Assistant Public Defender
Job Location:
Oakland, CA - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted online.
THE DEPARTMENT
For additional info please visit: Alameda County Public Defenders
IDEAL CANDIDATE
- Demonstrated expertise and knowledge of the philosophy and practice of public defense laws ethics and polices of the Public Defenders Office and scope and character of California Statutory and constitutional law;
- Demonstrated expertise in the preparation and arguing of difficult and complex cases where the Death Penalty will be sought;
- Dedicated team member that works cooperatively with others and strives to accomplish established work goals;
- Outstanding organizational skills with the demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple on-going cases for staff and self;
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to communicate with diverse individuals and proven experience in delivering legal arguments that are effective in both written and oral form;
- Proven ability to defend complex felony cases including homicides during pre-trial and jury trial level utilizing advanced litigation techniques; effectively make appropriate trial objections and motions; and knowledge in addressing difficult sentencing issues;
- The ability to remain flexible open and positive while handling needs of clients and demands of the Court; and
- A proven supervisory experience with the responsibility for training guiding and evaluating the work of Assistant Public Defenders Deputy Public Defenders and Associate Public Defenders.
2. Valid California motor vehicle operators license.
EXPERIENCE:
Either
Or
Knowledge of:
- Philosophy and practice of public defense in the United States.
- Law ethics and policies governing the Public Defenders office.
- Principles of training and supervision.
- Legal principles and procedures followed in the processing of criminal cases.
- Scope and character of California statutory and constitutional law.
- Principles of public administration and personnel management.
- Legal source materials.
Abilities:
- Assist in the training and supervision of personnel in the Public Defenders Office.
- Legal preparation in difficult and complex matters.
- Analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action.
- Gather analyze and apply legal data and evidence.
- Present legal arguments effectively in oral and written form.
- Inspire confidence in clients and work effectively with colleagues and representatives of other agencies.
- Decision making.
- Interpersonal sensitivity.
- Flexibility.
- Performance in a stressful environment.
- Defend felony cases at the pretrial and jury trial level including advanced litigation techniques and preservation of the trial record by making timely and appropriate trial objections and motions and demonstrated knowledge of and facility in addressing difficult sentencing issues.
- Assist in the planning organization and supervision of the Public Defenders Office.
- Represent the department in disciplinary proceedings.
- Understand the problems of court administration and work with the courts so clients do not suffer through poor administration in represented cases.
- Supervise and/or conduct the evaluation of the performance of professional staff including Assistant Public Defenders Deputy Public Defenders and Associate Public Defenders.
- Assume management of the Office of the Public Defender in emergency situations.
- Represent the Public Defenders Department in meetings with other County departments and agencies outside agencies and the County Board of Supervisors.
The examination will consist of the following steps
- A review of applicants application to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.
- A review of candidates Supplemental Questionnaires to determine the best qualified. Those candidates considered the best qualified will move on to the final step in the examination process.
- An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidates final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS.
Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position in which case the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.
To learn more about our recruitment and selection process please visit the What You Need to Know section of our website AND SELECTION PLAN Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates aretentativeand subject to change based on the needs of the Agency. Deadline for Filing: 5:00:00 PM Friday August 21 2026 Review of Minimum Qualifications: Thursday August 27 2026 Civil Service Oral Examination: Week of October 12 2026 Alameda County and the HumanResource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examinationand/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilitiesand/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the California FairEmployment and Housing Act (FEHA) the federal Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) and Alameda Countys Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicablestatutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical conditionduring this or other phases of the examination/selection process pleasecontact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the jobannouncement no later than the recruitment filing deadline.If this is a continuous open recruitment without a filing deadline pleasecontact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the jobannouncement within ten (10) business days of submitting yourapplication. Unless your disability is readily apparent (forexample you use a wheelchair and need wheelchair-accessible spaces) AlamedaCounty requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiatea request for reasonable order to qualify for a reasonableaccommodation applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant tothe ADA FEHA and applicable statutes. For more informationregarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures please visit ourwebsite . The County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many employee discount fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing. These benefits include but are not limited to*: For your Health & Well-Being For your Financial Future For your Work/Life Balance *Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement. This provides a summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change. **Employees in management-designated classifications may be entitled to management paid leave. Refer to the applicable MOU or Salary Ordinance for more information. All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @ @ and as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the My applications button on the Current Job Openings page. All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency. Equal Employment Opportunity Alameda County has a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit competence performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race color religion sex (including pregnancy and gender identity) national origin political affiliation sexual orientation marital status disability genetic information age membership in an employee organization retaliation parental status military service or other non-merit factors protected under federal state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace environment.TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT PLAN: Screening for the Best-Qualified: Week of September 28 2026 TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN: Departmental Hiring Interviews: November 2026
Human Resource Services County of Alameda
Email:
Service Worker
Required Experience:
Junior IC
About Company
Just east of San Francisco Bay lies Alameda county. The county, which is governed by a five-member board of supervisors, includes the major cities of Hayward, Oakland, San Leandro, and Livermore. Fifty county departments handle services like behavioral health care, emergency medical, ... View more
