Join Michigan’s State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) as the Administrator of the Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System (MAACS), one of the pioneering managed assigned counsel public defender systems in the nation. Compensation ranges from $132,392 to $161,886 depending on experience, with an increase in base rate expected October 1. Our office follows a hybrid workplace model that mixes in-office and remote work to offer flexibility and support to staff. This position is for either the Detroit or Lansing office.
The MAACS Administrator leads a growing staff of nine people that includes a Deputy Administrator, Litigation Support Counsel, Youth Defense Counsel, Mitigation Specialists, and other staff. Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Sets the culture, mission, and process for representation of more than 75% of people appealing criminal convictions and adjudications in Michigan
• Assigns attorneys to represent people appealing convictions and adjudications
• Hires and trains all MAACS staff
• Supervises the Deputy Administrator and other MAACS core staff
• Recruits and supports MAACS roster attorneys, and partners with SADO on their training
• Addresses global issues faced by MAACS roster attorneys related to client representation
• Develops the MAACS case management system
• Implements state funding for attorney fee vouchering and the county reimbursement process
• Evaluates performance of roster attorneys and reviews attorney vouchering
• Advocates for policy, court rule, and procedural reform to promote superior appellate practice
• Works with other state agencies and advocacy organizations as the MAACS representative and advocates for continued public defense reform for the appellate assigned counsel process
• Litigates the right to appointment of appellate counsel in Michigan’s trial and appellate courts
• Oversees grant-funded projects to improve the assigned counsel system
• If desired, represents a small number of direct appeal clients
• Participates in budget development
• Current member of the Michigan Bar or eligible to waive into the Bar
• A demonstrated commitment to public defense
• At least five years of progressively more responsible criminal appeals or public defense experience
• Demonstrated and strong abilities in strategic planning, innovation, and relationship building
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Supervision, administration, and leadership experience
Submit a cover letter explaining your vision for MAACS and describing the current challenges facing indigent appellate defense at MAACS. Then detail your qualifications and plans for implementing that vision and responding to those challenges. Include your resume and a redacted writing sample.
Writing Sample Special Instructions: As part of its commitment to diversity in the workplace and its goal to prevent hiring bias, we ask that applicants submit redacted writing samples, which will be reviewed without access to applicant information and scored based on objective criteria. Your name, address, work affiliation, and other identifiers should be redacted from your writing sample. Files should be named generically, and your name should not be a part of the filename. For example, you can name the file WS1.pdf or WritingSample.pdf.
Applications should be emailed by August 4, 2024 to [email protected] and include “Job ID 08-2024” in the subject line.
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