Associate Attorney - Public Defender

Associate Attorney - Public Defender

Salary

$126,713.60 - $154,024.00 Annually

Location

Shingle Springs and South Lake Tahoe, CA

Job Type

Full Time

Job Number

2605-5210PD

Department

Public Defender

Opening Date

05/27/2026

Closing Date

6/23/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Description

1.Ready to grow your career in public defense?

2.Bring your skills to a team that will help you to sharpen them.

3.Looking for meaning in your work? Youll find it here.

Join the El Dorado County Public Defender's Office.

We're hiring an Associate Attorney.

Get real courtroom experience. Make a real impact.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

"We're a small, dedicated team fighting for fairness in a justice system that isn't always fair. As an Associate Attorney in the El Dorado County Public Defender's Office, you'll get hands-on courtroom experience defending clients in misdemeanor, juvenile, and conservatorship cases. You'll grow your skills with real responsibility-and you'll never be on your own."

We are currently recruiting for the following:

• One vacancy for Associate Attorney located in Shingle Springs and South Lake Tahoe, CA

The selected candidate may be eligible for the following recruitment incentives:

• Up to $6,000 to be paid in equal installments for the first twenty-six (26) consecutive biweekly pay periods in the position.
• A fixed amount of additional vacation leave to be accrued in equal installments in each of the first twenty-six (26) consecutive biweekly pay periods of employment.
• Up to $6,000 relocation expense reimbursement for moving expenses for the candidate's household, including pets, when the candidates primary residence is more than one hundred (100) miles from the assigned work location using the shortest commonly traveled route.
• Recruitment incentive and relocation expense reimbursement eligibility and administration are subject to the County of El Dorado Personnel Rules. Current County of El Dorado Employees are not eligible to receive recruitment incentives or reimbursement.
• Employees residing in the Tahoe basin may be eligible to a Tahoe differential of up to $101.53, paid twenty-four (24) benefit pay periods and Geographical differential of up to $200.00. paid twenty-four (24) pay periods per year.

Public defense in El Dorado County means more than just a job-it's impact you can see, in a place you'll love calling home. You'll join a tight-knit team that has each other's backs, led by people who aren't afraid to step in when it counts. And when the workday ends, the mountains, lakes, and wine country are waiting.

Click here to view the minimum qualifications and full job description

El Dorado County is one of the most beautiful counties in the state of California.

You can avoid the valley commute and fog and take in the natural beauty.

Check out our video to learn more!

The County of El Dorado participates in the E-Verify program to confirm employment eligibility. If hired, the information you provide on your Form I-9 will be used to verify your authorization to work in the United States.

Learn more:

• E-Verify Notice of Participation

• Right to Work

The County of El Dorado is committed to providing a comprehensive, flexible benefits program to meet your needs!

For your Health and Well-Being:

• Medical

• Dental

• Vision

• Flexible Spending Accounts - FSA & HSA

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Basic Life Insurance

• Long Term Disability (LTD)

• County sponsored Wellness program

• Discounts on gym memberships

For your Financial Future:

• CalPERS Retirement

• Deferred Compensation (457) Plans

• Optional Life Insurance

For your Work/Life Balance:

• Paid Holidays

• Floating Holidays

• Vacation and sick leave accruals

• Management, personal and bereavement leave

Below is a comprehensive benefit summary based on full-time, regular employment for the bargaining unit to which this classification is assigned.

Revised 1/2025, valid until modified by successor MOU or negotiated agreement.

To learn more about the benefits offered by the County of El Dorado please visit our website located here.

Extra help employees are not considered regular employees, therefore do not attain civil service status, and do not receive benefits or paid leaves; however, they do accrue sick leave consistent with the law.

01

To provide us with an opportunity to evaluate your background, responses to the Supplemental Questions are required in addition to your application. Supplemental questions play an important role in this recruitment process. Please take the time to provide thoughtful and thorough responses. The information you provide may be used to determine if you continue in the selection process and your ranking on the eligible list. All work experience described or included in your response(s) MUST be included in your applications "Work Experience" section. Do not refer to a resume or other documentation. Additionally, ensure that your responses are your own and not generated by artificial intelligence (AI) or other automated tools, as this may result in disqualification from the recruitment.

• I acknowledge receipt of this information

02

Please provide your California State Bar Association license number and issue date.

03

How many full years of post-bar professional legal experience do you have as a licensed attorney?

• Fewer than 5 years of experience
• 5-7 years of experience, consider applying to the Deputy Attorney recruitment for Public Defender.
• 8 or more years of experience, consider applying to the Sr. Attorney recruitment for Public Defender.
• None

04

Please describe in detail the time you have spent in the full-time practice of criminal defense (e.g., Public Defenders Office or criminal defense firm or partnership.) If you have no full-time experience in this area, please type N/A.

05

If you have not worked full-time in the practice of criminal defense, describe in detail any other experience you have in criminal law (e.g., part-time work, District Attorneys Office, or similar experience). If you have no experience in this area, please type N/A.

06

Do you have any experience as a law clerk, intern, or Certified Law Student in a public defenders office?

07

If your answer to the above is yes, please describe what your position was, what job duties you performed (contested hearings, research, court appearances), the length of your experience, and who your supervisor(s) were. If you have no experience, please type N/A

Required Question

Employer The County of El Dorado

Address 330 Fair Lane

Placerville, California, 95667

Phone 530-621-5565

Website https://www.eldoradocounty.ca.gov