Mitigation Advancement Program Staff Attorney
About the role
The Capital Area Private Defender Service (CAPDS) Mitigation Advancement Program is a statewide resource for attorneys representing indigent defendants in non-death penalty murder cases. The program is funded through a generous grant from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission and provides multiple resources including one-on-one consultation and training and CLE trainings. The program is working on launching a website with resources and creating a manual. The program is also conducting a study to demonstrate that mitigation works in non-death penalty murder cases and determine whether a centralized mitigation resource is helpful to indigent defense attorneys. The initial grant award is for three years. The Mitigation Advancement Program uses an approach consistent with United States Supreme Court precedent in Wiggins v. Smith and its progeny. The Mitigation Advancement Program is part of the CAPDS Post-Conviction Division. In 2026 the State Bar of Texas honored the CAPDS Post-Conviction Division with the first Jeff Blackburn Award for innovation in indigent defense. For more information, please visit www.mitigationadvancement.org.
The Mitigation Advancement Program is seeking a mid-level staff attorney to work with attorneys who request assistance from the program to develop and execute a plan for mitigation investigation and presentation in murder cases.
Responsibilities
- Work with attorneys who request assistance from the program to develop and execute a plan for mitigation investigation and presentation in murder cases.
- Assist with the organization of annual and monthly training sessions.
- Be primarily responsible for the creation of a manual, pleading databank, and other resources.
- Act as a thought partner and help develop other resources as appropriate.
- Assist with the collection and organization of data for the research component of the project and co-author reports about the project.
- The position can be hybrid or remote.
- The staff attorney can live anywhere in Texas.
- This position will require some travel within the state.