Chief Public Defender - Fifth Judicial District

Salary : $194,000.00 - $221,955.00 Annually
Location : Mankato, MN
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 01975
Department: Fifth Judicial District
Division: Mankato Office
Opening Date: 09/25/2026
Closing Date: 11/20/2026 4:00 PM Central

Application Requirements

ATTACH COVER LETTER AND RESUME

The Chief District Public Defender is responsible for the administration of public defender services in the district, consistent with standards adopted by the State Board of Public Defense and the policies and procedures adopted by the State Public Defender. The Fifth Judicial District Chief Public Defender supervises a staff of 56 including 38 attorneys. The Chief Public Defender is responsible for providing service in 15 southwestern Minnesota counties with 17 judges. The district opens approximately 6,500 cases yearly with an annual district budget of $8.4 million. The district office is Mankato, MN with satellite offices in Fairmont, Marshall, and Worthington.

Chief public defenders are appointed to four year terms. The current term of the Fifth District Chief Public Defender position expires December 31, 2029.
Definition/Summary of Duties

Under general direction and approval of the Board of Public Defense, and the State Public Defender; the Chief District Public Defender is responsible for:

• The supervision and administration of district employees and offices;
• Hiring, disciplining or the termination of employees under her/his supervision;
• Supervises and evaluates the work of attorneys and support personnel;
• Receives and responds to inquiries from the public concerning the activities of the District Public Defender Office and its employees;
• Receives and responds to complaints from clients and makes decisions on resolution of complaints;
• Assigns cases to insure an even distribution of the workload;
• Works to resolve court scheduling issues and conflict assignments;
• Interviews, trains, mentors and evaluates assigned employees;
• Maintains liaison with court administration, judges and other court personnel;
• Undertakes related additional duties and assignments as required by the Board of Public Defense or State Public Defender;
• Coordinates with other Chief District Public Defenders, Administrative Services Office and State Public Defender on policy issues and activities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge:

• Considerable knowledge of legal and policy issues affecting public defenders and their clients, on both state and national levels.
• Considerable knowledge of management and operations of public defense programs.
• Considerable knowledge of legislative processes that affect criminal and juvenile law, and affect public defense agencies in Minnesota.

Skills:

• Substantial demonstrated skills in representation of indigent adult and juvenile defendants.
• Substantial demonstrated skills in public speaking and media relations.
• Considerable skills related to governmental agency management.

Abilities:

• Considerable ability to supervise attorneys and support staff;
• Considerable ability to establish effective working relationships with court personnel;
• Considerable ability to plan and evaluate public defender programs and service-delivery strategies;
• Considerable ability to work well with people from diverse racial, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualifications:

• Admission to the Bar of the State of Minnesota AND
• Five years' experience as a practicing attorney in the area of criminal law. Prior administrative experience.

The State of Minnesota offers benefits through the State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP). Benefits-eligible employees are entitled to the following insurance and pre-tax benefits:
Full time employee and part time employee benefits:
Medical insurance
Single coverage as low as $38.50 a month

Family coverage $262.66 a month
Dental insurance
Single coverage as low as $13.50 a month

Family coverage $55.40 a month
Basic Life insurance
6 week paid Parental Leave (eligible after 1 year of employment)
Retirement Savings
11 paid holidays
2 Floating holidayVacation and sick time along with leave of absence programs
Employee Assistance Program
Optional benefits:
Additional Life insurance for yourself, spouse and children
Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
Short and long-term disability insurance
Metro Pass
Deferred Compensation plan
Pre-tax expense accounts: dependent care account, medical and dental, transit expense
01

What experience do you have working with a diverse community in either volunteer or paid positions? List organizations and job duties.
02

What have you done in your life so far that demonstrates a commitment to public service?
03

Describe your knowledge of the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
04

Describe your familiarity with the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and any experience you have with the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines.
05

Describe your experience supervising employees, including the number of staff you supervised.
06

Describe any experience you have working with other agencies (probation, prosecutor, law enforcement, court administration) in the development and implementation of policy, procedures and practices.
07

What is your view of the role of public defense in the justice system and how did you arrive at that view?
08

Why do you think you would make a good State Public Defender?
09

Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics or unprofessional conduct by any court administrative agency, bar association, or other professional group? If so, please provide additional details.
10

Describe any achievements, actions, or accomplishments that demonstrate your commitment to indigent defense work.
11

If you have published any legal books or articles, please list them and include citations.
12

List any legal or civic honors, prizes, or awards you have received.
13

Describe your work with budgets, accounts payable, payroll.
14

Describe the experience you have working with clients with a psychological, psychiatric and chemical dependency diagnosis.
15

Describe your experience with interviewing another person to obtain information.
16

Describe your experience working with co-counsel/defense team.
Required Question