Are you passionate about social justice reform through client-centered, whole-person criminal defense? Do you want to improve access to justice at a community level for people living in Colorado? If so, then this is a great opportunity to make a difference! The Holistic Defense Coordinator position is a dynamic opportunity for an experienced, creative, mission-driven individual to establish community-based client-centered representation as a model of practice through this innovative role at the Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel.
About Us:
The Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (OADC) is the legislatively created state agency responsible for providing client services and legal representation for indigent individuals (adults and youth) when the state has charged them with a criminal or delinquent act and the state public defender’s office has a conflict of interest. The OADC accomplishes this by contracting with over 400 private attorneys and another 500 legal service providers (social workers, paralegals, investigators, legal researchers, case assistants, legal interns, etc.) to provide client services on an hourly basis. Our fundamental belief is that good holistic legal defense teams produce superior results for our clients.
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (OADC), through the practice of holistic public defense, is to help adults and children whom the government has charged with criminal and delinquent offenses. The OADC’s holistic practice model fosters ethical, informed, and standard-driven best practices in public defense. The OADC allocates resources in a manner intentionally designed to rebalance the disparate power wielded by the government in the criminal legal system. The OADC advocates for every client’s inherent worth and dignity by centering the client’s lived experiences and voice to achieve the best legal outcome.
The OADC is dedicated to zealous, client-centered advocacy rooted in social justice, integrity, and humility. We recognize that we are working within a broken and racist criminal legal system. Public defense advocates play an essential role in challenging bias and disparity within the courtroom, within our offices, and within ourselves. Statistical data and experiences support that there is a disparate presence of violent policing, over-charging, and harsher sentencing outcomes for Colorado’s people of color and other vulnerable populations. The OADC is unwavering in its support of decarceration, the decriminalization of youth, and equity within the criminal legal system.
About the Job:
The OADC has long recognized that a pool of diverse, dedicated, passionate, and excellent legal teams throughout the entire state of Colorado is essential to the mission of our Agency. The Holistic Defense Coordinator is a new position created to develop and implement client-centered, community-based defense initiatives for OADC clients to address the enmeshed consequences of criminal legal system involvement. The Holistic Defense Coordinator is a core component of the agency’s whole-person defense model, which combines building capacity, training and supporting contractors to uphold and combine aggressive courtroom advocacy with holistic defense practices to help clients meet their legal and social needs.
This position will also implement and lead the agency, staff, and its contractors in the four pillars of holistic defense, which are:
1. Seamless access to services that meet clients’ legal and social support needs.
2. Dynamic, interdisciplinary communication.
3. Advocates with an interdisciplinary skill set.
4. A robust understanding of, and connection to, the community served.
The Holistic Defense Coordinator has primary management responsibility for developing and implementing holistic policies and procedures in keeping with the agency’s mission, vision, and values. They report directly to the Executive Director on all areas related to the agency’s provision of holistic defense to public defense clients including matters of model practices, legislative initiatives, opportunities for cross-training and collaboration.
This includes but is not limited to:
•Sustaining an innovative holistic advocacy program that provides interdisciplinary services to clients
•Developing staff and contractors
•Building networks
•Developing the budget to maintain cost efficiency while implementing holistic initiatives and structures
•Managing contracts
•Procuring and managing grants
This position may include a relocation stipend aimed at alleviating some of the expenses associated with moving. This stipend's allocation, whether partial or complete, will vary depending on many factors such as eligibility, your location, and any other relevant factor.
The State of Colorado is committed to providing employees with a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that supports you, your health, and your family Click here for further information about State of Colorado Employee Benefits. In addition to benefits offered by the State of Colorado, there is a gym located in the Ralph Carr Building for use by OADC employees, you will receive an RTD pass, a cell phone stipend each month, and a flexible work schedule. In addition to benefits offered by the State of Colorado, there is a gym located in the Ralph Carr Building for use by OADC employees, you will receive an RTD pass, a cell phone stipend each month, and a flexible work schedule.
Annual Salary Range: $119,496- $143,904
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Colorado
The OADC is a collaborative agency designed for people who thrive in a team environment. Our ideal candidate will have a background in public defense and be passionate about a team-oriented, holistic model. They will be zealous in their commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and empathy.
•Plans, develops, and implements provisions related to the Four Pillars of Holistic Defense to agency clients, including developing policies, procedures, and training for all agency staff and contractors in this area of expertise.
•Collaborates with local organizations to address community needs and concerns, promotes agency services and resources to the community, participates in community forums and meetings, and advocates for community members’ needs within the agency.
•Sustains and grows an organizational structure that reflects and promotes the holistic defense pillars through program development and project management.
•Analyzes proposed and existing federal, state, and local legislation and regulations to develop and implement appropriate operational and program changes.
•Designs, recruits, and implements comprehensive holistic defense programs.
•Assesses the integration of holistic approaches within current programs and offers actionable recommendations for enhancement.
•Provides professional and technical consultation on complex program matters to staff and contractors.
•Prepares or assists in the preparation of program budgets and monitors on-going budgets.
•Negotiates, prepares, monitors, and evaluates grant proposals and contracts.
•Selects, trains, schedules, and evaluates staff in a supervisory role; conducts office-wide staff meetings and training related to holistic defense; and instructs colleagues on policy initiatives.
•Develops and maintains connections with agencies and organizations who share responsibility for services to OADC clients by entitlement or needs.
•Serves on various task forces and committees to understand and have impact on legislative developments affecting OADC clients.
•Appears before the Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel Commission to present plans, projects, and policies at the direction of the Alternate Defense Counsel.
•Collaborates actively with the OADC Leadership, to learn, develop and implement policies and procedures based on model practices that may exist in other jurisdictions that employ an interdisciplinary model to public defense.
•Develops and implements ways of evaluating the effectiveness of the holistic defense initiatives through measurable outcomes and reporting that promotes transparency and leads to an efficient use of the agency’s resources.
•Recognizes emerging patterns, systemic challenges, and policy implications impacting clients and practice areas, actively seeking inventive solutions to improve the delivery of public defense services.
•Supports the agency’s role as a leader in elevating public defense by contributing to written and speaking engagements on holistic defense and the natural constructive interaction between providing legal and holistic defense services to marginalized people and communities.
•Builds rapport with community resources by visiting with service providers, fostering collaborative relationships, resolving conflicts, and developing and implementing community outreach initiatives.
•Prepares correspondence and reports; utilizes computerized systems to collect/maintain information and project, monitor, and analyze program performance; and
•Attends and conducts meetings and conferences.
There is a preference for individuals who will:
•Model practices for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in a public agency amongst colleagues and in their own direct practices during their work.
•Evaluate OADC programs and recommend new or revised procedures to implement changes in practices and procedures and improve effectiveness.
•Analyze problem situations and adopt an effective course of action.
•Develop, delegate, oversee, and assess the contributions of both staff and contractors involved in holistic programs.
•Understand, interpret, explain, and apply regulations, laws, and directives pertaining to social service programs.
•Supervise an interdisciplinary staff with a high degree of cultural humility.
•Communicate effectively orally and in writing to people from diverse backgrounds.
•Inspire and motivate staff through a vision of client-focused, holistic defense services.
•Manage and negotiate organizational change as needed to promote the agency’s mission, vision, and values.
If you are offered employment, the following are the conditions of employment:
•Be a current resident of the State of Colorado or become a resident of the State of Colorado within 30 days of the hire date.
•Be willing to submit to a routine background investigation, including a criminal history check.
•If hired, the Immigration Reform and Control Act requires you to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the United States within three workdays.
Please complete the online application at the link below by 11:59 pm on April 15th, 2024.
As part of the online application, please provide the following documents:
• Resume – Required
• Answer to several application questions- Required
• Cover letter – Highly preferred
• Letter(s) of Reference – Highly preferred
Please add [email protected] as a safe sender. Once you submit your application, you will receive an automatic email from Formsite. If you cannot find this email, please look in your spam/junk folder.
https://fs2.formsite.com/OADC/nd3fixmbri/index
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Faxed, mailed, or emailed applications will not be accepted. Please direct any additional inquiries or questions to [email protected]
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