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HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO

SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER

Hamilton County, Ohio is seeking an experienced attorney to fill the position of Chief Public Defender. The successful candidate will serve under the direction of the current Chief Public Defender with the assistance of the Deputy Public Defender from date of hire, and then assume the role of Chief Public Defender on July 1, 2026

All interested candidates should submit a resume and letter of application on or before May 1, 2024, to:

Hamilton County Public Defender Commission

C/o Andrew Lanser

230 E 9th Street, 2nd Floor

Cincinnati, OH 45202

Hamilton County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Job Description

• Deliver high quality, effective, and zealous advocacy on behalf of the clients served by the Office.
• Address and work to eliminate racial disparity and bias in the criminal justice system.
• Promote and support high standards in individual advocacy on behalf of clients.
• Advocate for the public defense function within the relevant governance structure to secure necessary funding, staffing, resources (including operations and technology), and organizational independence.
• Prepare and administer the annual budget for the office; control budget expenditures to meet budget goals and requirements.
• Develop partnerships, affiliations and working agreements with organizations to provide resources to further the mission of the Office.
• Establish a strategic plan which identifies long term goals, develop practices and procedures to advance the plan, create metrics for the measurement of progress of the plan, and to regularly evaluate those metrics and provide progress reports to the Commission on advancing strategic goals.
• To build and maintain an Office which provides an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation, teamwork and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
• Build coalitions both internally and with other organizations to achieve common goals.
• Develop, implement, and maintain performance measures and evaluate results on a yearly basis for all staff and for attorneys or contractors engaged outside of the Office.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a method to gain information from clients served and employees leaving the office for purposes of improving the workplace, conditions, and methods of providing service. Create a plan to take the information gathered and incorporate it into practices and procedures of the Office.
• Take direction from the Public Defender Commission
• Maintain an effective working relationship with the Public Defender Commission
• Maintain effective working relationships with clients, employees of the Office, outside agencies, County department heads, County Commissioners, outside organizations, bar associations, media, and public.
• Demonstrated management skills involving both legal and administrative matters in an agency, law firm, or other organization.
• Ability to work with legal and policy professionals to evaluate and develop program objectives, guidance, and services.
• Excellent legal writing and persuasive writing skills that demonstrate clear and concise analysis.
• Significant experience formulating and implementing policies dealing with delivery of legal services to the poor.
• Experience designing and implementing strategies that maximize employee potential and foster high ethical standards in meeting the organization’s vision, mission, and goals.

Appointment : Pursuant to ORC chapter 120 the Hamilton County Public Defender Commission appoints the Chief Public Defender.

Salary: Range of Salary is $130,000 to $162,653 based on experience, salary history, and Ohio Revised Code.

Required Qualifications: Must be a lawyer in good standing with all the licensing authorities in all jurisdictions, and a practicing attorney for at least 10 years with significant experience in criminal defense. At the time of assuming the role as Chief Public Defender, the lawyer must have been licensed in Ohio for at least one year.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Lead counsel in 10 criminal defense jury trials
• Demonstrated leadership in the legal community.
• Demonstrated commitment to improving the quality of representation provided to indigent clients.
• Demonstrated commitment to issues of criminal and social justice reform.
• Experience in fiscal planning, budget preparation, budget maintenance, grant application
• Experience in personnel management, public policy development, performance review
• Drafted and argued at least one appellate matter.
• Counsel in at least one capital murder case
• Experience in issue-driven litigation to advance an organization’s strategic goals.