Assistant Public Defender

DO YOUR CAREER JUSTICE! Each and every day, North Carolina's courts help provide safety for our communities, prosperity for our economy, and protection for the rights, liberties, and freedoms that sit at the foundation of our state and federal constitutions. Consider an exciting and rewarding career with us and join the more than 7,000 elected officials and employees who make up our workforce and help us ensure that justice is administrated without favor, denial, or delay.

The District 6 Office of the Public Defender represents indigent clients in criminal District and Superior Court, juvenile delinquency matters, civil contempt matters, treatment courts, first appearances and clients involved in abuse, neglect, and dependency matters. Defenders are cross-trained and capable of handling all casework required to provide quality legal services for indigent clients. Defenders must be capable of handling difficult cases and clients.  Defenders are expected to maintain positive professional relationships with clients, coworkers, prosecutors, judges, clerks, and the public.  Defenders will have clients who may be struggling with mental health and/or substance misuse disorders. Defenders are expected to visit clients at the jail and in prison facilities.  There will be occasional travel out county for training.  Although the position is for the Wilmington office, there may be an occasional need to assist coverage for the Pender County Office. All applicants must have a strong desire and commitment to indigent defense and client advocacy while allotting time in their workday to return phone calls and emails, appropriately notate cases in the management system, complete daily disposition data and other procedural matters. 

Defenders are expected to be skilled in Federal, State, common and constitutional law; judicial procedures, local procedures and rules of evidence. These are all necessary to competently defend criminal and juvenile cases.  Defenders must be able to analyze facts, laws, rules, regulations, interpretations, and all related written documents and apply the law to those facts.  It is necessary to conduct legal research; plan, develop and execute an effective litigation strategy; prepare, organize and conduct witness examinations; deliver opening statements, closing arguments, appropriate evidential objections; and express complex legal concepts and related facts in a concise manner.  All this must be done while maintaining a high-volume caseload in a professional and efficient manner and accurately notate the case management system in accordance with District 6 office policy and North Carolina State Bar file retention standards. *Salary will be determined by experience*
 

All NC Judicial Branch agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers.

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See the Education and Experience Equivalency Guide for details.

The State of North Carolina is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and dedicated to providing employees with a work environment free from all forms of unlawful employment discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The state provides reasonable accommodation to employees and applicants with disabilities; known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and for religious beliefs, observances, and practices.

HumanResources@nccourts.org