Capital Resource Coordinator

Employment Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, mental, dental, vision, and additional coverage
• Sick & Vacation leave
• Work-Life Balance programs : parental leave, military leave, jury leave, funeral leave
• Paid State Holidays
• Employee discounts with the
• Retirement and deferred compensation programs

Visit the Employee Benefits page for more information

Position Summary & Responsibilities :

Position Summary :

The Capital Resource Coordinator position is located in the BIDS Administrative Office in Topeka and is supervised by BIDS’s General Counsel.

The Capital Resource Coordinator serves an important role in the agency, ensuring that BIDS is fulfilling its duties under the ABA Guidelines with respect to death penalty assigned counsel for indigent and partially indigent clients.

Job Responsibilities may include but are not limited to the following :

The attorney in this position must possess an advanced capital litigation skill set and understand the impact of state capital litigation on the larger timeline and procedural overlay of state and federal capital case litigations.

The Capital Resource Coordinator consistently advances the ideal of a client-centered, holistic Public Defender system, both internally within the agency and in their interactions with outside legal system stakeholders, and exhibits an outstanding dedication to the Public Defender system and its clients.

The Capital Resource Coordinator must inspire others and take active steps to build a zealous, positive, and supportive capital defense culture across the state.

The Capital Resource Coordinator must maintain the highest standard of professionalism and demonstrate an ability to respectfully and successfully work with colleagues, clients, opposing counsel, and the courts.

The attorney in this position must know and comply with the Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct, the ABA’s Criminal Justice Standards for the Defense Function (2017), and all Board of Indigents’ Defense Services statutes, administrative regulations, and internal policies.

The attorney must know and comply with the 2003 ABA Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Penalty Cases and the 2008 Supplementary Guidelines for the Mitigation Function of Defense Teams in Death Penalty Cases, and the attorney must have demonstrated the qualifications set forth in those guidelines.

The attorney in this position must demonstrate an ability to positively receive feedback and to integrate that feedback into their practice.

In addition to successfully completing all required trainings, the Capital Resource Coordinator must continue to actively advance the state-wide level of capital practice by seeking additional learning opportunities, both for themselves and others.

Specifically, this attorney will :

• Maintain and recruit a roster of attorneys who are qualified to be appointed to represent capital-eligible defendants in Kansas.
• Assist with the certification of attorneys qualified to be appointed to represent capital-eligible defendants in Kansas.
• Assist with the assignment of pre-certified and qualified private attorneys to capital-eligible cases.
• Assist with the continued development of qualification standards and procedures by which attorneys are certified and assigned to particular cases.
• Conduct meaningful review of attorneys that request to be certified and added to the roster of qualified death penalty attorneys.

In order to make this determination, the Capital Resource Coordinator will have the responsibility to gather as much relevant information as possible to secure a fair picture of assigned counsel’s ability and experience.

This may include : In court observations Writing samples Information gathering from the applicant, judges, attorneys, supervisors, and former clients

• Keep the roster updated regarding which qualified attorneys are currently available.
• Ensure that attorneys on the roster have obtained a license or permission to practice in the state.
• Monitor the performance of certified death penalty attorneys.
• Ensure that capitally-certified attorneys on the roster have demonstrated and continue to demonstrate zealous advocacy for criminal defendants.
• Ensure that all appointed counsel in capital cases have satisfied the training requirements under the ABA Guidelines.
• Review and approve capital training programs attended by capital attorneys outside of the agency.
• Collaborate with the Training Department to provide in-house capital trainings and reviewing the quality of those trainings.
• Collaborate with the BIDS Assigned Counsel and Expert Coordinator to identify experts for capital cases.
• Monitor and give consideration to assigned counsels’ caseloads and other factors.
• Withdraw certification and remove from the roster any attorney who fails to provide high quality legal representation.
• Investigate and maintain records concerning complaints about the performance of attorneys providing representation in death penalty cases and take appropriate corrective action without delay.
• Be available to provide additional resources to assigned capital counsel throughout a capital case, if necessary, including helping to procure additional counsel.
• Research and maintain knowledge of current trends and relevant topics, including resources, experts, and research, and keep a repository of such information.
• Provide information to the state-wide bar regarding the resources that BIDS is able to provide partially indigent capital defendants.
• Other tasks as assigned by the BIDS General Counsel.

Qualifications : Education

Education

• Must be a graduate from an ABA accredited law school
• Licensed attorney in good standing in the State of Kansas at the time of employment

Licensing & Certification

• Maintain licensure as an active attorney in good standing in the State of Kansas
• Must have a valid driver’s license

Minimum Qualifications

• Must have exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to coordinate with professionals inside and outside of BIDS to provide client-centered, holistic representation.
• Must have appropriate time management skills and organizational skills and organizational skills that help minimize the time required to find counsel and resources.
• Must be a self-starter that does not require significant direct supervision to complete tasks and comply with deadlines.
• Ability to use all necessary electronic devices including telephones, computers, e-filing systems, as well as case management systems.
• Must understand how to process, organize and manage complex litigation.
• Must be able to handle emergency or crisis situations.
• Must be able to handle frequent interruptions and multiple calls and inquiries.
• Must be able to effectively interact with co-workers, clients, and other colleagues in a respectful and appropriate manner and treat everyone with dignity, without exception.
• Must be academically curious about criminal law, criminal procedure, capital defense, mitigation, and law regulating government entities and the creation and deployment of local or systemic changes.
• Must demonstrate an on-going commitment to a client-centered practice.
• Must be able to maintain confidentiality and manage confidential information.
• Must have a keenly developed and uncompromising set of personal and professional ethics.
• Must be able to withstand a moderate noise level in the work environment.
• Able to travel to other work locations outside of the BIDS Administrative office, including various courts, law schools, the Kansas Capital, and other locations in-state and, occasionally, out-of-state.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred minimum of 5 years of experience in criminal defense and significant knowledge and understanding of capital work.

Conditions of Employment

• Confirmation of licensure as an active attorney in good standing the State of Kansas, or successful admission to the Kansas Bar, prior to start date.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.
• All Employment is subject to the Governor’s salary approval.
6 hours ago