Assistant Appellate Defender

Applicants must either be current members of the Michigan Bar, eligible to waive into the bar, or eligible to sit for the February or July 2026 bar exam. Applicants must have a commitment to indigent defense, public service, and racial equity. Skills in legal research and writing, client communication, and oral advocacy are required. Ability to manage competing deadlines, under time constraints is required. Benefits State employee benefits are comprehensive and include:

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• 401k plan with up to a 9% employer contribution (partial vesting begins at 2 years)
• 13 paid holidays
• 3 weeks of paid vacation in year one
• Paid sick time and, for eligible employees, paid parental leave
• Long-term disability insurance
• Flexible work hours
• Hybrid work environment (remote/office)
• Casual dress as appropriate
• Paid training opportunities
• Annual pay increases up to the maximum of the pay range with satisfactory performance

SADO employees are members of the UAW Local 2200. To Apply Submit a cover letter stating your interest in the position. Include your resume and a redacted writing sample. Writing Sample Special Instructions:  As part of its commitment to diversity in the workplace and its goal to prevent hiring bias, we ask that applicants submit redacted writing samples, which will be reviewed without access to applicant information and scored based on objective criteria. Your name, address, work affiliation, and other identifiers should be redacted from your writing sample.  Files should be named generically, and your name should not be a part of the filename.  For example, you can name the file WS1.pdf or WritingSample.pdf. Applications should be emailed to hr@sado.org and include “Assistant Appellate Defender 2025-13” in the subject line. SADO is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  A felony conviction does not prohibit employment at SADO. If you have questions about this application or are unable to send application materials electronically, please contact Human Resources at 313-420-2942 for assistance.