Assistant Defender – Juvenile Lifer Unit (Limited Term)

Qualifications •       Must be admitted to the Michigan Bar. •       Must demonstrate commitment to indigent defense, public service, and racial equity. •       Must have excellent legal research and writing skills. •       Experience in death penalty phase or juvenile lifer resentencing hearings preferred. •       Experience in both trial and appellate courts preferred. •       Experience negotiating with prosecutors, preparing mitigation for clients, working with expert witnesses, and preparing experts for testimony preferred. •       Must have the desire and ability to investigate and litigate novel areas of law. •       Must have the ability to work with individuals who have been incarcerated since childhood. •       Must demonstrate an understanding of the need to acquire and practice cultural competency and humility. •       Attorneys with significant criminal trial experience are encouraged to apply. Benefits •       Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance •       401k plan with up to 9% employer contribution (partial vesting begins in 2 years) •       13 paid holidays •       Paid sick time and paid parental leave •       Long-term disability insurance •       Flexible work hours •       Hybrid work environment •       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 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 by November 23, 2025, to hr@sado.org and include “JLU Assistant Defender 2025-23” in the subject line.