What does a Public Defender do?
Public Defenders have a career choice whose scope is simple but contains a complex educational background for the level of work involved. This position calls upon those with strong multitasking, interpersonal skills, and a great deal of confidence for the workload. To qualify for this position, a degree with a focus on criminal defense law is required. They are absolutely indispensable for an appointee in trials to represent people who would otherwise not be able to afford an attorney to defend themselves.
Public defender responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real public defender resumes:
- Achieve not guilty verdicts in DUI, aggravate assault, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, and battery trials.
- Research, file, and present all types of pretrial motions, trial motions, writs and appeals.
- Perform all aspects of criminal defense litigation, including felony preliminary hearings, and felony and misdemeanor jury trials.
- Engage witnesses on direct and cross-examination.
- Present felony DWI cases to the grand jury for indictment.
- Handle some appeals and post-sentencing issues: violations of probation, protective order mod., etc.
- Draft sentencing recommendations for homicide convictions.
- Supervise several teams of investigators, paralegals and support staff in preparation for litigation.
- Collect information via subpoenas and face-to-face interviews to verify evidence or substantiate innocence for clients.
- Conduct investigations into narcotics relate multiple homicides and contract killings as well as other high profile homicide investigations.
- Serve subpoenas, locate and obtain various records all under the supervision of higher level investigators or investigative supervisors.
- Review and analyze medical records, permanency evaluations, interrogatories, and transcripts.
Public defender skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Public Defenders are proficient in Mental Health, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Cases. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Interpersonal skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Public Defenders that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Mental Health, 15%
Represented mental health patients in capacity hearings regarding their right to refuse psychotropic medication.
- Law Enforcement, 9%
Establish and maintain professional working relationships with representatives from law enforcement agencies, government organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
- Criminal Cases, 9%
Litigated several criminal cases, won numerous acquittals, and obtained dropped charges after preliminary hearings.
- Legal Research, 8%
Formulated clinical treatment plans, progress reports and conducted legal research supporting administrative appeals.
- Litigation, 4%
Performed all aspects of criminal defense litigation, including felony preliminary hearings, and felony and misdemeanor jury trials.
- Criminal Law, 4%
Litigated highly particularized areas of criminal law.
Common skills that a public defender uses to do their job include "mental health," "law enforcement," and "criminal cases." You can find details on the most important public defender responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a public defender to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what public defenders do because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." Additionally, a public defender resume shows how public defenders use analytical skills: "challenged unconstitutional stop and frisk practices, unlawful trespass arrests, and exaggerated marijuana charges through data collection, and litigation. "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform public defender duties is interpersonal skills. Public defenders responsibilities require that "lawyers must build relationships with current and prospective clients, as well as with their colleagues and other members of the legal community." Public defenders also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "used interpersonal and persuasive skills in mediations, negotiations, and trials provided day-to-day legal advice department of human services"
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of public defenders is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday public defender duties, as "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "managed criminal cases from initial appointment through final resolution. "
Research skills. public defender responsibilities often require "research skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." This resume example shows what public defenders do with research skills on a typical day: "researched, wrote and argued briefs and criminal motions, handled all phases of trial and litigation. "
The three companies that hire the most public defenders are:
- SState Of Montana12 public defenders jobs
- MMy Florida Regional Mls10 public defenders jobs
- FFlorida Department of Transportation10 public defenders jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable public defender resume templates
Build a professional public defender resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your public defender resume.
Compare different public defenders
Public defender vs. Attorney at law
An Attorney at Law is responsible for preparing and examining contracts involving leases, licenses, purchases, sales, etc. They advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, or legal rights and obligations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between public defenders and attorney at law. For instance, public defender responsibilities require skills such as "mental health," "law enforcement," "criminal justice," and "police reports." Whereas a attorney at law is skilled in "law firm," "juris," "real estate transactions," and "trial preparation." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Attorneys at law earn the highest salaries when working in the retail industry, with an average yearly salary of $120,546. On the other hand, public defenders are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $72,203.attorneys at law tend to reach similar levels of education than public defenders. In fact, attorneys at law are 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Public defender vs. Attorney
Generally, an attorney's responsibility is to advise the client with an ongoing lawsuit on the legal procedures and provide strategies to resolve the case as early as possible. An attorney compiles necessary documents or any records for appeal and client's defense. Attorneys must acquire strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to mediate disputes and settle pending litigation for the client's best interest. In some cases, an attorney's procedure depends on any evidence and research presented during the trial period. An attorney is expected to present clients on legal proceedings, seeking justice and justifying the law.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real public defender resumes. While public defender responsibilities can utilize skills like "mental health," "law enforcement," "criminal justice," and "police reports," attorneys use skills like "law firm," "juris," "legal services," and "trial preparation."
Attorneys earn similar levels of education than public defenders in general. They're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Public defender vs. Assistant counsel
Assistant counsels are legal professionals who research and analyze various laws so they can apply them to the different legal issues that arose in a corporation. These counsels must develop an agency-wide client privacy policy and manage responses to all matters involving subpoenas and warrants. They advise other departments for legal claims related to the right of privacy and publicity as well as defamation. Assistant counsels are also required to act as labor attorneys for employees facing internal discrimination suits while dealing with FMLA, ERISA, and HIPAA issues.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, public defenders are more likely to have skills like "law enforcement," "criminal cases," "criminal law," and "criminal justice." But a assistant counsel is more likely to have skills like "strong work ethic," "excellent organizational," "intellectual property," and "human resources."
Assistant counsels earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $70,495. Comparatively, public defenders have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $72,203.When it comes to education, assistant counsels tend to earn similar degree levels compared to public defenders. In fact, they're 3.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 28.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Public defender vs. Corporate counsel
A Corporate Counsel, also known as a corporate lawyer, works for a business or company providing legal advice to the employer. They usually work in the employers main office, but also can travel to participate in meetings, trials, and other legal proceedings.
Types of public defender
Updated January 8, 2025
