Do you identify as a member of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community? Are you interested in starting your own criminal defense law office, business, or nonprofit after completing the Fellowship? Do you believe that holistic, team-oriented representation is essential for all people accused or convicted of criminal or delinquent acts? If you are passionate about client centered, holistic, team-oriented representation for people accused or convicted of criminal or delinquent acts, we have an amazing opportunity for you! The Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel is offering a unique opportunity for a BIPOC community member or a person with a meaningful connection to BIPOC communities to develop a private law practice in Colorado through the Inclusivity Attorney Fellowship Program.
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 Office of the Colorado State Public Defender has a conflict of interest. The OADC accomplishes this by contracting with over 400 private attorneys and another 500 legal service providers (forensic social workers/clinical advocates, paralegals, investigators, legal researchers, case assistants, legal interns, etc.) to provide client services on an hourly basis in both state and municipal court systems. The OADC also provides direct client representation through our Postconviction Unit. Our fundamental belief is that good holistic legal defense teams produce good 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 who the State of Colorado Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel 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. 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 Inclusivity Fellowship:
The legal field suffers from a lack of diversity nationwide. Colorado's legal community is no different. The pool of attorneys contracting with the OADC is a microcosm of the larger systemic problem. While the lack of diversity is generally problematic for the legal community, it is especially problematic in the criminal legal system where the over-prosecution and resulting mass incarceration of BIPOC individuals is a national tragedy.
There is an undeniable benefit when people whose lived experiences as BIPOC community members or people with meaningful connections to BIPOC communities, participate in the system as attorneys and other legal professionals. Rather than continuing to wait for the larger pool of attorneys to become more diverse, the OADC intends to increase the number of contracting attorneys whose lived experiences reflect membership in or who have a meaningful connection with BIPOC communities while also increasing the diversity of the Colorado legal community.
This Inclusivity Fellowship Program is the ultimate public-private partnership. This Fellowship will provide a lawyer or recent graduate with a state employee position with a State of Colorado salary and benefits for up to two years while the fellow develops their emerging practice. This employee position will begin as early as October 14, 2024, but could start as late as November 1, 2025. The Fellowship will terminate no later than two years from the date of hire. The Fellowship's exact duration will be tailored to meet the needs of the individual fellow and their future business. During that time, the OADC will provide mentorship from experienced criminal and youth defense practitioners to assist with developing appropriate legal skills, case management, and professional development. In addition, the OADC has a robust training program to further aid in professional and business development.
Although the project is geared toward developing an attorney who is proficient in indigent defense, we understand that the fellow may need to develop a wellrounded practice that involves representing people in more than just criminal matters. It is anticipated that the fellow will work to build relationships so that at the conclusion of their Fellowship, they can develop other sources of income including private representation, court-appointed work in dependency and neglect cases through other state agencies (e.g., the Office of the Child’s Representative or the Office of Respondent Parent Counsel), and partnerships with civil litigation associations such as Legal Aid (Colorado Legal Services). As such, the OADC has partnered with other entities to provide further mentorship assistance in areas of law other than criminal defense to meet the individual interests of each fellow.
The OADC is a collaborative workspace designed for people who thrive in a team environment. This position reports to the Attorney Development Coordinator and will engage with all members of the OADC team.
Monthly Salary Range: $5,516-$8,440.34
Annual Salary Range: $84,404.33-$101,284.02
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Colorado
The ideal candidate is committed to public defense and dreams of starting a thriving private practice. This person must have lived experiences as a BIPOC community member or be a person with meaningful connections to BIPOC communities.
Preferred level of Professional Experience:
• 1 to 5 years’ experience representing human beings as an attorney and/or in a qualified law school clinic or internship/externship setting, and/or under the student practice act(s).
• Some prior experience in a business setting, preferably self-employed.
Our ideal candidate possesses the following skills:
• You want to create your own private practice and do not want to be a long-term government employee.
• You are self-motivated and a problem solver.
• You are an entrepreneur who will support your community with your vision and expertise.
• You already have a fundamental understanding of criminal defense and public defense systems, criminal law and procedure and rules of evidence.
• You are collaborative, and passionate about team oriented holistic public defense.
• You are zealous in your commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and empathy.
• Bilingual skills a plus.
This person must have values closely aligned with the OADC’s Mission Statement and be especially dedicated to:
• Ending the over-policing, prosecution, and incarceration of vulnerable populations traditionally over-represented in the criminal legal system; and
• Increasing opportunities for historically under-represented people in America’s legal system.
If you are offered this Fellowship, 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.
• The fellow may work anywhere in Colorado.
• Be able to work remotely and in an office setting.
• Be currently licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado or will be licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado within 90-days of the hire date. For graduating law students, this Fellowship is contingent upon passing the Colorado Bar Exam.
• 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.
You will be required to complete a written application with additional questions and provide three references in addition to the following documents:
• Resume – Required
• Cover letter – Required
• Legal Writing Sample – Required
• 2 Letters of Reference – Optional
Complete the online application at the link below by 11:59 PM on September 19, 2024. 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/kfkan8uwmh/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].
NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG
