Join SADO’s Juvenile Lifer Unit as an Assistant Defender and participate in the rewarding mission of representing people serving unconstitutional life without parole sentences. The position begins as soon as possible, and the salary for this position ranges from $79,511 - $149,208, depending on experience.
This is a full-time, limited-term position with funding allocated through September 30, 2026. Continuation of this position beyond that date is contingent on future budget allocations.
SADO’s Juvenile Lifer Unit seeks motivated and qualified applicants to work with incarcerated clients who are newly eligible for resentencing hearings under the Michigan Supreme Court’s April 2025 landmark rulings in People v Czarnecki and People v Taylor. Approximately 580 people in Michigan’s prisons who were once sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for homicide offenses that occurred when they were 19 or 20 years old now have an opportunity to demonstrate their capacity for change and readiness to come home. Additionally, the Juvenile Lifer Unit provides representation to those who were aged 18 at the time of offense and who are also eligible for resentencing. The Juvenile Lifer Unit is hiring 3 Assistant Defenders for this work.
The Assistant Defender position is preferred to work in SADO’s Lansing offices. Lansing offers a variety of amenities and life experiences, including Big Ten sports, theater, and ready access to miles of river trail. SADO offers a hybrid work environment that mixes in-office and remote work to offer flexibility and support to staff.
Job Responsibilities
In 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles committing homicide offenses are unconstitutional. Michigan had one of the highest populations of “juvenile lifers” in the country, and the Assistant Defender works collaboratively in teams to investigate, mitigate, and litigate the contested resentencings of these clients. In 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court extended that protection to those 18 at the time of the homicide offense, leading to eligibility for resentencing for almost 300 additional people. Now, in 2025, this resentencing relief has been extended to people who were 19 and 20 at the time of the offense, leading to eligibility for resentencing for almost 580 additional people
For this type of litigation, the successful applicant must be able to:
• Develop meaningful relationships of trust with clients, family members, and others.
• Frequently visit with clients housed in prison facilities throughout the state.
• Develop mitigation evidence and social histories through record retrieval and review, and interviews with clients and others. Attorneys will work with other members of a team, which could include second-chair counsel, an investigator, and a mitigation specialist or social worker.
• Review trial transcripts and appellate decisions of each client’s case.
• Identify and litigate novel issues of law and procedure.
• Select and manage expert witnesses and consultants as needed.
• Engage in persistent negotiations with prosecutors on a case-by-case basis.
• Conduct hearings in trial courts throughout Michigan.
• In conjunction with SADO’s Project Reentry, develop reentry plans for clients.
Benefits
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• 401k plan with up to 9% employer contribution (partial vesting begins in 2 years)
• 13 paid holidays
• Paid sick time and paid parental leave
• Long-term disability insurance
• Flexible work hours
• Hybrid work environment
• Casual dress as appropriate
• Paid training opportunities
• Annual pay increases up to the maximum of the pay range with satisfactory performance
SADO employees are members of UAW Local 2200.
Qualifications
• Must be admitted to the Michigan Bar.
• Must demonstrate commitment to indigent defense, public service, and racial equity.
• Must have excellent legal research and writing skills.
• Experience in death penalty phase or juvenile lifer resentencing hearings preferred.
• Experience in both trial and appellate courts preferred.
• Experience negotiating with prosecutors, preparing mitigation for clients, working with expert witnesses, and preparing experts for testimony preferred.
• Must have the desire and ability to investigate and litigate novel areas of law.
• Must have the ability to work with individuals who have been incarcerated since childhood.
• Must demonstrate an understanding of the need to acquire and practice cultural competency and humility.
• Attorneys with significant criminal trial experience are encouraged to apply.
Applicants must either be current members of the Michigan Bar, eligible to waive into the bar, or eligible to sit for the February or July 2026 bar exam. Applicants must have a commitment to indigent defense, public service, and racial equity. Skills in legal research and writing, client communication, and oral advocacy are required. Ability to manage competing deadlines, under time constraints is required.
Submit a cover letter stating your interest in the position. Include your resume and a redacted writing sample.
Writing Sample Special Instructions: As part of its commitment to diversity in the workplace and its goal to prevent hiring bias, we ask that applicants submit redacted writing samples, which will be reviewed without access to applicant information and scored based on objective criteria. Your name, address, work affiliation, and other identifiers should be redacted from your writing sample. Files should be named generically, and your name should not be a part of the filename. For example, you can name the file WS1.pdf or WritingSample.pdf.
Applications should be emailed to [email protected] and include “JLU Assistant Defender 2025-23” in the subject line.
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