Join Michigan’s State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) as a part-time (20 hours per week) Records Specialist to assist in legal representation of individuals sentenced to life without parole as youth. SADO represents clients throughout Michigan on appeal of their felony convictions. Starting rate of pay will depend on experience and qualifications. The pay range for this role is $19.76 to $27.90 (hourly) with annual pay increases until the top of the range for satisfactory performance. This position can be based out of SADO’s Detroit or Lansing office.
SADO’s Juvenile Lifer Unit advocates for individuals who are serving unconstitutionally cruel and unusual life without parole sentences for crimes committed as youth and who are now entitled to resentencing proceedings and for an opportunity for freedom from incarceration. The JLU Records Specialist works collaboratively with a multidisciplinary legal defense team of attorneys, mitigation specialists, reentry specialists, paralegals, and other staff. The Records Specialist aids in the mitigation investigation and preparation for our clients’ resentencing proceedings by obtaining, organizing, and analyzing documentary evidence.
The Records Specialist must be organized, creative, and persistent. At SADO we are dedicated to building a multidisciplinary team with diverse perspectives and experiences, so if you are excited about this role but you do not meet every qualification in this job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be the right candidate for the job.
Job Responsibilities
Specific duties include, but are not limited to:
• Obtain, organize, and review mitigation records and documents, such as prison records, school records, medical and mental health records, and newspaper/archival records;
• Review juvenile lifer case files and proactively identify places to request records from;
• Meticulously document all record collection efforts by tracking progress in Excel spreadsheets and saving all record requests and communications to the case file;
• Ensure that paper and electronic records are organized and saved;
• Bates stamp mitigation records and maintain an updated Bates index for all records;
• Analyze mitigation records and synthesize information into summaries, digests, chronologies, timelines, and charts; and,
• Assist attorneys with general hearing preparation such as preparing exhibits and other necessary tasks.
• Relevant education, training, or experience in obtaining, analyzing, and organizing documents;
• Commitment to SADO’s mission and values and a belief in the inherent dignity and humanity of incarcerated clients with criminal convictions;
• Persistence and creativity in searching for records that are difficult to obtain;
• Knowledge of the criminal legal system, preferably in Michigan;
• Ability to prioritize multiple client cases, deadlines, and demands;
• Meticulous attention to detail;
• Possession of a valid driver’s license and ability to travel to locations throughout the state of Michigan to obtain records, such as courthouses, schools, and libraries;
• Ability to organize, interpret, and synthesize large quantities of information into summaries, digests, timelines, charts, and chronologies;
• The ability to work as part of the defense team under the lead of the case attorney and maintain confidentiality while handling sensitive and privileged documents;
• Advanced technical skills in the following areas:
• PDFs and Adobe Acrobat (including the ability to extract, combine, OCR, and Bates Stamp PDFs),
• Excel (including the ability to sort/filter and use formulas),
• Familiarity with file-sharing technology, specifically SharePoint and Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.),
• Ability to troubleshoot technical difficulties and seek clarification when needed; and
• Self-motivated, with the ability to handle constructive feedback.
Submit a resume and a cover letter via email by November 3, 2024, to [email protected] and include “Job ID 2024-19” in the subject line. Applications without a resume and cover letter will not be considered.
The cover letter should address the reasons underlying your interest in the work of the Juvenile Lifer Unit and explain your commitment to working with incarcerated people and people convicted of crimes.
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