Wayne County's Indigent Defense Services Department (IDSD) is developing a staff of dedicated professionals who are committed to excellence in criminal defense representation at the trial court level, and equal access to justice. The IDSD launched in August of 2020 with the hiring of its Director. The IDSD is state-funded through annual grants from the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC). The IDSD is responsible for the entire indigent defense system in Wayne County. Third Circuit Court, Michigan's largest trial court handles more than 15,000 assignments of counsel in felony cases that originate in the county's numerous district courts. Approximately 65% of the assignments were handled by more than 200 private assigned counsel who were qualified by the IDSD Attorney Assignment Committee to handle cases in four Tiers, or categories, of cases. The remaining 35% of assignments went to the Neighborhood Defender Service Detroit (NDSD), Wayne County's public defender vendor.
Working under the supervision of the Assigned Counsel Administrator, the Assignment Coordinator will facilitate assignment of counsel in felony cases and facilitate access to resources needed by counsel to effectively represent clients after case assignment, including discovery, location of clients, jail visits, investigator and expert services, training, service voucher review, and legal research.
Required Tasks
- Policy and Procedure Development - Assists in the development, training and implementation of IDSD policies and procedures related to the assignment and payment of felony indigent defense counsel, ensuring alignment with Wayne County's MIDC compliance efforts.
- Technology Management - Oversees procedure and uses technology to process attorney assignments, from case initiation to attorney acceptance, and replacements as requests are received from the Third Circuit Court and all district and municipal courts within Wayne County.
- Case Review and Assignment - Reviews and analyzes each indigent person's case to facilitate the assignment of counsel, ensuring urgency and consistency of counsel in assignments, while promoting fiscal economy.
- Counsel Coordination - Manages and coordinates the daily provision of house counsel, police lineup attorneys, spot and emergency counsel.
- Voucher Processing - Conducts preliminary reviews and analyses of attorney vendor vouchers for accuracy and reasonableness.
Additional Tasks
- Develops and implements IDSD policies and procedures for the assignment of felony counsel function.
- Works with IDSD staff and system stakeholders to develop an effective case management system.
- Ensures accuracy of the roster of attorneys qualified to accept assignments.
- Works with the IDSD and Third Circuit Court staff to facilitate compliance with MIDC standards and Wayne County's annual compliance plans.
- Tracks Third Circuit felony cases for planning and MIDC reporting purposes.
- Tracks Third Circuit attorney assignments for planning and MIDC reporting purposes.
- Reviews and processes appointment of counsel requests within a case management system or other comparable source.
- Reviews and verifies service voucher requests.
- Tracks and verifies MIDC Standard 2 initial client interview in order to evaluate local system's compliance with the approved standard.
- Provides information and assistance to IDSD personnel, judges and court staff, attorneys, and defendants.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Educational/Experience Requirements
- A Bachelor's Degree in in criminal justice, public administration, business, accounting or a degree in a related field; OR
- An Associate's Degree in criminal justice, public administration, business, accounting or a degree in a related field and 2 years of administrative experience; OR
- Certification as a Paralegal, or Legal Assistant, is desirable.
- A high school diploma or equivalent (G.E.D.) and 5 years of administrative experience; AND
- 7 or more years of experience in a court or other legal setting is preferred. Prior experience in the criminal justice system, knowledge of MIDC Standards, Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), Tyler Technology products (Odyssey), and JIS is preferred. Experience in an electronic environment is required.
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