County Attorney 2

Tacoma, WA, United States

Salary: $97,273.73 - $131,302.01 Annually

Location : Tacoma, WA

Job Type: Regular - Other

Job Number: 24-00010

Department: Assigned Counsel

Division: Department of Assigned Counsel

Opening Date: 01/01/2024

Description

Rates posted are upon budget approval for 2024.

Position Summary

Why It's a Great Opportunity: This is a great opportunity to work on complex cases including Adult Felony Class B, C, and occasional Class A Felonies, all Juvenile Delinquency cases, and Dependency/Termination of Parental Rights proceedings. You may also be assigned to act as a senior litigator in DAC's Adult Misdemeanor Division. You will help define and maintain current standards of professional behavior and continually examine DAC's work environment to improve operations and protocols. You may also be called upon to represent DAC externally to the justice system and public.

Some of the projects you may support include:

*APPR Project

*Issues related to State v. Blake

*Juvenile Re-sentencing matters including LWOP matters

*Trueblood issues

Why It's a Great Department: The Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel (DAC) provides professional high-quality legal representation to individuals in a variety of settings. The DAC is responsible for the delivery of mandated legal services to indigent persons accused of crimes in the Pierce County Superior Court; Pierce County District Courts; Municipal Courts in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Fircrest, Ruston and Pierce County Juvenile Court delinquency proceedings. DAC also provides constitutionally mandated legal services to indigent parents and children involved in Juvenile Court dependency and termination proceedings and to persons detained for involuntary civil commitment proceedings at Western State Hospital and other evaluation and treatment facilities.

Please see the DAC'sfor our diverse list of services provided.

How to be Successful in the Role: To succeed in this role, you must have strong interpersonal skills, excellent research and writing skills, a demonstrated commitment to social justice, and provide quality legal representation and zealous advocacy to indigent clients at all stages of legal proceedings for all case types referenced above.

You must also be a self-motivated, serious professional, who understands and has demonstrated superior competence in representation obligations pursuant to Indigent Defense Standards. You will also need to be visible and available to staff.

Your Future in this Role: In this role you will further develop your leadership, be challenged on a daily basis and help define processes and protocols.

Core Daily Responsibilities:

Maintain a high-volume case load and prepare appropriate written correspondence for litigation. May provide direction to coordinate the activities of internal and external support staff. Exercise considerable independent judgment, initiative resourcefulness in adapting policies and precedents to complex situations or to select a proper course of action. Act as mentor to County Attorneys 1 by actively conveying skills and knowledge. Accept appointments to provide representation in more complex case settings. Consult with staff within the Division for legal and strategic advice.

A complete list of duties can be found in the classification description

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

Graduation from an accredited law school AND Member of the Washington State Bar Association (in good standing) Three or more years of legal experience in indigent defense. Willingness to accept appointment as co-counsel to more/most complex adult felony cases. Submit a resume, a substantive cover letter with notable accomplishments, and an original writing sample.

Special Requirements:

As a condition of employment, the applicant will need to authorize and complete a background check. Information received from the background check is reviewed case-by-case and will not necessarily remove an applicant from consideration. A valid Washington State Driver's License is required.

Supplemental Information

To be considered for this opportunity please:

Complete and submit an online Pierce County Employment Application by selecting "APPLY" above or go to: If you do not have internet access, you may visit your local public library or any WorkSource location and use their computers. Individuals needing accommodation in the application, testing process or need this job announcement in an alternative format may call Human Resources at (253) 798-7480, at least two days prior to the need. If you have a question about this opportunity, please email the Recruitment Team at and specify the Job Number and Title.

This is a competitive selection process. Your application form will be reviewed and evaluated for the quality and quantity of education/experience in the areas listed. Applicants whose qualifications most closely correspond to the County's needs will be eligible for further consideration. Notification of application status normally occurs 4 to 6 weeks after the closing date. Short notice may be given to applicants to participate in further selection processes which may include written, oral and performance examinations, and final interviews.

At Pierce County, diversity, equity, and inclusion means commitment, not a single step. We strive to foster an inclusive environment that supports equitable access to opportunities throughout your career. We want to recruit, develop, and maintain a talented workforce from various backgrounds, cultures, lifestyles, and perspectives, committed to our vision. Employees of the County have local, direct, and visible impact in our diverse community. Will you join us in keeping Pierce County a great place to live, work, and raise a family?

Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Pierce County offers a competitive benefits package that offers flexibility and peace of mind. We are proud to offer Employee Resource Groups, a focus on professional development in our , and a County Book Club.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career and that your priority is making sure that you and your family maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of and , , staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Our benefits:

Vacation (Annual Leave)

After approximately six months, employees receive six days of vacation leave.

Since we value your experience, the amount of vacation you can accrue increases the longer you work with us. Vacation accrues on a bi-weekly basis for full-time employees as follows:

Vacation Accruals:

During years 1-3, 12 Days

During years 4-7, 16 Days

During years 8-13, 20 Days

During years 14-18, 23 Days

During years 19, 24 Days

During years 20, 25 Days

During years 21, 26 Days

During years 22, 27 Days

During years 23, 28 Days

During years 24, 29 Days

During years 25 & thereafter, 30 Days

A maximum of 45 days may be carried from one year into the next.

Pro-Rated for Part-Time based on % of 1.0 FTE.

Military Leave:

Pierce County has a proud history of supporting the armed forces and provides members of the armed forces with up to 21 days paid military leave per state fiscal year.

Holidays:

Some full-time employees are entitled to eleven paid holidays as follows:

New Year's Day - January 1

Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday - Third Monday in January

President's Day - Third Monday in February

Memorial Day - Last Monday in May

Juneteenth - June 19

Independence Day - July 4

Labor Day - First Monday in September

Veteran's Day - November 11

Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November & Friday after

Christmas Day - December 25

Personal Holidays:

Regular full-time and regular part-time employees, and employees occupying limited duration positions, shall also receive two additional paid personal holidays. Paid personal holidays shall only accrue for those employees on County payroll as of January 1 of each year or the first work day following January 1 and must be taken during the calendar year in which it was accrued.

Furlough:

Some Pierce County employees may be designated to receive 10 "furlough" days per year in lieu of holidays. Furlough days are available for use on January 1 and must be scheduled and taken within the calendar year. Employees who leave employment with Pierce County must reimburse the employer for used furlough days based upon the number of remaining holidays.

Sick Leave:

Sick leave accrues on a bi-weekly basis, at the rate of one day per month.

Insurance Benefits:

Employees and families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with very affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout Pierce County. Employees are eligible to enroll each year in a flexible spending plan, which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care and dependent care expenses. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in supplemental life and long term disability insurance plans. To view premium rates, summary of benefit coverage, and other information, please visit the website.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation:

Pierce County employees are members of the State of Washington's Department of Retirement System (DRS) and depending on the position or previous DRS enrollment will be able to enroll in one of many programs DRS offers. For additional information, check out the web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Nationwide Deferred Compensation Plan. This is a supplemental retirement savings program that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

Social Security:

All Pierce County employees are covered by the federal Social Security and Medicare systems. The county and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.

Miscellaneous Benefits:

Please visit website for more information.

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This position requires you to submit a resume, a substantive letter of interest, and an original writing sample. Did you attach all documents? Yes

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