Senior Deputy Public Defender

About Our Job

What We Offer  

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The starting pay range is $131,770 - $160,000 a year. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but is not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service 
• 457B Retirement Plan 
• 132 hours of PTO earned within first year
• 11 Paid Holidays per year, plus 1 personal holiday, and 8 hours of Denver Good Deeds volunteer time
• Education Refund Program (ERP) - a chance for the city to support your continued learning and career growth by investing in your future with the city
• Care Bank – 8 weeks of Paid Family Leave (after the probation period is passed)
• Free RTD Eco Pass
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date 

Location & Schedule

In this position you will work on site at the Office of the Municipal Public Defender, at: 710 W Colfax, Denver CO 80204. This position will be 100% onsite from 8:00AM – 5:00PM with flexible work hours as needed.

Who We Are

The Office of the Municipal Public Defender has been in existence since January 1, 2015, and is overseen by the City's Chief Municipal Public Defender. The creation of this office ensures that the City and County of Denver is on the same level with other progressive municipalities providing quality in-house Public Defense services for indigent citizens in the City and County of Denver. The Municipal Public Defender's Office provides legal services to the indigent accused of Denver County who are facing the possibility of jail for traffic offenses, municipal ordinance violations, and specialty courts. We are excited to invite applications for our Legal Administrative Assistant opening.

What You’ll Do

We appreciate your interest and are excited for the opportunity to build a strong team of Public Defenders for the City and County of Denver. 

As a Senior Deputy Public Defender, you will represent defendants in municipal ordinance and traffic cases of increasing complexity and may participate on problem-solving court teams.

Additionally, you can expect to:

• Provide legal representation, advice and consultation to defendants assigned to the Municipal Public Defender's Office.
• Provide representation in all phases of litigation from arraignment, through plea negotiation to trial and appeals. 
• Provide representation at competency hearings.
• Prepare pleadings and documents, motions, orders.
• Perform legal research and writing of appeals.
• Interview defendants and witnesses at court, in the office and in detention facilities and to gather information in preparation for trial.
• Make motions for continuances, constitutional issues, reduction of bail, and new trials.
• Represent clients in problem-solving courts and advocate for client at problem-solving team meetings.
• Assist Chief Municipal Public Defender or less experienced Public Defenders with more complex cases.
• Perform legal research and assist other attorneys with research of more complex legal problems.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Bring

Our ideal candidate will have/be: 

• Experience within the Denver County Court System
• Minimum two years of courtroom litigation experience with first chair jury trial experience

Required Minimum Qualifications

We realize your time is valuable so please do not apply if you do not have at least the following required minimum qualifications:

• Education requirement: Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree
• Experience requirement: Three (3) years practicing criminal law
• Education & Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted
• Licensure & Certification: Possession of a license to practice law in Colorado from the Colorado Supreme Court by the date of hire or a reasonable expectation of becoming licensed by the Colorado Supreme Court by the date of hire in accordance with C.R.C.P. 203.2, 203.3, 203.4 and 205.6. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment. Requires a valid driver's license at the time of application or the ability to obtain transportation to jail or prison facilities in surrounding area.

Required Documents

In order to be considered, please include the following on your job application (upload the attachment(s) to the Resume/CV section on the My Experience tab): 

• Resume - required
• Cover letter - required

• Please provide a summary of your experience in a lead or supervisor role - required

Application Deadline 

This position is expected to stay open until Sunday, December 28, 2025. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than December 28, 2025 at 11:59PM.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CL3218 Deputy Public Defender Senior

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$131,770.00 - $224,009.00

Target Pay

$131,770.00 - $160,000.00/year, based on experience

Agency

Office of Municipal Public Defender

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.