GRADUATE LEGAL ASSISTANT

at  Office of the State Public Defender

The Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) is currently seeking up to two candidates to join its dynamic team as Barry P. Helft Appellate Fellows. Ideal candidates for the Fellowship will be third-year law students. If you have a commitment to civil rights work on behalf of the most marginalized Californians, excellent writing skills, and a willingness to challenge yourself with high-level capital defense appellate work, please join us and help save lives.
Barry P. Helft worked nearly 50 years in the practice of law and spent 25 of those years at OSPD. His name is attached to this fellowship as the embodiment of the vow that OSPD lawyers make to their clients to provide the best representation available. OSPD fulfills that promise by providing the mentorship and training our attorneys need to become the best appellate litigators they can be. Barry made the same promise to each lawyer he trained: Regardless of your skill level when starting at OSPD, you will be a better lawyer when you leave than you were when you started.The goal of this fellowship is to continue to fulfill that promise to the next generation of appellate defenders.
The Barry P. Helft Fellow (Graduate Legal Assistant [GLA]) is a limited-term appointment in OSPD’s Appellate Fellowship Program. Fellows are employed at will, and the total term of employment is up to 24 months, subject to funding availability. Under direct supervision from a Supervising Deputy State Public Defender, or a designee, incumbents perform a wide variety of challenging legal work including: (1) providing high quality and effective assistance of counsel to indigent persons who are appealing their criminal convictions in the California Courts of Appeal and/or the California Supreme Court; (2) drafting amicus briefs and/or letters filed by OSPD on matters crucial to the development of criminal law as it relates to indigent defendants; (3) assisting in developing arguments in support of systemic litigation to address inequities in the criminal justice system.
Applicants must have current eligibility to take the California Bar Exam.
For more information on the Barry P. Helft Appellate Fellowship: CLICK HERE.
Please take the short recruitment survey linked below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.
Working Conditions

OSPD has two regional offices located in Oakland and Sacramento. The Oakland office is located downtown in a modern high-rise building near the 12th Street BART station, not to mention a variety of delicious restaurants. The Sacramento office is located downtown in a modern high-rise building near SacRT Light Rail stations, Downtown Commons, and plenty of shopping.

• OSPD permits full-time telework in accordance with government code 14200 for eligible applicants residing in California.
• Travel may be required up to 5%.

Business travel reimbursements consider an employee’s designated Headquarters Location and primary residence. The policy may be subject to change by the California Department of Human Resources. All commute expenses to the headquartered location will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.
Minimum Requirements
You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

Please refer the Job description for details