Assists a supervisor by performing professional legal work related to the representation of indigent clients and juveniles in cases where the local Public Defender has been appointed as counsel and provides training, guidance, and direction to staff assigned in local Public Defender offices; performs related work as required.
Responsibilities:
Participates in the investigation and preparation of a defense for complex adult and juvenile offender cases to obtain facts in determining the merits of cases and appropriate courses of action.
Prepares drafts of pleadings, motions, interrogations, supporting affidavits, letters, opinions, and briefs.
Advocates the most complex cases at every stage of the criminal justice system through resolution in the pre-trial process, plea bargaining process, trial, verdict, and sentencing by: providing legal counsel and advice; interviewing and selecting appropriate witnesses, preparing them to give testimony; and conducting direct and cross examination of witnesses.
Negotiates plea bargains, dismissals, or other dispositions of assigned cases with prosecuting attorneys or other interested parties.
Trains less-experienced Public Defenders in the principles of trial advocacy and pleading, trial and criminal procedures, the concept of legal precedence, and the rules of evidence as they apply to legal advocacy.
What We Offer
When you join the SPD, you become a part of a strong team culture that is committed to serving the community. In addition to providing a respect for work-life balance, we have a competitive total compensation package for all of our full-time employees, including:
Robust benefits, including excellent health, dental, life and vision insurance.
Generous paid time off, including vacation, paid holidays, and sick leave accrual.
Opportunities for professional development.
Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care.
Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) Retirement Package.
Retirement Investors Club (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan).
Employee Assistance Program for support when you need it most.
Employee Discount Programs from a variety of vendors (vision, cellular, fitness, and more)
Access to an on-site employee fitness center (6200 Park Avenue location only).
For additional information on benefits click here.
E-Verify and Right to Work The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.
Embark on a rewarding career dedicated to public service and make a difference with us!
Closing Date: 6/24/2026 11:59 PM Central
Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:
Graduation from an accredited law school, possession of a current license to practice law in the State of Iowa, and experience equal to five years of full?time work in professional legal criminal trial advocacy or prosecution.
Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes three years of fulltime work as a Public Defender 2.
The Office of the State Public Defender is responsible for coordinating Iowa's Indigent Defense System. Our mission is to ensure that all indigent persons in Iowa are provided high quality legal representation in criminal, juvenile, and other eligible proceedings in the most efficient and fiscally responsible manner.
The office is led by the State Public Defender, who is appointed by the Governor. More than two hundred employees in eighteen Local Public Defender Offices and the Appellate Defender's Office provide representation for indigent persons primarily in criminal and juvenile cases at the trial and appellate levels in all of Iowa's 99 counties. The State Public Defender also contracts with more than one thousand private attorneys and several nonprofit organizations throughout Iowa to provide court-appointed representation in cases that public defender offices are unable to handle. These contract attorneys, as well as other indigent defense providers, such as investigators, court reporters, interpreters, and expert witnesses, are paid from the Indigent Defense Fund, which is administered by the State Public Defender.
