Attorney I - III

Education and Experience:
Attorney I: J.D./LL.B. from an accredited law school.
Attorney II: J.D./LL.B. from an accredited law school and 18 months’ licensed attorney work experience.
Attorney III: J.D./LL.B. from an accredited law school and 3 years’ licensed attorney work experience.

Licenses, Registrations, Certifications, or Special Requirements:
Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas.

PREFERRED: 

• Applications with a cover letter detailing interest in the position, including why applicant wants to work in public defense for Travis County.
• Hearing and trial experience consistent with years of practice.
• Mission-aligned experience (work or lived) advocating on behalf of indigent clients.
• Effective client management skills and rapport-building techniques.
• Performs well in a high-volume, high-conflict area of litigation. 
• Effective litigation techniques for presentation of cases in court and the ability to present facts and arguments verbally and in writing.  
• Policies, practices, procedures and legal terminology related to child welfare law or other indigent client-related area of advocacy.  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Legal principles and practices related to criminal defense
• Philosophy and practices of client-centered and holistic defense practices.
• Principles, methods, materials, and practices of legal research.
• Applicable federal, state, local, and county laws, rules, regulations, and guidelines.
• Methods, practices, and applications of criminal defense and effective litigation techniques.
• Criminal law, criminal procedure, and the rules of evidence.
• Investigative techniques.
• Policies, practices, and legal terminology related to the court system.
• National standards, including the ABA Defense Function Standards and ABA Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System.
• Computer equipment, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and case management software.

Skill in:

• Problem-solving and decision-making.
• Analyzing and appraising facts, policies, procedures and legal precedents in area of specialty.
• Both verbal and written communication, including presentations.

Ability to:

• Conduct legal research and analysis, both manually and electronically.
• Present facts, precedents and arguments verbally and in writing and apply negotiation skills.
• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Work independently.
• Manage time well and perform multiple tasks, and organize diverse activities.
• Work well under pressure and exercise tact in trying situations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with departmental clientele, representatives of outside agencies, other County employees and officials, and the general public.

Physical requirements include the ability to lift/carry up to 25 pounds occasionally, visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand and eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer and office equipment. Subject to standing, walking, sitting, repetitive motion, reaching, climbing stairs, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, pushing, pulling, balancing, client/customer contact, squatting to perform the essential functions.

Travis County employees play an important role in business continuity. As such, employees can be assigned to business continuity efforts outside of normal job functions.

Work Hours:  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (Telework eligible) 

Department: Community Legal Services / Office of Parental Representation 

Location: 1700 Guadalupe, Austin, Texas 78701 

Criminal, Education, and Employment Background Checks Required.

This job description is intended to be generic in nature. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The essential duties, functions and responsibilities and overtime eligibility may vary based on the specific tasks assigned to the position.