We are looking for a criminal defense lawyer or a law student planning to take the July bar exam who is committed to the mission of providing exemplary representation for people accused of crimes. This Public Defenders office is located in Aroostook County, Maine, which is the northern most County in Maine on the border of Canada. Aroostook County’s location, geography, and lack of community resources can make representation in this area especially challenging but also means that a strong public defender office is more important than ever to ensure that clients’ rights are protected. You would be part of a team of attorneys, investigators, and support staff who work together to provide representation where the need is the greatest.
This is also a unique opportunity to join a public defender office that is part of a larger movement in Maine to transform indigent defense and improve a fundamentally broken system. The Aroostook County office was the second brick and mortar public defender office to open in Maine, and the work done in this office is teaching attorneys across the State that a group of people working together to change the system is able to make significant changes and hold the system accountable in a way that a fractured system of individual attorneys will never be able to. We hope that by continuing to recruit and train talented and committed public defenders, our office will not only be able to provide quality representation on an individual basis but shift the quality of representation across the entire state. If that type of change excites you, we hope you will join us in this effort!
Expected start date and training: An already licensed attorney would be expected to start ASAP. A graduating law student would be expected to start within a reasonable time after taking the July bar exam, with the exact date TBD. Prior to receiving bar results, you would do a combination of training and paralegal level work in the office. The office currently has 3 assistant defenders and a District Defender. You would report to the District Defender, but all experiences defenders would assist with training and provide mentorship. There are also state-wide trainings opportunities and opportunities to train with other public defenders in the state.
This position is salaried with full State of Maine benefits.