Salary : $88,358.40 - $169,353.60 Annually
Location : Las Cruces, NM
Job Type: Career Appointment, Full-Time
Job Number: 3394
Unit: 3rd Dist-DonaAna-LC-Fel Team A
Division: 3rd Dist-DonaAna-LC-Fel Team A
Opening Date: 08/05/2026
Closing Date: 8/30/2026 11:59 PM Mountain

Objectives Summary
The objective summary of this job classification is to direct and supervise a felony unit or an office of the Law Offices of the Public Defender in providing professional level services representing clients. To view the full Job Description for this classification,
Pay Information
***This position qualifies for an additional hourly pay differential of $3.05 hourly / $6,344.00 annually.
Hourly pay differential reflects geographical and retention pay incentives, as applicable to the position advertised.***
For more information about living in Las Cruces, NM ,
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

• Positions at this level provide supervision to attorneys at lower levels and conduct in-house training for attorneys.
• May oversee workflow and work assignments of subordinate staff.
• Maintain adequate staffing levels by closely reviewing all requests for leave.
• Provides guidance and mentoring to lower levels Attorneys and Law Clerks.
• Provide corrective action and/or directives when necessary to include but not limited to progressive disciplinary action.
• Provide reports and updates to management
• Assist in hiring new employees for the division or unit.
• Provide input to the performance review and development of attorneys at lower levels
• Incumbents in position at this level are recognized as an expert in one or more areas of criminal law.
• Positions at this level handle a variety of cases including second-degree felony cases such as violent crimes, burglaries, drug crimes, property crimes and probation violations with limited supervision.
• May handle more complex level felonies, or first-degree cases with some guidance/direction from a higher-level attorney/managing attorney.
• Works independently and is able to recognize and resolve complex issues related to the caseload.
• Will attend seminars, training classes and review current professional literature to maintain and develop professional skills and knowledge.
• Drafts/reviews, proposes and prepares reports and legal documents.
• Performs related and other duties as assigned.

Other Duties:
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 PD4 level or duties of a lower classification without additional compensation. Employee will be required to show competence in all levels PD2 through PD4.

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 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 not covered by a collective bargaining agreement..

Default FLSA: Exempt (including Managers/Supervisors, Executive, Administrative, Professional Exempt Status): In accordance with DOL FLSA and LOPD NMAC and LOPD's Compensation Agreement that is signed upon hire during onboarding, classifications identified as Exempt may be compensated for all authorized hours worked over 80 hours in a pay period. These classifications are eligible for compensatory time (paid time off accrued) at an even (1:1) rate if they request to work extra hours in advance and get approval from their supervisor. These classifications are not eligible for cash payments for extra hours worked. Compensatory time may be paid-out upon leaving the department depending on budget availability.

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
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New Mexico state minimum wage is $12.00 per hour effective January 1, 2023. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. More information can be read at

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Please contact for questions.
01

Supervising Attorney Q:1Which 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

Supervising Attorney 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

Supervising Attorney 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?

• Yes
• No

06

Supervising Attorney How many years of supervisory and/or management experience do you have? Please ensure that this experience is clearly indicated in the Work Experience section of your application. 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.

• None
• Less than Two (2) years
• Two (2) to Five (5) years
• Five (5) to Eight (8) years
• Eight (8) to Ten (10) years
• Ten (10) or more years

07

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.
08

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

09

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 Familiar in the previous question please write, N/A in the text box below.
10

For current State of New Mexico employees: I understand that the Law Offices of the Public Defender will only accept up to 40 hours of annual leave and all sick leave. Furthermore, upon transfer, I will begin a new probationary period regardless of a break in service from my current state agency.

• I Understand

11

Attorney (All)
I understand that my response to the question regarding years of experience as a practicing attorney will be confirmed. I have included my related work experience in the Work Experience Section of my application with a detailed description of my related duties. If I am attempting to attach documents, but unable to, I should email [email protected]. with the documents and my contact information. Or if selected for an interview, I may bring the documents to my interview.

• I Understand

Required Question