Public Defender Interviewer

This recruitment will establish an employment list to fill current and any future vacancies within the Public Defender’s Office. The anticipated life of the employment list is six months. If interested in employment for this position for current or future vacancies, please submit an online application for consideration.

• Interview clients to obtain details of arrest, connection with charged offenses and other information pertinent to development of the defense case.
• Identify, analyze, and evaluate each variation of fact and substantiate pertinent information.
• Determine relationship of various parties to current case and prior cases to determine if a legal conflict exists.
• Communicate with management staff regarding potential conflict issues.
• Advise clients concerning rights and responsibilities associated with interview process.

For a full list of duties for this position, please .

Minimum qualifications are used as a guide for establishing the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license which are required and equivalent to the following.

• Equivalent to completion of the 12th grade supplemented by course work in criminal justice, paralegalism, psychology, or closely related field.

• Three years of experience involving frequent communications with members of the public in a legal setting and/or analyzing, organizing, and documenting data for services offered by public agencies.

• Two years of college course work in criminal justice, paralegalism, psychology, or closely related field may be substituted for the experience requirement.

• Interviewing techniques.
• Report writing.
• Record keeping principles.

• Work and communicate effectively with people of various education and socioeconomic backgrounds by respecting beliefs, interpersonal styles and behaviors of both clients and co-workers.
• Operate contemporary office equipment inclusive of computer, keyboard, and all applicable electronic equipment.
• Collect information, organize material, and analyze relationships among a variety of collected data.
• Assist with gathering verifications on information obtained from clients.
• Write clear, concise, and grammatically correct narratives, reports, records, and correspondence.
• Follow oral and written instructions.
• Read and understand complex material such as laws, codes, and legal documents.
• Adjust to changes in workload, priorities, and work under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers, other agencies, and departments.
• Coordinate work with others.

• Possession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid California driver’s license.

• Court proceedings, elements of misdemeanor or felony offenses, legal defenses, pleading, pretrial motions, diversions, priors and attacks on priors, and sentencing.

• Speak, read, and write in Spanish.
• Prepare interview summaries.
• Organize and analyze data.
• Recognize legal issues sufficient to alert attorneys for appropriate action.

Candidates selected will be required to pass a pre‑employment drug and alcohol screening. Additionally, a background investigation may also be conducted, which may include a re‑investigation every 10 years for some positions. An Employment Eligibility Verification using E‑Verify may be required on the first day of employment for some positions. Some job classes may also require a physical exam.

This may be a qualifying position for student loan forgiveness through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). Only student loan payments made after October 1, 2007 and in a qualified repayment plan are eligible. For more information you are encouraged to speak with your student loan servicer or visit: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).-service