CHIEF DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER

Salary: $66.58 - $104.23 Hourly
Location : Clark County - Las Vegas, NV
Job Type: PERMANENT
Job Number: 30233X
Department: Special Public Defender
Opening Date: 06/02/2026
Closing Date: Continuous

The Clark County Public Defender and Special Public Defender's Office are seeking qualified candidates for the Chief Deputy Public Defender position. This position provides a wide variety of highly complex and specialized professional legal services, including handling the most complex cases, major criminal, capital murder, and other high-profile cases, and/or serve as Team Chief providing supervision of a unit of attorneys and other legal support staff in the Office of the Public Defender or Special Public Defender.

Public Defender: Chief Deputy Public Defenders assigned to the Public Defender's Office will provide dedicated and zealous representation to indigent members of our community and will work within a team of professionals to craft the best possible defenses to a variety of criminal charges, including felonies, misdemeanors, and juvenile court cases. Deputy Public Defenders interview, advise, and represent clients, structure and direct investigations, prepare trials, pleadings, and motions, and try cases before courts and juries.

Special Public Defender: Chief Deputy Public Defenders assigned to the Special Public Defender's Office will be involved in working in a collaborative team environment to provide zealous and effective legal representation to individuals charged with Category A felonies, such as capital murder, murder, and sexual assault. The position includes handling both trial and appellate work, requiring strong litigation, research, and writing skills. It may also include serving as a Team Chief, with responsibility for supervising and supporting a team of attorneys and support staff.

THE SALARY FOR THIS RECRUITMENT HAS BEEN CHANGED AND IS NOW REFLECTED IN THE JOB ANNOUNCEMENT.

This is an open and continuous recruitment, scheduling dates will vary depending on when the application was received and reviewed by Human Resources.

Human Resources reserves the right to call only the most qualified applicants to the selection process.
Some positions may be confidential positions and are excluded from membership in the union.

Some positions may be non-union positions and are excluded from membership in the union.

NOTE: A resume is required in addition to the completed employment application. Applications submitted without a copy of the candidate's resume are incomplete and will not be considered.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience: Possession of a certificate of admission to the Bar of the State of Nevada and eligibility to practice law before the courts of the State of Nevada, AND eight (8) years of experience in professional legal work, including four (4) years as a practicing attorney, OR five (5) years of professional legal experience as a Deputy Public Defender in the Public Defender's or Special Public Defender's Offices of Clark County.

All qualifying education and each experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application. Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see attached resume" on your application. All details must be written in your own words and cannot be copied from job descriptions or other external sources.Background Investigation: Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation. Periodically after employment background investigations may be conducted.
Citizenship: Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Please note, Clark County does not provide H1B visa sponsorships or transfers for any employment positions.

Pre-Employment Drug Testing: Employment is contingent upon the results of a pre-employment drug examination.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Plans, directs, coordinates, and reviews work of subordinate staff in the preparation of cases for hearings and/or trial; assures appropriate handling of cases and the provision of quality professional legal services.
• Supervises new attorneys; provides for appropriate training of attorneys; assigns cases; reviews cases and settlement offers; evaluates staff performance.
• Provides assistance and advice to other attorneys with regard to issues in specified areas of expertise.
• Oversees cases and attorneys assigned to a team or unit; supervises and reviews the preparation and presentation of the Defense case in criminal, juvenile and dependency actions; counsels colleagues on legal strategies and legal issues; conducts preliminary evaluation of the case.
• Personally directs and/or handles the investigation and defense of family defense cases or difficult felony cases involving multiple defendants and multiple charges, capital murder cases, sensitive juvenile, dependency and other high profile cases having serious consequences of error or a high degree of public interest.
• Negotiates with the prosecution regarding the disposition of cases or modification of charges; performs specialized legal research and litigation in unique and/or complex areas of law. Interprets and applies laws, court decisions and legal points and authorities for use in the preparation of cases, opinions and briefs.
• Dictates legal instruments, correspondence and reports.
• Contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of the unit's service to its customers by offering suggestions and directing or participating as an active member of a work team.
• Maintains accurate records and files; prepares a variety of records and reports as assigned.
• Uses standard office equipment, including a computer in the performance of the work.
• May drive a personal or County vehicle in the course of the work or be capable of arranging for transportation to off-site locations in order to attend meetings and conduct other legal business.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Mobility to work in a typical office setting and use standard office equipment, vision to read printed materials and a computer screen, and hearing and speech to communicate in person or over the telephone. Stand for prolonged periods of time. Speak in a clear and comprehensible manner. Hear and respond to questions posed. Accommodation may be made for some of these physical demands for otherwise qualified individuals who require and request such accommodation.
Come Make a Difference and Join the Clark County Family where we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Flexible Schedules including 4/10 options
• More Money in Your Pocket
  • 100% Employer Paid Defined Benefit Retirement
  • No Social Security Deduction
  • No State Income Taxes
• Two Employer Sponsored Health Plans Offered - Choice of PPO or EPO (hybrid of HMO)
  • - Employer pays 90% of premium
    • Pharmacy Benefits (30, 90-day retail or mail order fills)
    • 24/7 Telephone Advice Nurse - no employee cost
    • Teledoc, Doctoroo, and Dispatch Health
• Retiree insurance - eligible after 5 years of service
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance - Employer Paid
• AD&D - Employer Paid
• Long Term Disability - Employer Paid
• Generous Leave Accruals that include:
  • 13 Paid Holidays including a Floating Birthday Holiday
  • Paid Vacation Leave
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Holiday Leave
• Other leave options
  • Catastrophic Leave
  • Parental Leave - Up to 90 days
• Wide Variety of Voluntary Benefits that include
  • Guardian - Accident, Cancer, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Short-Term Disability Insurance.
  • Trustmark - Permanent Life Insurance benefits and long-term care.
  • Sunlife Financial - Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance, AD&D, and long-term disability insurance
  • TASC - Flexible Spending Account - FSA & Dependent Day Care Debit Card Available
  • Morgan Stanley - Deferred Compensation Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Onsite Fitness Center - $12/month

*Benefits vary and are subject to change depending on assignment, hiring organization and bargaining unit.
01

In order to be considered for this position, you must include a resume in addition to the application. Applications submitted without a resume will be considered incomplete. Resumes may be attached to the online application or emailed to ashley.gonzalez@clarkcountynv.gov All application materials must be received by the closing date/time on the posting announcement.

• I understand I must include a resume in addition to the completed application in order to be considered for this position. I further understand these must be submitted by the closing date listed on the posting announcement.

02

In order to be considered for this position, you must establish a principal place of residency within the boundaries of Clark County within 90 calendar days of employment and maintain that residence while employed with Clark County.

• I understand that I must establish a principal place of residency within the boundaries of Clark County within 90 calendar days of my first day of employment and maintain that residence while employed with Clark County

03

The following questions 3 - 11 will be used to assist in determining if candidates meet the minimum qualifications. Please note that part-time experience must be prorated and credited as half of full-time experience (i.e., if you performed the task for two years in a part-time position, 20 hours per week, you can only credit yourself with one year of experience in that area).
Which best describes your level of education? (Applicants with foreign or international education, including full degrees, partial degrees, or individual credits, must obtain a professional credential evaluation from an accredited evaluation agency. The evaluation must verify the U.S. educational equivalency and, if the applicant is offered a position, an original and verifiable copy must be submitted to Clark County at the candidate's expense.)

• Some High School
• High School Diploma or GED
• Trade School or Technical Degree
• Some College (1-29 semester credits)
• Some College (30-59 semester credits)
• Some College (60-89 semester credits)
• Some College (90-120+ semester credits)
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree or higher
• Juris Doctor
• None of the above

04

Do you currently possess a certificate of admission to the Bar of the State of Nevada?

• Yes
• No

05

Are you eligible to practice law before the courts of the State of Nevada?

• Yes
• No

06

Indicate your full-time experience in professional legal work.

• No Experience
• Less than 8 years
• 8 to 10 years
• 8 to 12 years
• More than 12 years

07

Please list all employer(s) and each job title on your application where your experience was obtained in question 6. The template provided below must be completed in its entirety or the application will be considered incomplete and not eligible to move forward in the process. Type N/A if you have no related experience (see template below). Do not list "see attached resume"

Employer Name:
Job Title:
Hours Worked Per Week:
Dates of Employment:

08

Indicate your full-time professional experience as a practicing attorney.

• No Experience
• Less than 4 years
• 4 to 5 years
• 5 to 6 years
• More than 6 years

09

Please list all employer(s) and each job title on your application where your experience was obtained in question 8. The template provided below must be completed in its entirety or the application will be considered incomplete and not eligible to move forward in the process. Type N/A if you have no related experience (see template below). Do not list "see attached resume"

Employer Name:
Job Title:
Hours Worked Per Week:
Dates of Employment:

10

Indicate your full-time professional experience as a Deputy Public Defender in the Public Defender's or Special Public Defender's Offices of Clark County.

• No Experience
• Less than 5 years
• 5 to 6 years
• 6 to 7 years
• More than 7 years

11

Please list all employer(s) and each job title on your application where your experience was obtained in question 10. The template provided below must be completed in its entirety or the application will be considered incomplete and not eligible to move forward in the process. Type N/A if you have no related experience (see template below). Do not list "see attached resume"

Employer Name:
Job Title:
Hours Worked Per Week:
Dates of Employment:

12

The following skills assessment is a self-assessment used to evaluate an applicant's training and experience.
I understand that:
A) Part-time experience must be prorated and credited as half of full-time experience (i.e., if you performed the task for two years in a part-time position, 20 hours per week, you can only credit yourself with one year of experience in that area)
B) The education, knowledge, and experience levels indicated by my skills assessment responses must be supported and clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of my application;
C) Any falsification or misrepresentation of the information listed on the employment application or skills assessment may result in removal from the eligibility list or rescinding a job offer;
D) Responses to assessment questions that are not supported and clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections on the application may result in question scores being adjusted to receive zero points;
E) Assessment scores may be used to consider applicants for the selection process;
F) I further understand that since exam scores will be automatically generated based on the applicant's response to each item in the assessment, score appeals will not be allowed for this recruitment.