Investigator - Capital Habeas Unit

Overview

INVESTIGATOR - CAPITAL HABEAS UNIT

Position Announcement 26-001

The Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Ohio is accepting applications for the position of Investigator in our Capital Habeas Unit, to be stationed in our Columbus office.

Our Capital Habeas Unit represents clients in federal habeas proceedings who have been convicted and sentenced to death. We represent clients starting with their federal habeas petition through every subsequent stage in the proceedings. This includes appeals, clemency, and necessary additional state court litigation. Our mission is to provide our clients with legal services of the highest quality. We zealously and ethically represent the human worth, dignity, and interest of our clients with courage, devotion, and uncompromised advocacy and professionalism.

• The Investigator will be part of a team of attorneys, paralegals, and investigators representing clients on death row in federal post-conviction proceedings.
• Develop and refine investigation plans and oversee both fact and mitigation investigations for the cases to which they are assigned.
• Engage in ongoing communication with the case team, soliciting feedback and adapting the plan as necessary based on results of the investigation and needs of the case.
• Locate and interview witnesses and document those witness contacts.
• Read discovery to identify potential investigation.
• Build lasting relationships with clients and their families.
• Locate and supervise expert witnesses, serve subpoenas, and draft reports and social histories.
• Review and summarize case records, visit crime scenes, and locate and retrieve documents and other evidence.

This position requires frequent overnight out-of-state travel. It also requires significant local travel. Our cases are subject to strict deadlines set by the court; thus, some evening and weekend work is required.

We hold ourselves to exceptionally high standards and expect the same of every member of our team. Employees are expected to demonstrate the highest levels of professionalism, compassion, clear communication, client-centered judgment, and collaborative teamwork. We value continuous learning and expect employees to actively seek improvement in their skills and knowledge. Team members must be willing to acknowledge mistakes and areas for growth and take personal responsibility for developing proficiency in all skill areas relevant to capital habeas defense.

Employees are required to demonstrate good judgement and always maintain a professional appearance and demeanor.