Capital Area Private Defender Service

Holistic Defense Supervisor


This position has been filled.


Part of the mission of the Capital Area Private Defender Service (CAPDS) is to enhance the resources available to defense counsel to help them provide a quality defense. We are seeking an attorney with substantial experience utilizing investigators, social workers, and civil attorneys to assist the implementation of the holistic defense grant. The attorney will be responsible for ensuring that investigative services are used appropriately and that the investigators are kept to the highest legal and ethical standards. The attorney will also be responsible for implementing a program that appropriately utilizes social workers in a way that enhances legal representation. The forensic social work program will include training attorneys on the effective use of pre-pleading reports, mitigation, and jail diversion as a way of positively affecting the outcome of a criminal case. The attorney will also work in partnership with the immigration attorney to ensure assigned counsel utilizes this resource effectively, including prompt referrals, gathering of client information for the immigration attorney and ensuring that Padilla assistance is delivered effectively.


Requirements:

  • Licensed attorney in the State of Texas, or the ability to waive into the Texas Bar
  • Minimum five years criminal defense experience
  • Lead counsel in at least five felony jury trials
  • Experience working with investigators on complex cases
  • Experience training and supervising investigators
  • Experience working with social workers on criminal defense cases
  • Experience supervising and training social workers in an indigent defense setting
  • Experience working with immigration attorneys advising on criminal cases
  • Experience training and/or supervising criminal defense attorneys on use of holistic resources
  • Experience working with forensic social workers to prepare pre-pleading memorandums, jail diversion programs, or to identify mitigation in a minimum of 100 felony cases.
  • Experience screening attorney referrals for investigation, social worker, or immigration assistance to evaluate the legal necessity for the use of the resources.
  • Demonstrated commitment to indigent defense
  • Familiar with national indigent defense best practice standards


Job Duties:

  • Provide on-site individual training to investigators, social workers, and immigration attorney
  • Assist in group trainings for investigators, social workers, and attorneys
  • Assist in training attorneys in proper use of social workers and investigators
  • Evaluate and oversee the work of investigators, social workers, and immigration attorney
  • Review request for investigations, social workers, and immigration service to determine when service are reasonable and necessary for the effective representation of clients
  • Manage referral process for investigations, social workers and immigration attorney
  • Establish guidelines for quality defense services and review the delivery of defense service to ensure services meet established quality guidelines, best practices, and needs of panel attorneys
  • Review invoices of contract investigators to ensure policies of Travis County and CAPDS are followed
  • Prepare investigators and immigration attorney to testify in hearings or trials
  • Provide legal guidance to providers of defense services and panel attorneys on applicable legal and ethical standards of defense services
  • Study, monitor, and report on the effectiveness of holistic defense services
  • Periodically review samples of completed cases to ensure the consistent and correct application of policy


Compensation:

Salary commensurate with experience
Position is dependent on final approval of grant funding. If approved, this position is grant funded until September 30, 2018, with the expectation of continued permanent funding. Grant funding must be renewed annually
Position is at-will
Desired start date is September 15, 2016

To apply: Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@capds.org as one document with ‘holistic defense supervisor’ in the subject line. Only electronic communications will be accepted. Please demonstrate in your cover letter that you meet the minimum qualifications. Only applicants who meet the minimum requirements will be considered. Application deadline is August 12, 2016.

​