Assistant Defender

Expires: 2025-08-10

Organization

Michigan State Appellate Defender (SADO)

Salary

$77,193 - $144,865

Job Status

temporary

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Detroit

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 $77,193 – $144,865, depending on experience.

This is a full-time temporary position with funding guaranteed through September 30, 2025. Continuation of this position after September 30 depends on state budget allocation and staffing needs.

The Assistant Defender position may work in SADO’s Detroit or Lansing offices. Both locations offer a variety of amenities and life experiences, ranging from the vibrant music and food scenes in Detroit, to Big Ten sports and ready access to miles of river trail in Lansing. SADO offers a hybrid work environment that mixes in-office and remote work to offer flexibility and support to staff.

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 through motion practice novel issues of law.
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.

Requirements

Must be admitted to the Michigan Bar or eligible for immediate transfer.
Must demonstrate commitment to indigent defense, public service, and racial equity.
Must have excellent legal research and writing skills.
Litigation 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.

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 May 25, 2025, to hr@sado.org and include “Job ID 2025-09” in the subject line.

Job Contact

Janet Boswell

313.256.9833 hr@sado.org