and support personnel
• Receives and responds to inquiries from the public concerning the activities of the District Public Defender Office and its employees
• Receives and responds to complaints from clients and makes decisions on resolution of complaints
• Assigns cases to insure an even distribution of the workload;
• Works to resolve court scheduling issues and conflict assignments;
• Interviews, trains, mentors and evaluates assigned employees;
• Maintains liaison with court administration, judges and other court personnel;
• Undertakes related additional duties and assignments as required by the Board of Public Defense or State Public Defender;
• Coordinates with other Chief District Public Defenders, Administrative Services Office and State Public Defender on policy issues and activities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of legal and policy issues affecting public defenders and their clients, on both state and national levels. Considerable knowledge of management and operations of public defense programs. Considerable knowledge of legislative processes that affect criminal and juvenile law and affect public defense agencies in Minnesota.

Considerable ability to supervise attorneys and support staff; Considerable ability to establish effective working relationships with court personnel; Considerable ability to plan and evaluate public defender programs and service-delivery strategies; Considerable ability to work well with people from diverse racial, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Substantial demonstrated skills in representation of indigent adult and juvenile defendants. Substantial demonstrated skills in public speaking and media relations. Considerable skills related to governmental agency management.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Admission to the Bar of the State of Minnesota AND
• Five years’ experience as a practicing attorney in the area of criminal law. Prior administrative experience.

About Minnesota Board of Public Defense

The Board’s mission is to protect the liberty of and engage in transformational criminal justice reform on behalf of those individuals we are privileged to serve by respecting the whole individual, being culturally responsive, and providing a well-resourced and trained defense team. As a statewide agency, we represent individuals in over 150,000 cases per year in District and Appellate Court. The Board has established five goals to aid the agency to carry out its mission. These are: Client centered representation Creative advocacy Continual training for all staff Recruitment and retention of excellent staff Partnership in the justice system

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