Supervising Assistant Public Defender - Prison Legal Services

You will serve as a Supervising Assistant Public Defender in the Prison Legal Services Section (PLS) of our Legal Department. The PLS Section provides a legal orientation to all individuals sentenced to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC), answers questions pertaining to criminal sentences, jail-time credit, judicial and other release mechanisms, and other common inquiries, and represents release violation (RV) and open full board (OFB) hearings.

You will report to the Managing Attorney of the Legal Department, and will be part of the PLS supervising team that is jointly responsible for directing the operations of OPD’s three reception-center locations (Lorain Correctional, Correctional Reception Center at Orient, and Ohio Reformatory for Women at Marysville) and for managing the direct representation of clients at RV and OFB hearings. We are looking for candidates who possess and exercise leadership skills in order to effectively supervise Assistant Public Defenders and Administrative Professionals and who can ensure that the agency’s mission and values are communicated to staff, integrated into their goals, and reflected in their work on behalf of clients. The position, which is based in Columbus, currently offers you the opportunity to work from home for a portion of time, so a successful candidate will also be self-motivated and comfortable communicating via Microsoft Teams or other conferencing software during those times.

The duties for this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

Serve as a Legal Department Supervisor in the PLS Section, supervising staff attorneys who provide litigation services to persons currently incarcerated and persons released on parole or PRC and core staff who coordinates responses to kites, collection of evidence/discovery for hearings, and assisting with scheduling of hearings. Primary duties include reviewing and assigning work product (e.g., legal orientations, post-conviction interviews, advocacy for clients during release violation (RV) & open full board (OFB) hearings; reviews drafts of case documents prepared by OPD attorneys & legal interns) to attorneys taking into account case complexity, caseloads, experience level and expertise of supervisees, etc.) and assisting attorneys in preparing for upcoming hearings. You also complete timely annual performance evaluations, work with employees to set performance goals, coach employees to develop performance, prioritize and approve work schedules, identify and approve training opportunities for staff, approve work and leave time for payroll purposes, and carry out other administrative tasks, potentially including the initiation of disciplinary actions.
Carry a reduced caseload, primarily involving RV and OFB cases, and conduct legal research and prepare pleadings and/or case memoranda. Independently handle cases before APA hearing officers and the Parole Board. Write technical legal pleadings, orally presents arguments, and formulates legal strategy for clients.
Respond to inquiries from county public defenders and private-practice counsel regarding various procedural and substantive aspects of criminal law related to parole and PRC. Supervisors are also expected to create and manage targeted contacts in specific areas throughout the state to be aware of issues attorneys and people who are incarcerated are facing.
Serve as project leader and manager for various litigation projects in the Legal Department. Projects include litigation strategies in response to Ohio legislation, DRC or Adult Parole Authority (APA) policies, and various superior court decisions, as well as developing litigation to address systemic criminal justice issues in Ohio.
As a member of the Legal Department management team: Appears on behalf of State Public Defender to discuss law and policy; tattends meetings as assigned, assists in formation of department and agency policy. May be required to work on specific projects as assigned by the Legal Department Managing Attorney and/or the State Public Defender. May instruct and assist outside counsel in fields of expertise; may be temporarily assigned to perform duties of a Managing Assistant Public Defender at the direction of the State Public Defender.