Deputy District Attorney III/IV – Domestic Violence **$7500 Sign On Incentive**
Colorado District Attorneys' Council · Denver, CO · 2 wk ago
Legal$85k–$135k/yrInternship
General Description of Job
The Deputy District Attorney I performs a variety of professional legal and docket management functions to intake and prosecute felony offenses in the 18th Judicial District. The Deputy DA I handles felony docket and is expected to first chair F4s and below. May be assigned to the following units: Appeals, District, Domestic Violence, Economic Crimes, Intake, Juvenile Crimes, Organized Crimes, and Special Victims Unit.
Duties
- Review and file felony charges, including evaluating evidence, determining appropriate charges, preparing filing documents, providing discovery, and ensuring victim notifications.
- Advise and support law enforcement on criminal law issues, warrant requirements, investigative questions, and case development.
- Assess defendants and case readiness, including reviewing criminal history, evaluating bond considerations, identifying witnesses, and preparing victims and witnesses for hearings and trial.
- Represent the prosecution at hearings, including initial advisements, bond hearings, preliminary hearings, and arraignments; establish probable cause and manage case scheduling.
- Manage plea negotiations, prepare plea paperwork, communicate plea offers, and present factual bases for court acceptance.
- Litigate felony cases at trial, including voir dire, opening statements, direct/cross examinations, objections, evidentiary presentation, jury instructions, and closing arguments.
- Research, draft, and argue motions and legal briefs for both prosecution-initiated and defense-initiated motions.
- Provide on-call legal guidance for law enforcement after hours, review and coordinate warrant approvals, and respond to crime scenes when needed.
- Prepare case-related correspondence, including exculpatory disclosures and requests for additional investigation.
- Participate in training and community outreach, including attending required CLEs, delivering internal trainings, and presenting to schools or community groups.
Requirements
- Skills, Abilities and Competencies:
- Considerable to extensive knowledge of the rules of criminal procedure and the rules of evidence; ability to effectively apply same in a docket/hearing/preliminary hearing/trial setting related to felony offenses.
- Considerable knowledge of state statutes and general knowledge of substantive case law related to felony offenses.
- Ability to advocate and/or present legal/factual scenarios in a clear and persuasive manner to persons of highly varying legal, educational, and socio-economic backgrounds.
- Ability to effectively process and dispose of felony criminal case filings while maintaining a balance of equal justice between victims, the People of the State of Colorado, and affected defendants.
- Ability to assess cases for strengths versus weaknesses and aggravators versus mitigators to determine just and ethical dispositions that are within policies promulgated by the District Attorney.
- Ability to react quickly and appropriately in court to defense objections, oral motions, court inquiries and rulings, and presentations/responses from defense attorneys and witnesses.
- Ability to write in a succinct and well-reasoned manner.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with superiors, co-workers, defense attorneys, victims, judges, court staff, police officers, witnesses, related agencies’ personnel, and the general public.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with same.
- Behavioral Competencies (these are required for all positions at ACG): Accountability, Accessibility, Inclusivity, Integrity
- Education and Experience:
- Graduation from law school as provided under Rule 205.1 of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure.
- 3 + years litigation experience or 1 year County Court (misdemeanor) Deputy DA experience.
- Licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado.
- Any equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience that satisfy the requirements of the job may be considered at the discretion of the District Attorney.
- Pre-Employment Additional Requirements:
- Must successfully pass pre-employment testing which includes an acceptable motor vehicle record (MVR) and background check.
- Possession of a valid Class “R” Colorado Driver’s License or the ability to obtain one within two weeks of appointment.
- Security clearance required: will require fingerprinting and a Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) background check.
- Licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado.