Careers & Internships
Handling more than 35,000 cases each year requires a diverse team that brings together attorneys, investigators, and legal assistants. Our office recruits nationally and locally with one goal in mind: providing high-quality representation to our clients.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Seventh Circuit Office of the Public Defender provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, age, national origin or ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process. You can request reasonable accommodations by calling 386-239-7730.
The Office of the Public Defender 7th Judicial Circuit is a non-tobacco and drug free workplace. Telework policy
Assistant Public Defender
Position Type: Full Time
We are seeking qualified Assistant Public Defender applicants. The Law Offices of the Public Defender, 7th Judicial Circuit interviews candidates for open and anticipated future Assistant Public Defender positions throughout the year.
If you are a dedicated service-minded attorney and sincerely interested in providing the best possible legal representation for our clients, we are seeking you! All of our attorneys are urged to become involved in service to the community and participate in pro bono projects throughout the year. In addition, training and development opportunities abound! We constantly strive to provide our attorney staff with stimulating training and mentoring opportunities.
A Florida Bar license is required to be hired in the Assistant Public Defender role. In addition to current Florida Bar members, we will interview applicants who are awaiting admission to the Florida Bar, as well as applicants who are registered to take the next available Florida Bar examination.
Applicants should attach an updated resume that indicates whether or not they are a current member of the Florida Bar. If not currently a member of the Florida Bar, applicants should detail the anticipated date that they will take, or have taken, the Florida Bar examination and indicate if they are a current Certified Legal Intern.
Applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter outlining relevant experience and detailing their interest in the office of the Public Defender and submit it, along with a resume and employment application to Administrative Director Robert Ryan
Legal Assistant
An employee in this position is responsible for performing a variety of secretarial duties for an attorney requiring independent judgement, knowledge of laws and regulations, including making decisions in accordance with policies and procedures. Duties cover all facets of the Criminal Justice System.
Minimum Training and Experience
A standard high school diploma or equivalency and two (2) years of legal assistant experience or an equivalent combination of both can be substituted for required experience.
Applicants are encouraged to submit a resume and cover letter along with the employment application to Administrative Director Robert Ryan.
Internships
Through internship, aspiring Assistant Public Defenders can sharpen their skills and advance their professional development while working cases in one of the nation’s most challenging criminal justice systems.
Internships – Generally
The Public Defender’s Office offers select internship opportunities for law students. Law students are afforded invaluable experience working alongside skilled and dedicated Assistant Public Defenders. The intern selection process is highly competitive.
Regrettably, due to high demand for internships from law students, lack of adequate supervisory resources and space, we do not offer internships to undergraduate or high school students, nor do we provide “shadowing” opportunities.
Certified Legal Interns
The certified legal internship is limited to students who have completed at least two years of law school and meet certification requirements set by the Supreme Court of Florida
Interns are certified by Florida’s Supreme Court to represent our clients under the direct supervision of an attorney (Assistant Public Defender) approved to perform that important function.
Law students interested in pursuing a career in public defense after graduation should get certified as soon as they can. It would be ideal to complete a certified internship with our office in the summer after your 2L year of law school or the fall semester of your 3L year.
Certified legal interns are assigned to our felony, misdemeanor or juvenile divisions. These interns work closely with an experienced Assistant Public Defender who acts as their mentor. They do everything Assistant Public Defenders do, such as conduct client interviews, take depositions, engage in motion practice, handle daily court hearings and try cases. The program is designed to be litigation intensive. Our certified legal interns are not assigned to endless memorandum writing in the library.
Students interested in participating in our internship program can email their resume and statement of interest to Chief Assistant Public Defender Larry Avallone
“If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have a moral obligation to do something about it.”