8177-Attorney (Civil/Criminal)

Company Description

Department: Public Defender’s Office

Job Class: 8177 Attorney

Salary Range: $153,140 - $268,320

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt

Hours: Full Time

Application Opening:  October 22, 2025

Application Deadline: November 7, 2025 by 11:45pm

The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office invites candidates to apply for trial attorney positions in its Misdemeanor and Felony Units!

What started as an office of only one attorney over 100 years ago, our Office now proudly employs over 110 dedicated and dynamic attorneys and approximately 120 integral non-attorney staff members, and provides zealous, compassionate, and client-centered legal representation to over 20,000 people per year who do not have the financial means to retain their own counsel. We aspire to provide the highest level of legal advocacy.  Our Office has been recognized state and nationwide as a model of public defense, winning awards from the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association, and the California Public Defenders Association. 

We are seeking candidates with an ardent passion for and commitment to our mission of fiercely defending individuals in criminal cases with love, compassion, courage, and excellence.  Successful candidates will have a keen interest in aggressive and skilled courtroom litigation and taking cases to trial, strong interpersonal and communication skills, and a deep empathy for our clients and their loved ones.  Our clients are uniformly low-income and are disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and therefore, a firm dedication to racial justice and using the law to fight for marginalized individuals and communities is required.

Job Description

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt (PEX) position. Individuals who are appointed to Exempt Positions are appointed at the pleasure of their appointing officer and are considered to be "at-will."

The 8177 duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job, 8177- Attorney, in our Office and are not intended to be an inclusive list:

• Fiercely and creatively represents individuals accused of crimes at all stages of criminal proceedings, including but not limited to, arraignments, pretrial motions and preliminary hearings, court and jury trials, sentencing hearings, and/or various post-conviction proceedings. 
• Meets with clients and advises them on their rights and legal proceedings, identifies and understands complex legal concepts and issues, conducts legal research, and keeps up with rapidly-evolving decisional and statutory law.
• Reviews and analyzes case discovery and other evidence and applies critical thinking skills to develop defense strategies and investigation plans and to formulate client-centered arguments and solutions.
• Prepares for and conducts trials, hearings and other legal proceedings in misdemeanor, juvenile and felony cases.
• Utilizes outstanding organizational skills to independently prioritize and manage multiple ongoing cases, communicates effectively with and inspires confidence in clients and their loved ones, and maintains an ability to work effectively under pressure, challenge, or adversity.
• Maintains effective client relationships to ensure that clients’ needs are thoroughly identified and handled in a manner consistent with the principles and practices of the Public Defender’s Office.
• Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication and advocacy skills, and connects with and works effectively on behalf of a diverse client population.
• Directs and works successfully with Public Defender staff, including investigators, paralegals, social workers, and administrative teams as required.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Qualifications

License and Certification:

Active membership in good standing with the State Bar of California.

Additional Information

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity

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