Salary : $88,358.40 - $147,264.00 Annually
Location : Gallup, NM
Job Type: Career Appointment, Full-Time
Job Number:Unit: 11th District-McKinley-Gallup
Division: 11th District-McKinley-Gallup
Opening Date: 06/16/2026
Closing Date: 7/19/2026 11:59 PM Mountain
Objectives Summary The objective summary of this job classification is to provide professional legal services representing juvenile and adult indigent clients, handle highly complex appeals or serve as lead counsel for serious violent felony or appeals and other highly complex litigation cases.
Pay Information***This position qualifies for an additional hourly pay differential of $3.80 hourly / $7,904.00 annually.Hourly pay differential reflects geographical and retention pay incentives, as applicable to the position advertised.***For more information about living in Gallup, New Mexico,
Our department offers flexible work opportunities, including teleworking (a.k.a. working from home) and work schedules outside the typical 8 am to 5 pm schedule. Applicants selected for a position are encouraged to discuss these options with the hiring manager early in the hiring process to ensure the specifics of any terms and conditions of an approved flexible work arrangement are clearly understood.
Essential Functions Public Defender 5:
- Positions at this level handle all levels of criminal cases and legal matters including the most complex felonies, including high profile cases, such as capital cases.
- Can act with independence with little guidance.
- Has acquired sufficient knowledge and experience to handle an appellate caseload.
- Has knowledge and experience to prepare appellate briefs and argue cases before the Court of Appeals and for Supreme Court.
- Incumbents in positions at this level are recognized as an expert in one or more areas of criminal law.
- Positions at this level may also provide supervision from a lead work perspective to attorneys at lower levels and conduct in-house training for attorneys.
- Works independently and is able to recognize and resolve complex issues related to the caseload.
- Provide input to the performance review and development of attorneys at lower levels.
- Provides key input into the development of policies and procedures for the assigned organization unit and/or program.
- Trains, coordinates and advises less experienced public defender attorneys to include co-counseling.
- Conducts legal research/analysis of laws, precedents, legal issues, procedural rules, in preparation of cases.
- Reviews and investigates client cases to determine legal position and propose legal strategy.
- Prepares for litigation and appeal through initiation of legal documents, review of case information, obtaining evidence, conducting interviews, preparation of witnesses to testify.
- Researches changes in laws, legislation, rules court decisions, case precedents, to determine/ anticipate legal problems and propose resolutions.
- Drafts/reviews, proposes and prepares reports, memoranda in opposition, briefs, legal documents, motions, correspondence, and appeals for clients.
- Counsels and advises clients on cases such as pleadings, arraignments, trials, appeals.
- Represents the client in legal matters, such as motions, hearings, litigation and appeals.
- Explains, interprets and keeps client informed on changes in law, court decisions, legal issues and problems.
- Attends seminars, training classes and reviews current professional literature to maintain and develop professional skill and knowledge.
- Conducts plea bargaining with District Attorneys and other parties to establish agreements to resolve cases.
- Follows through on case by ensuring client release, client payments.
- Performs related work as required.
- Depending on location: may assist with (CLIP) program or coordinate volunteer/intern/extern programs.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Note: An employee with this classification may be required to perform at a PD5 level or duties of a lower classification without additional compensation. Employee will be required to show competence in all levels PD2 through PD5. Minimum Qualifications Current license as an attorney issued by the New Mexico Supreme Court or eligible for limited license issued by New Mexico Supreme Court and four (4) years of criminal law experience as a practicing attorney.
Employment Requirements Must possess and maintain a valid driver's License.
Employment eligibility to work with the Law Offices of the Public Defender (LOPD) in the U.S. is required. We are not able to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa.
Collective Bargaining: This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement and all terms/conditions of that agreement apply and must be adhered to.
Default FLSA: Exempt
Geographic Pay Differential: This position may qualify for Geographic Pay Differential. Please refer to the , Geographic Differential, for more information.
This job advertisement may be used to fill multiple vacancies
Preference may be given to multilingual applicants fluent in English and other languages.
The State's General Services Department Risk Management Division, Employee Benefits Bureau (EBB), is responsible for the procurement and oversight of employee benefits - including Medical, Pharmacy, Dental, Vision, Short & Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance. The State's Group Benefits Plan also offers COBRA, Flexible Spending Account Programs, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Erisa Administrative Services, Inc. (Erisa) is the State's Third Party Administrator. They provide benefits administration to all plan participants, and offer knowledgeable staff to answer your questions. To learn more about the benefits available please
In addition to the benefits listed above, the Law Offices of The Public Defender offers a retirement plan and a medical program for retirees. For more information regarding the plan you can visit the following websites:
Total Compensation Package As an employee of the Law Offices of the Public Defender (LOPD), you receive regular pay for your services. The other part of your total compensation is the value of the benefits LOPD makes available to you and, if applicable, your family. The Total Compensation Estimator is for illustrative purposes only and provides benefits-eligible employees an estimate of their total compensation based on selected options from the drop-downs in the estimator.
- Please to download the Total Compensation Estimator on our , Join Our Team section.
This estimator is not a legal document. All benefits are governed by the actual benefit plans, which have precedence over the information reported in this calculator. Rates are not guaranteed and may change annually based on legislative decisions. If you have any questions about this estimator, don't hesitate to get in touch with Human Resources at
01
PD5 Q:1
Which of the following do you possess:
- Current licensure as an attorney by the Supreme Court of New Mexico and at least four (4) years of experience as a practicing attorney.
- Current license in good standing from another state and eligible to apply for public employee limited license pursuant to Rule 15-304 NMRA and at least four (4) years of experience as a practicing attorney.
- None of the above
02
PD5 Q:2How many total years of experience as a practicing attorney do you have documented in the Work Experience section of your application?PLEASE NOTE: If the years of experience that you indicate below cannot be found in the Work Experience section of this application, your application may not be eligible for further consideration. It is recommended that you attach documents that support your work experience at this time. If you are attempting to attach documents, but are unable to, you should email
[email protected]. with the documents and your contact information. Or, if selected for an interview, you should bring the documents to your interview.
- 15+ years of experience
- 14 years of experience
- 13 years of experience
- 12 years of experience
- 11 years of experience
- 10 years of experience
- 9 years of experience
- 8 years of experience
- 7 years of experience
- 6 years of experience
- 5 years of experience
- 4 years of experience
- 3 years of experience
- 2 years of experience
- 1 year of experience
- Less than 1 year of experience
- None
03
PD5 Q:3
Please provide licensure details below for all states in which you are licensed or have been licensed to practice law including license number, location issued, expiration date and status.PLEASE NOTE: if this information is not provided, your application may not be recognized as being qualified for this position. It is recommended that you attach documents that support your licensure details (as requested above) at this time. If you are attempting to attach the documents to support the details of your licensure, but are unable to, you should email
[email protected] with the attachments and your contact information. Or, if selected for an interview, you should bring the documents to your interview.
04
CDA Q:4
How many total years of experience in Criminal Litigation experience do you have documented in the Work Experience section of your application?PLEASE NOTE: If the years of experience that you indicate below cannot be found in the Work Experience section of this application, your application may not be eligible for further consideration. It is recommended that you attach documents that support your work experience at this time. If you are attempting to attach documents, but are unable to, you should email
[email protected]. with the documents and your contact information. Or, if selected for an interview, you should bring the documents to your interview.
- 15+ years of experience
- 14 years of experience
- 13 years of experience
- 12 years of experience
- 11 years of experience
- 10 years of experience
- 9 years of experience
- 8 years of experience
- 7 years of experience
- 6 years of experience
- 5 years of experience
- 4 years of experience
- 3 years of experience
- 2 years of experience
- 1 year of experience
- Less than 1 year of experience
- None
05
PD5 Q:5
Have you completed a minimum of ten (10) felony level jury trials to include at least one (1) serious violent offense jury trial?
06
Briefly describe when and how you obtained this experience. Please note if you answered "No" to the previous question, type "n/a" as your response to this question.
07
PD5 Q:7
Do you have trial experience as a public defender?
08
Briefly describe when and how you obtained this experience. Please note if you answered "No" to the previous question, type "n/a" as your response to this question.
09
PD5 Q:9How many felony level trials have you completed?
- Zero (0)
- One (1)
- Two to Four (2-4)
- Five to Ten (5-10)
- Eleven (11) or more
10
Briefly describe when and how you obtained this experience. Please note if you answered "No" to the previous question, type "n/a" as your response to this question.
11
PD5 Q:11
Do you have at least four (4) years experience with felony trials?
12
Briefly describe when and how you obtained this experience. Please note if you answered "No" to the previous question, type "n/a" as your response to this question.
13
PD5 Q:13
Do you have experience working with marginalized populations such as indigent individuals, immigrants, and those living in homelessness or with mental health and/or substance abuse issues?
14
Briefly describe when and how you obtained this experience. Please note if you answered "No" to the previous question, type "n/a" as your response to this question.
15
Please choose the level that best describes your fluency in any language(s) other than English. I understand that I may be asked to certify my language proficiency upon hire and that I may be required to provide translation services if selected for this job.
- Advanced
- Intermediate
- Beginner
- Not Familiar
16
If you chose Beginner or above in the previous question, please identify in the text box what language(s) you are fluent in. Note: If you selected Not F
