PDS Overview: The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) is a federally funded, independent organization governed by an eleven-member Board of Trustees. PDS provides legal representation to individuals who are facing a loss of liberty in criminal, delinquency, and mental health legal matters in the local District of Columbia legal system but who are financially unable to obtain adequate representation. PDS’s approximately 200 attorneys, social workers, investigators, and administrative and technical staff collaborate with each other to advance the PDS mission. PDS’s main office is located at 633 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. District of Columbia residency is not a requirement for employment. PDS is funded by federal appropriations, and all employees are entitled to participate in the federal health and life insurance plans, the federal retirement plans, and the Thrift Savings Plan. Transferring employees will receive recognition of creditable federal service for leave accrual and retirement purposes. Employment at the Public Defender Service is neither federal nor District of Columbia government employment, and all employees are at-will.

Division Description: The Community Defender Division (CDD) currently provides its services through two specialized programs – the Prisoner & Reentry Legal Services (PRLS) program for adult clients and the Juvenile Services Program (JSP) for juvenile clients.  CDD is located in PDS’s satellite office in Southeast D.C.


PRLS represents newly released individuals and others with criminal records, assisting them as they reintegrate into the community at various stages of a criminal case.  The program’s goal is to empower people with criminal records to successfully transition back into their communities and resume their lives by removing the innumerable barriers caused by criminal legal system involvement.  In addition, PRLS serves as the PDS liaison to individuals convicted of District of Columbia Code offenses and serving sentences in the District of Columbia Department of Corrections and Federal Bureau of Prisons. We provide representation in administrative hearings, information on institutional policies and procedures to protect clients’ rights, to advocate for their conditions of incarceration, and to provide representation, consultation, and guidance on parole and other sentence reduction relief and reentry-related legal matters. Further, PRLS engages with the community, offering know-your-rights programs, legal clinics, workshops, and other educational opportunities for people with criminal records and community members and organizations who serve them.


JSP staffs offices in each of D.C.’s youth detention facilities.  JSP represents youth at administrative due process hearings, provides in-person legal consultations for youth at the District’s youth detention centers and works with community organizations to develop reentry programs that address the special needs of children, teenagers, and young adults. JSP serves as a legal ombudsman for youth in the facilities and also represents youth in the post-commitment phase of juvenile cases.


Please visit the CDD’s page on the PDS website for more information about CDD’s legal services, advocacy, and community engagement.

Position Summary: The incumbent is under the supervision of the Chief of the Community Defender Division and is an integral part of the division’s intake operations, serving a primary role in receiving and processing intake from varied sources, including telephone calls, walk-ins, USPS mail, email, and inter-divisional referrals. The incumbent is also responsible for receiving and directing persons who call or visit the Community Defender Division, and giving them information concerning the functions, programs, activities, operations and personnel of the division and the larger organization. Further, the incumbent provides support to the CDD Office Manager, Deputy Chief for the Prisoner & Reentry Services Program, the Deputy Chief for the Juvenile Service Program, and the division staff to meet the mission and goals of the division and its programs.

1. Serves as the Legal Intake Specialist for the Community Defender Division satellite office; responsible for providing information in response to inquiries concerning the identification, location, and general responsibilities of the division, including its functions, programs, activities, operations, and staff.


2. Receives all duty day calls from clients seeking legal assistance or information concerning their cases; determines the purpose of their calls and identifies their needs for assistance; determines the appropriate CDD program or individual staff person involved in the case; enters duty day calls in the PDS case management system including demographic information and reasons for seeking assistance from CDD; and refers them to the appropriate program or staff person.


3. Receives and sorts for distribution all incoming mail and packages, including FedEx and courier mail; maintains CDD Mail Protocol, including scanning and tracking via the case management system and collaborating with the CDD Paralegal Specialist and Office Manager to formulate responses; mails letters and other correspondence on behalf of division staff.


4. Receives all walk-in visitors to our satellite office, directs visitors to appropriate meeting spaces or individuals for meetings, and refers those seeking legal assistance to the duty day attorney for consultation; maintains records of visitors and inquiry tallies via the PDS electronic case management system and physical filing system.


5. Prepares case assignments via the case management system and physical files for attorneys upon approval of CDD Chief and/or Deputy Chiefs.


6. Performs general office work to support the work of CDD staff, including but not limited to printing and copying documents.


7. Archives cases and division records in accordance with PDS archiving protocol, including data entry and tracking via the case management system, and preparation of the physical files for transport and storage.


8. Participates in and provides administrative support for the frequent community engagement events that CDD sponsors, co-hosts with community-based organizations, and attends community events.


9. Performs other duties as assigned.

• This vacancy is open only to U.S. Citizens or those authorized to work in the United States as of the opening date listed on this vacancy announcement.
• High school diploma or equivalent.

Highly Desirable Qualifications:
• At least one year of general clerical experience after the completion of high school. (College education may be substituted for general experience on the basis of one academic year equals nine months of experience.)
• Paralegal certification.
• Demonstrated, highly effective oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated, superb customer service skills.
• Knowledge of and skill in applying basic business office rules, procedures, and operations sufficient to perform a full-range of support tasks within a legal office environment.
• Knowledge of the District of Columbia legal system, including familiarity with the D.C. Court and supervision agencies.
• Experience working in a legal office.
• Experience working for a community-based organization serving people involved in the criminal and/or juvenile legal systems.
• Expressed and/or demonstrated interest and commitment to serving people living with a D.C. criminal and/or juvenile record.
• Expressed and/or demonstrated interest in and commitment to serving people living in
institutions and people living in the community.
• Expressed and/or demonstrated interest in and commitment to serving people at community events.
• Accurate typing skills, basic data entry skills, and knowledge of MS Office Suites.
• Spanish fluency (reading and writing).

How you will be evaluated: Your application package includes your letter of interest, résumé and requested supporting documents. Please ensure your application package includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position, including noting each of the highly desirable qualifications you might possess. Failure to provide sufficient evidence in your application package and requested supporting documents can result in a rejection of your application package.

 

All application materials become property of PDS and will not be returned. For questions or concerns regarding this vacancy announcement or hiring process, please contact HR Specialist Brigette Carrington at (202) 824-2237 or via the email address listed above.

 

Rating: Your application package will be rated and ranked among other applicants, based on your experience, education, training, performance appraisals, and awards relevant to the duties of this position. Your rating can be lowered if your application package is not supported by the requested documents.


Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application package will be referred to a hiring manager for consideration at which time you may be invited to participate in a selection interview.


Interview Structure: Those who are selected for interviews will be invited to interview in-person at CDD’s office.  If circumstances prevent a candidate from appearing in person arrangements will be made to interview via Cisco Webex.

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Open to US Citizens or persons authorized to work in the United States

You must provide a complete application package which includes: (1) a cover letter as noted above; (2) a resume, including email address; (3) copy of unofficial college transcript (if claiming at least an Associate’s Degree) and/or paralegal certification upon application; and (4) a list of three references that include name, address, telephone number, and a statement of how each reference is able to evaluate your skills to HR Specialist, Brigette Carrington, Office of Human Resources Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, Job Announcement PDS #2023-TBD, 633 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 as MS Word or PDF document to the following email address: [email protected]. The vacancy announcement # and the title of the vacancy MUST APPEAR on the subject line of the email. If applicable, copies of official college transcripts will be required if selected for the position. 


If you have any questions about the position, application, hiring process or require a reasonable accommodation during any part of the application process, please contact Brigette Carrington, HR Specialist at (202) 824-2237 or email [email protected].