Who we are:
The Charter County of Wayne is Michigan's largest county. We are home to 34 cities and nine townships. From Rockwood to Livonia, from Sumpter Township to the Grosse Pointes, each community in Wayne County offers residents and businesses a unique blend of opportunity to live, work, play and raise families. Headquartered in Detroit, our largest city and the automotive capital of the world, Wayne County offers a diversified economy and high standards for our residents' quality of life. Our history is rich and we take pride in being one of the most diverse communities that values culture, arts, and world-class amenities. Wayne County provides leadership that ensures the County operates efficiently, effectively, and responsibly. We provide transparently while building a stronger County inclusive of collaborations, innovation, and a clear focus on serving our residents.
Wayne County Indigent Defense Services Department (IDSD)
Wayne County's Indigent Defense Services Department 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, and a staff of fifteen employees is anticipated in FY 2023. The IDSD is state-funded through annual grants from the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC).
The IDSD manages the transition and will assume responsibility for the entire indigent defense system in Wayne County's Third Circuit Court, Michigan's largest trial court handling more than 15,000 assignments of counsel in felony cases that originate in the county's numerous district courts. In 2022, 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 Assignment Coordinator, the Executive Assistant 1, functioning as the Assistant Assignment Coordinator, will assist in the facilitation of the 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.
DESCRIPTION OF MAJOR JOB DUTIES
Responsibilities of the Assistant Assignment Coordinator include:
ELIGIBLE PERSONS
Education: Possession of an Associate's Degree in criminal justice, public administration, business, accounting or a degree in a related field. Certification as a Paralegal, or Legal Assistant, is desirable. A high school diploma or equivalent (G.E.D.) and 3 years of specialized experience may be substituted in lieu of the Associates degree or certification.
Required Experience: 2 or more years of experience in a court or other legal setting. Prior experience in the criminal justice system, knowledge of MIDC Standards, Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), Tyler Technology products (Odyssey), and JIS is preferred. Expertise in an electronic environment is required.
Specialized Experience: progressively responsible clerical or administrative experience that is in, or closely related to, the work of the position and which has demonstrated the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and involves the routine use of automated software and keyboarding for word processing, data entry, and report generation.
Other Requirements: Expertise in utilizing various technologies and software programs, including MS Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat. Experience with relational databases and case management systems is highly desirable. Ability to work as part of a team and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is required. Must be a self-starter capable of prioritizing work assignments and independent work as required.
Wayne County offers a competitive total compensation package and excellent employee benefits.
Please include cover letter, resume and salary requirements.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Pay Rate and Fringe Benefits: Appointments will usually be made at the minimum rate with annual increases where applicable. Payment is on a bi-weekly basis. Employees receive liberal fringe benefits, which include vacation pay, sick leave pay, health care insurance, optical, dental, long term disability, life insurance and a retirement plan.
How to Apply: Applicants must complete application form (P/HR-210), which may be obtained at the office of the Department of Personnel/Human Resources. The application will be used for determining eligibility for admission to the examination and as a basis for rating experience and training.
Investigation and Probationary Period: An investigation of character and past employment will be conducted. Appointees must satisfactorily complete a probationary period before the appointment will be considered permanent, in accordance with the provisions of the collective bargaining agreements.
Veteran's Preference: Honorably discharged war veterans who receive passing grades on examinations will have ten (10) points added to their final earned examination scores and those who have a service connected disability will have five (5) points added to their score, for a possible total of fifteen (15) additional points. Requests for and proof of eligibility must be submitted at the time of the examination.
Equal Opportunity Employer: Wayne County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to: recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. For information regarding the Department of Justice - EEO Utilization Report, please visit http://www.waynecounty.com/departments/phr/legal-postings.aspx.
Accommodations: If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the Wayne County Department of Personnel/Human Resources at 313-224-5901 or via email at hrexam@waynecounty.com. Hearing or speech impaired persons using TDD's or similar devices may contact the Michigan Relay Center, toll free at (800) 649-3777 or 711 to communicate directly with the Department of Personnel/Human Resources during regular working hours.
