Description

About the Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD)
We are an independent judicial branch agency mandated to implement the constitutional and statutory guarantees of counsel and to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of indigent defense services funded by the state.
 
Mission: Upholding the rights of all people who are facing the loss of liberty or family by providing statewide leadership, administration, and support to the multidisciplinary public defense profession.

Vision: Public defense clients, everywhere in the state, receive truly equitable and client-centered representation from fully supported professionals.

Values:  Justice  *  Service  *   Equity  *   Excellence  
 
We administer a variety of programs, including systemic improvement programs and programs providing direct representation. To learn about OPD’s programs click here. We are dedicated to excellence in public law and indigent defense, and we seek talented candidates who share this commitment to client-centered service. We value employees who bring diverse backgrounds in education, employment, community activities, and life experiences to enhance our office. 

The Appellate and Post-Conviction Unit

The Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD) is charged with recruiting and supporting contract attorneys who represent clients in appellate and post-conviction proceedings at the WA Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Additionally, OPD has limited funding to assist certain individuals file their first, timely personal restraint petition. To fulfill these duties, OPD is required to provide technical assistance, training, and resources to its contract attorneys to ensure the highest level of representation. To accomplish this, OPD is intent on developing its internal capacity to design and deliver this support. Critical to this will be the Appellate Resource Attorney.

The Position

The Appellate Resource Attorney is a managing attorney position who provides support for contract attorneys through a variety of methods to include case staffing and consultation, training development and delivery, monitoring contractor performance, and engaging with stakeholders to identify methods to improve contractor performance. The Appellate Resource Attorney will report to the Appellate Program Supervisor. This is a new position, and represents OPD’s commitment to grow and develop its Appellate Program to better assist and support contract attorneys to improve upon client-centered representation. 

This recruitment is open until the position is filled.