Public Defender Investigator (District 18 – Orange County)

Expires: 2024-10-23

Organization

North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services

Salary

$50,696.00 - $76,754.00 Annually

Job Status

Full Time

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Hillsborough, NC

The Office of the Public Defender, District 18, seeks a qualified individual to investigate all areas of serious misdemeanor and felony indigent defendants’ cases that have been assigned by the courts to the Public Defender’s Office.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

Investigate serious misdemeanor and felony cases to collect information used to verify evidence or to substantiate innocence.
Visit clients in jail to conduct initial interviews, and when indicated, consider the appropriateness of and expedition of bond reduction.
Determine what facts, opinions, or background information witnesses have that is relevant to the case and prepare a written report, and/or evaluate information with the assigned attorney.
Photograph, measure, and draw the crime scene to scale to determine its relationship to the physical evidence.
Arrange defense expert witnesses, review experts’ credentials, evaluate their potential effectiveness with the jury, and coordinate delivery of evidence to experts.
Research criminal histories of defendants, witnesses, and potential jurors.
Ensure appearance of witnesses at time of trial and assist in witness preparation.
Assist counsel with facts of the case during trial.
Assist with discovery review including organization and summarization of materials.
Gather mitigation information and assist attorneys with preparation of reports.
Proficiency in the use of case maps.
Conduct special investigations as directed.

Applications must be submitted via the online portal for consideration. Deadline to apply is 8/5/24 at 5:00pm EDT.

Requirements

Knowledge of: criminal law and the local court system; evidence collection, investigation, and identification techniques and procedures; and information sources and the ability to extract information from those sources.
Skill in: computers and word processing to prepare reports, motions, orders, subpoenas, and other legal documents; and effectively communicate with people of diverse backgrounds both orally and in writing.
Ability to: plan and organize an effective approach to the investigation of complex cases and to independently develop leads; schedule work to achieve results on time; prepare clients, their families, and witnesses for court; work irregular hours in conducting investigations; make pertinent observations and to analyze those observations with the charges in a given case; and inspire the confidence of the community in the public defender's office.

Valid North Carolina driver's license required. Minimum Education and Experience Requirements Graduation from a four year college or university, preferably in the field of law, criminal justice, psychology, or sociology, and one (1) year of experience in legal, judicial, law enforcement or investigative work. An associate degree with three (3) years of experience in the above mentioned fields may substitute for the four year college degree requirement. Other combinations of education and experience that provide the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered. Management prefers applicants with an investigator's license (NC Justice Academy Criminal Investigative Certificate or private protective services license).

Job Contact

Becky Whitaker

9193547241 rebecca.b.whitaker2@nccourts.org