Do you seek rewarding work with a social justice mission? The Federal Public Defender for the District of Oregon is accepting applications from experienced criminal defense attorneys to join the Office of the Federal Public Defender in advocating for indigent defendants in federal court as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in our Portland office.
Duties:
• Represent indigent individuals charged with violating federal criminal statutes by handling all stages of federal criminal trial matters in the district court.
• Frequently appear in court before both magistrate judges and district court judges. Court appearances include: initial appearances, pretrial release hearings, motion hearings, trials, sentencings, and probation violation proceedings.
• Advocate for clients from diverse backgrounds, including those with histories of trauma, mental health, and/or substance abuse issues.
• Work in teams with investigators, paralegals, legal assistants, social workers, and contracted experts.
• Support clients with holistic problem-solving during pretrial, trial, and sentencing proceedings, as well as with reentry into the community.
• Maintain frequent client contact in person, by phone, and in writing.
Compensation:
This is a full-time attorney position with federal judiciary salary and benefits based on qualifications and experience. Starting salary ranges from $76,126 to $166,244 based on experience and qualifications in accordance with the Defender Services Office 2022 AFPD Salary charts. AFPD salary is subject to merit and cost of living increases. Current federal employees are subject to salary matching rules per Judiciary policy.
Compensation also includes 11 paid federal holidays, 13 paid sick days annually, and 13 paid vacation days annually (to start), health insurance, life insurance, retirement contribution, and the Thrift Savings Plan. More information on federal judiciary employee benefits can be found at https://www.uscourts.gov/careers/benefits
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must have:
• The knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to immediately defend indigent individuals in criminal cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.
• Graduated from an accredited law school and be active members in good standing of the bar in any state, territory or possession of the United States.
• Recent, substantial criminal felony trial-level experience at the state or federal level.
• Three or more years of state or federal criminal defense experience.
• Strong written and oral advocacy skills.
• A proven commitment to indigent criminal defense.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the federal criminal system.
• Demonstrated exceptional organizational skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication, technology, and interpersonal skills.
• A demonstrated commitment to and comfort working with diverse communities and with clients from a range of backgrounds.
Preferred Qualifications:
Preferred qualifications include:
• Federal criminal defense ex¬perience.
• Additional years of specialized work experience beyond the minimum three years.
• Complex white collar litigation experience.
• Immigration law experience.
• Spanish-language skills.
Interested applicants should e-mail a letter of interest and resume that demonstrate that they meet the required qualifications, a legal writing sample, and three references in a .pdf document to the attention of:
Travis Southworth-Neumeyer, Personnel Administrator
[email protected]
Subject: AFPD – Portland
Applications received prior to February 1 will be given priority, applications will be reviewed as they are received. One or more AFPD positions may be filled from this announcement, subject to need and budget approval. Competitive candidates will be in¬vited to interview either in person or via Zoom. All responses will remain confidential. Only candidates in consideration for this position will be contacted.