The Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California has multiple positions open in its Riverside office.
- Trial attorney:
A full-time attorney in the trial unit would represent individuals charged with federal crimes occurring in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.
Duties will include appearing on behalf of clients in court hearings and related proceedings; visiting clients in jail; drafting motions, briefs and legal memoranda; and collaborating with investigators, paralegals and support staff. Occasionally there will be duties involving post-conviction matters.
Qualified applicants have graduated from an accredited law school and are members in good standing of the California State Bar (or are willing to sit for the next State Bar exam). They have demonstrated commitment to indigent criminal defense and/or public-interest law, have superior oral and written communication kills, have excellent research skills and work well in teams. They are United States citizens or permanent residents seeking citizenship.
Preference will go to applicants with at least three years’ experience in state and/or federal criminal law, or applicants with federal judicial clerkship experience.
A background investigation is required as a condition of employment.
This is an at-will position.
Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience and is subject to direct deposit. Benefits include health and life insurance, retirement and a Thrift Savings Plan.
To apply, email a letter of interest, résumé, two representative writing samples (no more than 15 pages each) and three references in a single PDF to Cuauhtemoc Ortega, Federal Public Defender, at Employment@fpdcdca.org with the subject line “Riverside trial attorney application” by May 18. - Legal assistant:
A full-time legal assistant in the trial unit’s duties would include providing a full range of executive-level secretarial and clerical support services to attorneys on trial cases, including reception coverage; filing court documents electronically and manually; preparing and editing draft pleadings, reports and correspondence; organizing and compiling exhibits; maintaining attorneys’ calendars; accurately maintaining up-to-date case files and facility clearances; composing correspondence; screening public and client telephone calls; and processing mail as needed.
The assistant would be assigned to multiple attorneys and would be required to assist with overflow coverage as needed.
Qualified applicants have graduated from an accredited school with a bachelor’s degree or at least one year of specialized experience performing progressively responsible duties as a legal assistant, (extensive relevant experience may substitute for a college degree;) can demonstrate a high level of computer literacy (including in Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat programs); can demonstrate an interest in social justice, civil rights or indigent defense; have excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills; have strong organizational, analytical and technical skills, can organize work and set priorities to meet critical deadlines, can learn new technological tools; can work independently and take initiative; can work well in teams; and are United States citizens or a permanent residents seeking citizenship.
Experience with legal-practice related programs such as evidence review platforms, document management systems and document indexing tools is preferred.
Ideal candidates have comprehensive knowledge of legal secretarial principles, practices, methods and techniques; and understanding of district and circuit court rules, protocols, policies and precedents; and knowledge of legal terminology and Blue Book citation format.
Preference will go to applicants who can speak, read and write in Spanish.
A background investigation is required as a condition of employment.
This is an at-will position.
Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience and is subject to direct deposit. After successful completion of a probationary period, eligible employees may elect to telework up to two days per month, subject to certain conditions.
Benefits include health and life insurance, retirement and a Thrift Savings Plan.
To apply, email a letter of interest, résumé and three references in a single PDF to Cuauhtemoc Ortega, Federal Public Defender, at Employment@fpdcdca.org with the subject line “Riverside legal assistant application” by April 26. - Office Services Unit administration assistant:
This full-time administrative assistant would be stationed in and split time between the Riverside and Santa Ana branch offices.
Duties include providing support to case teams and to the daily operations of the office; ordering and maintaining office supplies; processing all incoming and outgoing faxes, mail and packages; photocopying and scanning documents into various case related drives; reproducing CDs and DVDs; transferring electronic files; courthouse filing runs and general delivery services to judges, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and others, as required; retrieving records from various court organizations; shuttle services for staff to courthouses and detention centers; driving and providing support to Santa Ana and Riverside branch offices; maintaining fleet cars; maintaining the library; and moving furniture, boxes and other items, as needed.
Qualified applicants have a high school diploma or higher level of education; can demonstrate a high level of computer literacy (including in Outlook, Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat programs); can demonstrate an interest in social justice, civil rights or indigent defense; have excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills; have strong organizational, analytical and technical skills, can organize work and set priorities to meet critical deadlines, can learn new technological tools; can work independently and take initiative; can work well in teams; are United States citizens or permanent residents seeking citizenship; have a valid driver’s license; and are familiar with driving in the Riverside and Santa Ana areas.
Experience operating, troubleshooting and maintaining office equipment is preferred.
This at-will position may require extensive travel and the ability to move boxes up to 50 pounds.
Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience and is subject to direct deposit. Benefits include health and life insurance, retirement and a Thrift Savings Plan.
To apply, email a letter of interest, résumé, two representative writing samples and three references in a single PDF to Cuauhtemoc Ortega, Federal Public Defender, at Employment@fpdcdca.org with the subject line “OSU assistant application” by April 16.
