Assistant Public Defender - Youth Defense Department - Ohio Public Defender

About Us:

The Office of the Ohio Public Defender ("OPD") is the state agency responsible for providing legal representation and other services to people accused or convicted of a crime who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Our Mission: Advocating. Fighting. Helping.
Our Vision: A Fair Justice System.
Our Values: Compassion. Dignity. Equity. Integrity. Service. Community.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Our commitment to inclusion is inseparable from our commitment to a fair justice system. We strive to ensure inclusive spaces and services for our staff, our clients, and Ohio’s diverse communities. We are committed to building a work environment where all our team members have a voice and can embrace our differences to innovate service to the public. We can best meet our public defense mission through a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace, where employees thrive, our mission is accomplished, and Ohioans are served. #TeamOPD is grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion as we work together to pursue fairness and justice for all people.

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About the Position and What You'll Do:

You will serve as an Assistant Public Defender (APD) in the Conditions Section of the Youth Defense Department.

The Youth Defense Department is a team of talented professionals focused primarily on post-disposition advocacy and ensuring that the constitutional rights of children are fully realized and protected. We steadily work toward a holistic approach to helping youth in the justice system and know that the value of our advocacy extends beyond the child's duration of confinement.

You will provide assistance to children in Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) on conditions of confinement matters, which includes responding to requests for assistance, reviewing fact investigations, determining whether the child's conditions of confinement claim has merit, and referring the child to a private attorney for direct representation of their claim. If no private attorney accepts the case within a reasonable time, you will prepare pro se pleadings, including a complaint, a motion for appointment of counsel, and other applicable pleadings. You will also advocate for children during discipline and release reviews to the ODYS Release Authority, which impacts the child's length of stay and release date.

The position currently offers you the opportunity to work from home for a portion of time, so a successful candidate will be self-motivated and comfortable communicating via Teams or other conferencing software during those times.

You will be most successful if you are organized, solutions oriented, adept at effective documentation and communication, and empathetic.

The Assistant Public Defender position is assigned to the State of Ohio’s E1 Pay Schedule, Pay Range 13. Unless required by legislation or union contract, starting salary will be the minimum salary of that pay range (step 1, currently $31.56 per hour) associated with this position. These ranges provide a standardized pathway for pay increases: with continued employment, new hires move to the next step in the range after 6 months and annually thereafter. The State of Ohio typically has Cost of Living Adjustments that increase wages in these ranges each fiscal year.

Note: In the event a candidate demonstrates exceptional qualifications above minimum, they may qualify for a starting salary above step 1.

FY23 Assistant Public Defender Pay Range
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8
$31.56 $33.29 $35.11 $37.00 $39.09 $41.19 $42.88 $44.90