Job Description
Overview NEIGHBORHOOD DEFENDER SERVICE
POSITION AVAILABLE: Investigator, Mental Health Team (San Marcos, TX)
Neighborhood Defender Service's Hays County Criminal Defense Team is a nonprofit, client-centered, collaborative, holistic public defense office created to provide criminal defense representation and related services to residents of Hays County, Texas. The office opened in January 2023.
Clients are represented by teams composed of lawyers, investigators, social workers, client advocates, and team administrators. NDS adheres to a client-centered approach to
representation that emphasizes a heightened responsiveness to clients' needs prior to arrest, while a case is pending, and after the case concludes.
Responsibilities RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Embrace NDS' philosophy of client-centered, community-based, holistic representation and commitment to excellence by providing vigorous representation with energy and enthusiasm to clients.
2. Work as part of the interdisciplinary team, including attorneys and other non-attorney advocates, to determine case strategy.
3. Conduct the team's investigative work, including:
- Identifying, locating, and interviewing witnesses;
- Visiting, photographing, and diagramming locations;
- Obtaining documents, reports, and other materials from a variety of sources;
- Preparing investigative reports and trial exhibits;
- Reviewing discovery, video, and documents received from the prosecution;
- Visiting courthouses and retrieve documentation;
- Creating forensic copies of data sources, including hard drives, portable storage media, tablets, smart phones, and cloud data;
- Interpreting call detail records and generate cell tower maps;
- Performing video, photo, and audio forensics;
- Conducting examinations of digital evidence and prepare reports and/or exhibits for use in court.
4. Provide administrative support for representation of clients
5. Maintain the integrity of NDS' computer databases, which includes providing training and support to team members.
6. Photocopy, maintain case files, assist with word processing and typing, and assembling documents.
7. Download, organize and maintain discovery received on clients' cases.
8. Assist in obtaining necessary court documents for clients' cases, including transcripts and court files.
9. Assist with facilitating team members' visits and communication with clients.
10. Testify at trial
11. Document investigative work in the case management system.
12. Respond quickly and communicate clearly with clients, their families, and case workers
Qualifications QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will bring:
1. A demonstrated commitment to criminal justice, indigent defense, racial equity, and social justice issues, and a substantive understanding of the biases impacting our clients.
2. An ability to quickly build relationships with people of varying identities, income levels, races and ethnicities.
3. A high level of organization and administrative skills to handle a high caseload and multi- task in a very fast-paced environment.
4. Must possess excellent interpersonal, analytical, writing, and communication skills
5. Energy, enthusiasm, and ingenuity to gather and develop information from a broad spectrum of sources, ranging from community residents to county, state, and federal agencies
6. An ability to work cooperatively in a team
7. Must possess substantial experience (at least three years) of conducting a wide variety of investigations and/or direct services with clients involved in the criminal legal and/or child welfare systems
8. Must possess the ability and readiness to quickly learn and use various industry relevant computer software, including mobile forensic tools such as Cellebrite or Axiom
9. Knowledge and experience with the following operating systems: Windows, Macintosh, Linux or UNIX, iOS, and Android
10. Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, Access) and a basic knowledge of computer usage in a network environment.
11. Knowledge of Adobe Pro and related Adobe products
12. Apply knowledge and experience with forensically sound evidence-gathering and handling procedures to retrieve, handle, analyze, and preserve such data in accordance with those standards utilizing write-blocking technology.
13. Must be familiar with chain-of-custody requirements necessary for the admissibility of evidence in court and competent to fulfill those requirements
14. Must possess experience working in an interdisciplinary setting
15.Must be comfortable in a court and/or jail environment
16. License preferred but not required
17. Must possess a bachelor's degree or higher
18. Spanish language fluency is highly preferred.
Compensation: Compensation is commensurate with directly relevant work experience and is in adherence to the NDS compensation scale. Exceptional benefits package includes full medical and dental for employee and family, retirement, life and AD&D insurance, paid vacation, holiday, and sick time. This is a full-time, non-exempt position.
Salary Ranges 1-5 Years $55,282.69 - $59,777.22
6 - 11 Years $60,900.85 - $66,014.42
The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the CBA between NDS and the NDS Union, part of ALAA UAW 2325.
How to Apply: Interviews are being held on a rolling basis, and application will be accepted until the position is filled. Interested applicants should apply on the NDS careers portal at
For more information about NDS, please visit our website at
Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At NDS we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Neighborhood Defender Service is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community we serve. NDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. NDS values and specifically seeks applicants who are people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people.
Job Tags
Full time, Work experience placement, Work at office,