Join SADO’s Juvenile Lifer Unit as an Assistant Defender and participate in the rewarding mission of representing people serving unconstitutional life without parole sentences. The position begins as soon as possible, and the salary for this position ranges from $79,511 – $149,208, depending on experience.
This is a full-time, limited-term position with funding allocated through September 30, 2026. Continuation of this position beyond that date is contingent on future budget allocations.
SADO’s Juvenile Lifer Unit seeks motivated and qualified applicants to work with incarcerated clients who are newly eligible for resentencing hearings under the Michigan Supreme Court’s April 2025 landmark rulings in People v Czarnecki and People v Taylor. Approximately 580 people in Michigan’s prisons who were once sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for homicide offenses that occurred when they were 19 or 20 years old now have an opportunity to demonstrate their capacity for change and readiness to come home. Additionally, the Juvenile Lifer Unit provides representation to those who were aged 18 at the time of offense and who are also eligible for resentencing. The Juvenile Lifer Unit is hiring 3 Assistant Defenders for this work.
In 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles committing homicide offenses are unconstitutional. Michigan had one of the highest populations of “juvenile lifers” in the country, and the Assistant Defender works collaboratively in teams to investigate, mitigate, and litigate the contested resentencings of these clients. In 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court extended that protection to those 18 at the time of the homicide offense, leading to eligibility for resentencing for almost 300 additional people. Now, in 2025, this resentencing relief has been extended to people who were 19 and 20 at the time of the offense, leading to eligibility for resentencing for almost 580 additional people
For this type of litigation, the successful applicant must be able to:
• Develop meaningful relationships of trust with clients, family members, and others.
• Frequently visit with clients housed in prison facilities throughout the state.
• Develop mitigation evidence and social histories through record retrieval and review, and interviews with clients and others. Attorneys will work with other members of a team, which could include second-chair counsel, an investigator, and a mitigation specialist or social worker.
• Review trial transcripts and appellate decisions of each client’s case.
• Identify and litigate novel issues of law and procedure.
• Select and manage expert witnesses and consultants as needed.
• Engage in persistent negotiations with prosecutors on a case-by-case basis.
• Conduct hearings in trial courts throughout Michigan.
• In conjunction with SADO’s Project Reentry, develop reentry plans for clients.