The Office of the Public Defender (OPD) provides comprehensive legal and related services to persons who are financially unable to obtain legal and related services. These individuals: (1) have been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of an offense punishable by confinement in jail or prison; (2) are subject to Family Court action; or (3) threatened by confinement in any psychiatric or other mental institution or facility.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The primary functions of this position are to (1) provide reception and case file services for the branch and (2) perform other duties as assigned.

Duties include but are not limited to the following: provides assistance and information to the general public by phone or in person on the OPD related matters; assists the general public who have been referred by the courts and who appear at the office for intake on their cases; receives and routes telephone calls and forwards messages; receives and processes incoming and outgoing mail; provides intake services such as receiving applications, scheduling initial appointments, and opening/closing case files; maintains filing, storage and retrieval of case files; greets and assists clients and members of the general public at the office; inputs case and client information into office database; electronically files legal documents in Circuit, District, Family courts; delivers/picks up documents from Circuit, District, Family courts; delivers/picks up documents from County of Hawaii prosecutor and state attorney general offices; upon intake of a client, prepares and processes initial documents required for each case file, updates, organizes and maintains the case file; maintains and organizes discovery materials; at completion of cases, closes case files and records, and maintains in office filing system; monitors documents prepared for the attorneys to insure proper filing and distribution; receives all incoming legal documents from court as well as private sector and distributes to attorney assigned to the case; at scheduled time intervals, destroys old files under the direction of the supervising attorney; performs non-legal internet research per request of attorneys for preparation of trial and hearings (e.g., news articles, social media, data and statistics, address and contact information, scholarly articles); assists attorneys in the preparation of hearings and trials; performs other related duties as assigned by the Public Defender or supervising attorney.

EXPERIENCE:

Basic Experience: Six (6) months of work experience which demonstrates knowledge of English grammar, spelling, arithmetic; ability to read and understand oral and written instructions; write simply and directly.

Clerical Experience: One (1) year of work experience which involved the performance of a variety of clerical tasks and demonstrated knowledge of office practices and procedures, and the ability to carry out procedures in clerical work systems and operate various kinds of office equipment and technologies.

Substitutions allowed: Graduation from high school or equivalent may be substituted for Basic Experience; excess Clerical Experience may be substituted for Basic Experience.

BENEFITS: This is a non-civil service position. Benefit information will be provided at time of offer by the Department Personnel Officer or Director of the hiring department. Listed below is a summary of the benefits the State offers to exempt employees, which is based on full-time employment.

Paid Holidays: Eligible for 13 paid holidays each year; 14 holidays during an election year.

Paid Vacation: Eligible for 21 days per year.

Paid Sick Leave: Eligible for 21 days per year.

Other Leaves: Reasonable time off with pay may be provided for jury or witness duty, a death in the family, some military duty, and donation to the Blood Bank. Leave sharing donations may be granted to eligible employees who have serious personal illnesses or injuries or need to care for a seriously ill or injured family member. Various leaves without pay may also be granted with full re-employment rights.

Health Insurance: The State pays a part of the premiums for each employee's enrollment in a State sponsored Medical, Drug, Vision, and Dental Plan. For more information, visit the Employer Union Trust Fund website www.eutf.hawaii.gov for coverage and options.

Group Life Insurance: The State provides a free life insurance policy for eligible exempt employees.

Retirement Plan: The State contributes to a retirement plan for eligible employees. Generally, employees under the Hybrid Plan with 10 years of credited service and who have reached 65 years of age or have 30 years of credited service and have reached 60 years of age may retire and receive benefits. To find out more about the options you have, go to http://ers.ehawaii.gov.

Premium Conversion Plan: Participating exempt employees may increase their take-home pay by having the State deduct the cost of health care premiums before payroll taxes are withheld.

Flexible Spending Accounts: Eligible exempt employees can reduce their federal and state income taxes and social security taxes by setting aside money from their paychecks to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses and eligible dependent care expenses on a BEFORE-TAX basis.

Transportation Benefits: Participating employees may increase their take-home pay by having the State deduct qualified transportation expenses (i.e. eligible parking fees, monthly bus passes for TheBus, fare coupons for The Handi-Van, Vanpool Hawaii participation fee, etc.) through pre-tax payroll deductions.

Deferred Compensation: The State offers exempt employees a tax-deferred retirement savings program. This program allows employees to build a retirement nest egg through voluntary, pre-tax payroll deductions. A broad range of investment options are available to select from.

Temporary Disability Insurance: Qualified exempt employees may be eligible to receive partial wage replacement, at no cost to the employee, for a disability caused by a non-work related injury or illness under this program.

Social Security: As an employer, the State also contributes to an exempt employee's social security account.

Training & Continuing Education: The State supports developmental activities related to an exempt employee's work. In many departments there are numerous in-service training opportunities available. Sabbatical leaves with pay are available for qualified employees.

Travel Expenses: The State may pay for certain business related travel expenses including mileage reimbursement for use of a personal car during work, airfare, meals and lodging expenses for trips to neighbor islands or out of state.

Union & Collective Bargaining: Exempt employees may have the right to join the union for collective bargaining with the State and employee representation depending on the status of the exempt position.

The above information is solely intended as a summary of the benefits available to State of Hawaii employees and is subject to change. Whether or not you are entitled to a particular benefit will depend on your specific appointment and employment status (included, excluded, exempt, non-exempt). Please refer to the appropriate collective bargaining agreement or executive order and all applicable laws, rules, policies, or plan documents for further details. Nothing herein shall be deemed as creating an employment contract, promise of employment, promise of continued employment, or obligation of any kind on the part of the State of Hawaii.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $2,863.00 per month

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

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