Senior Staff Attorney

We are an equal opportunity organization. We welcome qualified applicants of all races, physical abilities, ethnicities, genders, gender identities or expressions, national origins, sexual orientations, creeds, religions, and ages. We also welcome qualified applicants who are pregnant, have veteran status, have a history of union membership or activism, and who have been previously incarcerated or system involved.

Our Mission:

Texas Defender Service is dedicated to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in Texas through direct representation, policy reform, and public education. For over a quarter of a century, we have fought for justice for the most disadvantaged people impacted by Texas’s criminal-legal system.

Role & Responsibilities:

The scope of our work includes all stages of capital proceedings and advocacy on behalf of incarcerated persons or defendants facing excessive sentencing in Texas state courts. TDS practices client-centered holistic advocacy rooted in an interdisciplinary team approach.

Regular responsibilities include meeting and working with clients on Texas’s death row near Livingston, TX, and in local and state-run facilities across the state; analyzing large case files and investigative materials; developing litigation strategies; drafting fact- and law-intensive pleadings, including pretrial motions, appellate briefs, and state habeas corpus applications; crafting effective narratives; working with experts and other witnesses; and most importantly, zealous and compassionate advocacy.

In addition to direct representation, TDS provides litigation and strategic support to outside defense teams, and ability to effectively work in diverse teams and consult with outside counsel is required. TDS values creative litigation and advocacy, incorporating an understanding of historical and institutional factors bearing on legal enforcement, prosecution, and the context of criminal charging decisions.

Staff attorneys must be proficient not only in evidentiary rules and blackletter law, but also brainstorming novel strategies and multimedia advocacy. Knowledge, experience, and training in the fields of forensic science, race, mental health, intellectual disability, persuasive storytelling, and courtroom advocacy are required and may be developed during employment.

Minimum Qualifications

• Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school and admitted to practice in good standing in Texas (either by waiver or through bar passage) before or contemporaneous with commencement of employment. Bar membership in federal courts is valued, but not required.
• Applicants must demonstrate strong communication skills, including the ability to effectively communicate in written and oral form in legal settings.
• Equally important is the ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with clients, witnesses, colleagues, courts, and team members.
• Applicants must be proficient in processing, organizing, and managing complex litigation, including responsible and ethical use of digital technologies.
• Applicants must be familiar, or gain familiarity, with both Texas criminal law and procedure and the constitutional doctrines surrounding the imposition of capital punishment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years courtroom experience in criminal defense or other comparable legal practice—trial experience preferred but hearing experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated commitment to indigent criminal defense, whether through employment or pro bono practice

The Senior Staff Attorney will work closely with and report to the Legal Director and the Director of Special Projects.

Texas Defender Service cultivates a supportive workplace, with generous sick and vacation leave and an office closure for the last two weeks of the year.

Texas Defender Service covers 100% of medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees and 50% for dependents.

Spanish language proficiency is preferred, but not required.