Position Summary:
Performs professional entry-level legal work under the Student Practice Act: reviews, prepares, and prosecutes misdemeanor and traffic offenses on behalf of the People of the State of Colorado to ensure justice for victims, protect community safety, and seek fair disposition of criminal cases for all parties.
Essential Job Functions:
- Appears in court to handle hearings on advisement, first appearances, appearances of counsel, pre-trial conferences, settings, bond hearings, pleas, and sentencings; covers court appearances for other attorneys.
- Presents testimony and argument in trials and hearings.
- Prosecutes cases involving misdemeanor, traffic, and petty offenses; reviews investigative reports; requests and reviews additional information; writes charging documents; files charges; evaluates cases for strengths and weaknesses to determine appropriate outcomes.
- Confers with defense attorneys and negotiates plea agreements.
- Writes plea agreements, pleadings, motions, briefs, and related materials.
- Consults with victims regarding critical events, changes to bond conditions and mandatory protection orders, plea offers, and dispositions of cases.
- Interviews and prepares witnesses and victims.
- Confers with and advises law enforcement officers concerning charges and investigations in criminal law.
- Explains and interprets statutes and status of various cases to the general public, and determines adequacy of complaints presented by the public.
- Handles appeals of misdemeanor convictions to District Court.
Additional Responsibilities:
- Handles cases in the First Appearance Center.
- Handles on-call duties; argues bond at hearings on advisement.
- Conducts legal research.
- Conducts cost of care hearings; represents the Department of Motor Vehicles in administrative appeals to District Court; evaluates cases for possible factual innocence.
- Performs other duties as appropriate or necessary for the performance of the job.
General Requirements:
- Fills in for other staff as necessary and/or required.
- Attends meetings, classes, and trainings as required or requested by supervisor.
- Encouraged to recommend changes to improve procedures that would result in efficiencies, cost savings, and safety.
- Communicates actively, clearly, and regularly with supervisor and co-workers on all work-related topics.
- Understands, observes, enforces, and complies with all Governmental, Pueblo County and Departmental policies, procedures, and protocols when performing job duties.
- Possess excellent oral and written skills to communicate effectively.
- Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with Pueblo County employees from same or different departments/offices, entities, vendors, members of the community and all customers.
- Effectively manages multiple projects at once.
- Effectively deals with stressful situations.
- Easily adapts to sudden and unexpected changes in work assignments.
Education:
Current attendance, and completion of a minimum of two (2 years) of legal studies, at an ABA accredited law school and ability to be qualified to practice under the Student Practice Act prior to starting. See C.R.C.P. Rule 205.7
Special Requirements:
Must successfully pass background check.