Illinois State Public Defender

Illinois initial State Public Defender

• Location
  Springfield, Illinois (regional office locations to be determined)
• Office
  Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD)
• Posted Date
  09/09/26
• Closing Date
  Application materials must be received no later than Friday, October 9, 2026.
• Benefits
  An attractive judicial branch benefits package is offered, including pension, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, deferred compensation options, as well as vacation, sick and personal leave. Please refer to the following Benefits Information Sheet for additional details.
• Salary
  $218,400 (per statute salary equivalent to that of Illinois Attorney General)

The successful candidate will be appointed by a majority vote of the Illinois Supreme Court to a two-year term beginning January 1, 2027. Before assuming the duties of the position, the appointee must take the statutory oath of office. The appointee may be removed from office only for cause and following a hearing before the Illinois State Public Defender Commission (Commission).

The Illinois Supreme Court seeks an experienced and visionary leader to build a client oriented Public Defender office. This is an opportunity to lead a statewide public defense system committed to providing the adversarial testing required by constitution when representing indigent people throughout Illinois.

The Illinois State Public Defender is the chief executive officer of the Office of the State Public Defender, an independent agency within the judicial branch of Illinois government. The State Public Defender will be responsible for establishing, supervising, and administering a statewide public defense system that ensures constitutionally required legal representation for indigent persons in criminal, juvenile delinquency, and dependency matters.

The State Public Defender shall promote a client-centered culture of representation that respects the dignity, humanity, voice, and the constitutional rights of each client and ensures that the experiences of clients and directly impacted communities inform the development and evaluation of statewide public defense policy.

The State Public Defender must devote full time to the duties of the office and may not engage in the private practice of law.

• Licensed attorney in good standing in Illinois.
• At least 5 years of licensed practice (Illinois or another state).
• Demonstrated experience in representing persons accused of crime.
• Demonstrated administrative experience.
• Dedication to high-quality indigent defense and improvement of statewide defense services.

• Demonstrated commitment to client-centered public defense and meaningful engagement with directly impacted communities.
• A recognition of the diversity of our society and have a regard for our multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-gender society.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity, cultural humility, accessibility, and reducing disparities within the criminal and juvenile legal systems.
• Experience developing organizational policies, practices, or programs informed by client or community input.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with restorative justice principles.
• Knowledge of holistic public defense.
• Knowledge of family defense and juvenile criminal proceedings.

• Serve as the State's leading advocate for the rights and interests of individuals represented by Illinois' public defense system and promote policies, practices, resources, and reforms necessary to ensure effective and meaningful representation.
• Serve as attorney, without fee, for all otherwise unrepresented persons when found unable to afford counsel and appointed by a court.
• Ensure that representation is client-centered and that clients receive timely, accessible, understandable, and meaningful communication regarding their cases, legal options, potential consequences, and rights.
• Provide representation in counties served by regional offices in addition to appointed counsel and county public defenders.
• Ensure access to high-quality legal representation consistent with constitutional standards and state law.

• Direct and oversee statewide operations of the Office of the State Public Defender, including attorneys, investigators, administrative staff, social service staff, and regional offices.
• Establish the organizational structure of the office and…