Public Defender's Office, 2Nd Circuit- Assistant Public Defender

Overview

Requisition No: 859221

Agency:
Justice Administrative Commission

Working Title:

PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, 2ND CIRCUIT- ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER -

Position Number:

Salary: $67,000.00

Posting Closing Date: 01/18/2026

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

The Office of the Public Defender, Second Judicial Circuit is seeking qualified applicants for an Assistant Public Defender position in our Gadsden County (Quincy) office. An attorney in this position may be assigned misdemeanor and/or felony division cases.

• The primary responsibility of assistant public defenders is to provide effective and professional legal representation to people charged with criminal offenses.

The Office of the Public Defender provides in-house training opportunities monthly, as well as opportunities to attend seminars and training opportunities offered by the National Association of Public Defense, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Florida Public Defender Association and more.

• $67,000.00 annually, commensurate with experience.

• Juris Doctorate
• Applicants must be a member of and in good standing with The Florida Bar.
• Applicants who have completed the Florida Bar examination and are awaiting results will also be considered. If hired prior to receiving bar results, this position, a "Legal Trainee", has a starting salary of $47,350.00. Upon being sworn into the Florida Bar, annual salary will increase to $67,000.00 along with promotion to an Assistant Public Defender position.
• Legal Trainee candidates must provide a copy of their Registrant Clearance from the Florida Board of Bar Examiners with their employment application.

• Criminal defense litigation experience in county and circuit court.

• Florida Rules Criminal Procedure, Florida Rules of Evidence, and Florida Criminal Statutes.

• All fields in the Candidate Profile must be completed (an attached resume is not a substitution for the information required on the candidate profile).
• Work history, duties and responsibilities, hours worked, supervisor, and formal education fields, etc. must be filled out to determine qualifications for this position.

The Office of the Public Defender, Second Judicial Circuit provides legal representation for indigent individuals accused of criminal offenses. The Second Judicial Circuit encompasses six Florida counties:
Leon, Gadsden, Liberty, Jefferson, Wakulla and Franklin.

Each fiscal year, the Second Judicial Circuit represents indigent clients in both criminal trial and criminal appeal appointments, equating to nearly 16,500 criminal cases for six Florida counties and over 1,100 cases on appeal for the First District Court of Appeal.

The Office of Public Defender came into existence in 1963 following the United States Supreme Court s landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainwright. The Court ruled that indigent citizens have the fundamental right to the assistance of counsel under the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Under the direction of Public Defender Jessica J. Yeary, the office is comprised of dedicated criminal defense attorneys, investigators, social workers, and support staff who work tirelessly to ensure equal justice for all.

The Office of the Public Defender is not an agency in the State Personnel System, but offers the same benefits as state agencies, including State Group Insurance and participation in the Florida Retirement System.

The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits.
• Paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year.
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, and other supplemental insurance options.
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please visit ).
• Tuition waivers,
• And more!

For a more complete list of benefits, visit

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