DUES 

DUES RENEWAL INVOICES WERE EMAILED IN MARCH! but...

The Board of Directors extended the payment due date to August 1, 2020, so please be sure to remit payment now. We appreciate your continued membership!

If you joined VACDL in late 2019 or early 2020, or you are a Virginia Public Defender, you did NOT receive an invoice as your dues are paid through March 2021.

If you've never been a VACDL member (or you'd like to come back!) this is a great time to join the only voluntary Virginia bar organization exclusively focused on criminal defense!

VIDC EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

1. Arlington County/Falls Church Assistant Public Defender I/II    [submission deadline 8/17/20]

Position Description: 

The Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC) is now accepting applications for the position of Assistant Public Defender I or II for the Office of the Public Defender for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. The VIDC is committed to providing superior legal representation to indigent defendants charged with criminal offenses, and the qualified candidate should be committed to advocating zealously on behalf of indigent clients both in trial and appellate courts. The Assistant Public Defender position reports to the Chief Public Defender for the Arlington Office and is employed at will. In addition to the listed salary, there is a 15% local salary supplement, although this 15% supplement is discretionary, subject to annual approval by Arlington County, and earnings from the supplement do not impact retirement benefits.

Duties:
Duties include conducting client and witness interviews; preparing and litigating pre- and post-trial motions; working with staff investigators and the sentencing advocate to investigate allegations, collect mitigating evidence, and develop mitigation themes; collaborating with mental health and substance abuse services to identify alternatives to incarceration; representing clients at trial in the District and Circuit Courts; and representing clients on appeal in the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Virginia.

The IDC is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our workforce. We encourage and welcome qualified applicants of all identities, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

Requirements: 

Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and Virginia State Bar admission is required for this fulltime, salaried position. Applicants pending bar results may be considered for an Assistant Public Defender I position, but must successfully pass the Bar Exam and be admitted to the Virginia State Bar to be eligible for full-time, salaried employment. Knowledge of criminal law, criminal procedure and evidence is required along with experience in the use of Microsoft Office applications and skills in keyboarding. The qualified candidate must have the ability to argue legal positions effectively and persuasively, as well as master subject matter and thoroughly prepare cases. The ability to learn and accept constructive criticism is important as well as the ability to respond quickly and effectively in addressing issues and questions. The qualified applicant will have the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing as well as the ability to multi-task, prioritize assignments and remain organized. A valid driver’s license and the means to travel to all courts and regional jails are required. To qualify for the Assistant Public Defender II position the applicant must have at least two (2) years of experience in public defense along with the above mentioned qualifications.

To apply: 

Click the following link: https://virginiajobs.peopleadmin.com/postings/193600

Notes: 

The IDC is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our workforce. We encourage and welcome qualified applicants of all identities, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

Salary range: 

$59,523 / $67,287 + 15% Local Salary Supplement + State Benefits

Submission deadline: 

Monday, August 17, 2020

2. Prince William Assistant Public Defender I/II

            (Several Positions Available) 

           [submission deadline 8/20/20]

Position Description: 

Virginia Defenders- Indigent Defense Commission is seeking to fill multiple Assistant Public Defender I / II positions that will serve our mission of protecting and defending the rights and dignity of our clients through zealous, compassionate, high- quality legal advocacy.

The Indigent Defense Commission (IDC) is excited to announce this opportunity to be on the front lines of what many consider to be the modern-day Civil Rights Movement-criminal justice and justice reform. This is a unique platform to develop and pursue social change and impact the lives of clients.

The IDC’s Prince William Public Defender Office has openings for several attorneys who are committed to advocating on behalf of indigent clients. The attorney will handle criminal cases for adults and juveniles in various stages of litigation. The Assistant Public Defender I / II reports to the Chief Public Defender of the Prince William office and is employed at will.

The Assistant Public Defender must have compassion for our indigent clients, excellent legal skills, the ability to spot and anticipate legal issues, the ability to write, edit and review motions and briefs, and the ability to make sound legal arguments in a courtroom setting. This position requires the ability to work independently and to be a good team player.

If you are interested in applying and joining our mission, please complete an application. If you have specific questions related to applying, please contact us at JOBS@vadefenders.org.

Duties:
Duties include conducting client and witness interviews, working with staff investigators to investigate cases, filing pretrial motions and post-trial motions, litigating motions, and noticing appropriate appealable issues. The attorney will be responsible for trying cases in the General District, Juvenile and Domestic Relations, and Circuit Courts. The attorney is expected to see clients in jail in a timely manner and communicate regularly with the client, family members, and other approved parties.

The IDC is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our workforce. We encourage and welcome qualified applicants of all identities, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

Requirements: 

Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and Virginia State Bar admission is required for this fulltime, salaried position. Applicants pending bar results may be considered for an Assistant Public Defender I position, but must successfully pass the Bar Exam and be admitted to the Virginia State Bar to be eligible for full-time, salaried employment. Knowledge of criminal law, criminal procedure and evidence is required along with experience in the use of Microsoft Office applications and skills in keyboarding. The qualified candidate must have the ability to argue legal positions effectively and persuasively, as well as master subject matter and thoroughly prepare cases. The ability to learn and accept constructive criticism is important as well as the ability to respond quickly and effectively in addressing issues and questions. The qualified applicant will have the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing as well as the ability to multi-task, prioritize assignments and remain organized. A valid driver’s license and the means to travel to all courts and regional jails are required. To qualify for the Assistant Public Defender II position the applicant must have at least two (2) years of experience in public defense along with the above mentioned qualifications.

To apply: 

Click the following link: https://virginiajobs.peopleadmin.com/postings/193870

Notes: 

The IDC is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our workforce. We encourage and welcome qualified applicants of all identities, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

Salary range: 

$59,523 / $67,287 + State Benefits

Submission deadline: 

Thursday, August 20, 2020

    If you are a full-time Virginia Public Defender, make sure to take advantage of your VIDC group rate VACDL membership! Joining VACDL is super easy online [just click the "Sign up" button on this page!], and once your application has been approved by the VACDL Executive Director (she will confirm your employment with the VIDC), you can be added to the VACDL List Serv. We value your point of view and experience, so join today!

 LexisNexis has partnered with VACDL on the production of Virginia Criminal Laws Annotated, an "essential reference for criminal law practitioners with comprehensive coverage of Virginia criminal laws and procedure." VACDL had input into the content and design, and will continue to be involved in production in coming years.

 It is available for purchase as a large softbound volume or as an ebook, for the great price of $79.

 As an extra benefit of your membership, VACDL members in good standing receive an additional 25% discount on the regular price!*

BUY YOUR COPY TODAY!

To save 25% on Virginia Criminal Laws Annotated, please reference or enter promotion code: VACDL2020

Visit the LexisNexis® Store at 

http://www.lexisnexis.com/VACDL2020

or call 800.533.1637 to speak with a LexisNexis® account representative.

*Offer expires December 31, 2020. Offer applies to new orders only. Price current as of December 2019. Prices are before shipping and taxes are calculated, shipped to a U.S. address only. Prices are subject to change without notice. LexisNexis® eBook, CD, DVD and downloadable product sales are final and not returnable. Current subscriptions, future renewals or updates and certain products are excluded from this offer. Sales to federal government customers may be subject to specific contract pricing. Discounts may be available to customers who subscribe to both online and print publications, subject to your employer’s policy. Other restrictions may apply. Void where prohibited. See www.lexisnexis.com/terms4.

We welcome these new and returning Directors to the VACDL Board of Directors:

Alan Polsky, District 1

Lauren Whitley, District 4

Richard Johnson, District 7

Douglas Ramseur, At-Large Seat #2

David B. Hargett, At-Large Seat #3

And congratulations to H. Eugene Oliver, III who will serve VACDL as President-Elect in 2020/President in 2021!

FROM THE 

VACDL BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

  The Board of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL) expresses sorrow and anger over the experiences of the innumerable victims of excessive force, over-policing, and the militarization of law enforcement that have increasingly been brought to light, most recently with the deaths of George Floyd and others.  Recent events have acted as a catalyst for reform.  Many factors that have been swept under the rug for decades contribute to the injustices that we are seeing.  We are an organization dedicated to the presumption of innocence and due process for all.  It is painfully obvious that there are too many unnecessary deaths in police-citizen encounters which are a result of systemic problems, including racism, that have been neglected for far too long.  We are now at a crossroads where there is widespread recognition of these problems and that they can no longer be ignored.

   As we move forward to create new ways to police our society, we must also recognize that the issues are not simple and the solutions are going to require the input of all stakeholders in our community, including citizens, police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, legislators, and judges.

  The criminal justice system is where the effects of racism are often most visible.  Disproportionate arrests of people of color and overly punitive application of laws have a disparate impact on minority communities.  VACDL calls for changes that are long overdue.  This is a time for reform. 

  VACDL is committed to fighting against racism and injustice through legislative advocacy, by holding our elected officials to account, and pushing for real, significant reform in policing. VACDL will continue to fight for a fair and just system. These changes will not come easily, but we will continue to ensure that our organization, and the voice of our membership, and our clients, will be involved in these important discussions.

  Our goal is, and has always been, to ensure equal justice for everyone regardless of who they are, where they come from or the color of their skin. VACDL’s stated mission is ‘to improve the quality of justice in Virginia by seeking to ensure fairness and equality before the law,’ and that applies to all.  We stand together with those who fight injustice and join in the growing momentum to create genuine and lasting change now, and remedy the systemic problems plaguing our criminal justice system and society.

___________________________________

PRESS RELEASE FROM NACDL, VACDL and Advocacy Partners, July 23, 2020:

Leading Advocacy Groups Call for Bold and Dramatic Criminal Justice Reform During Special Legislative Session in Virginia

Washington, DC (July 23, 2020) – Beginning August 18, 2020, the Virginia General Assembly will convene a special legislative session during which it is expected to address numerous proposals for meaningful criminal justice reform in the Commonwealth. This special session holds the potential to enact significant, and indeed sweeping, policing and criminal justice reforms, including some that died during the regular legislative session or were carried over for study. It is the view of the signatory organizations to this statement that this critical juncture in the nation’s history offers an important and unique opportunity to bring about the kinds of changes that will make policing and criminal justice in Virginia more fair, rational, and humane.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, there are some 69,000 people behind bars in Virginia. That translates into an incarceration rate of approximately 779 per 100,000 people in the Commonwealth (this figure includes those in prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities). That is a rate even higher than the United States as a whole, which is the leading nation in terms of incarceration. When those people in Virginia who are under some form of criminal justice supervision are added, that figure jumps to 131,000. The racial disparities evident in all of this data are profound.

Reforms that are imperative during this special session include, but are not limited to, legislation that addresses and accomplishes the following:

•          Confront and eradicate the well-known and undeniable racial and ethnic disparities at every stage of the criminal process, from policing all the way through to re-entry and the collateral consequences of arrest and conviction;
•      Hold police accountable by increasing transparency and strengthening oversight and regulation;
•      Prevent pretextual detentions and the excessive use of force by law enforcement;
•       Address other long-awaited and much-needed reforms to Virginia’s criminal justice system, including in the areas of overcharging, expungement, as well as bail reform, fines and fees reform, and the resuscitation of parole;
•  Eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing laws; and
• ·    Enact common sense procedural reforms including increased sentencing options and mental health treatment.

“Now is the time for the Commonwealth of Virginia, my home state, to bring about the change necessary to be a leader in policing practices and criminal justice reform,” said National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) President Nina J. Ginsberg. “Virginia’s elected legislative leaders must hear and act upon the desperate and unambiguous cries of their constituents for change. Indeed, rather than lagging behind other states, Virginia should be setting the example. Anything less would likely be the missed opportunity of a generation.” 

“Virginia must not squander the opportunity to overcome historical inequities and lead the nation towards common sense criminal justice reform,” said Rich Johnson of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL) Legislative Committee. “The times are ripe for real change in the way law enforcement in Virginia interacts with its citizens, and we hope the upcoming special session of the General Assembly will usher in the beginning of that change.”

“The COVID-19 crisis and recent calls for criminal justice reform create an inflection point for Virginia to lead the rest of the country by ensuring an effective justice system characterized by restoration and equality for all,” said Jeremiah Mosteller, Policy Counsel at the Due Process Institute. “As a Virginian, I have been encouraged by the steps our General Assembly has already taken in recent sessions to improve our justice system and urge our elected leaders to utilize this unique opportunity to fix the remaining problems. These solutions should seek to reduce overcriminalization, improve accountability in policing, and ensure everyone’s constitutional rights are protected in the Commonwealth’s justice system.”

“Virginia has an opportunity to begin breaking the vicious cycle of trauma and violence that drives mass incarceration and devastates Black and Brown communities,” said Equal Justice USA Executive Director Shari Silberstein. “With this agenda for reform, lawmakers can start reducing the great harm of prisons and policing and create the space to join the entire nation in reimagining justice and accountability.”

“To end mass criminalization, we ultimately must end reliance on fines and fees to raise revenue,” said Priya Sarathy Jones, national policy and campaigns director at the Fines and Fees Justice Center. “When policymakers use police to raise revenue, they systematically extract wealth from communities of color — who not only are disproportionately stopped, cited and arrested, but more likely to face potentially violent encounters with police.”

“Police transparency and accountability is critical for preventing wrongful convictions and healing victims of injustice,” said Innocence Project State Campaigns Director Michelle Feldman. “Virginia took major steps on criminal justice last session, and this is an opportunity to make real changes to policing.”

“The current climate presents a perfect opportunity for Virginia lawmakers to address the root causes of policing issues,” said Chief John Dixon (Ret.), Petersburg, Virginia, Police Department, on behalf of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership. “I urge our legislators to demonstrate their commitment to ending racial disparities in the justice system, improving police accountability, and ending excessive sentencing guidelines.”

“Pragmatic policing reforms are important to ensure public safety and to promote positive community engagement,” said Jessica Kelley, Manager, Government Affairs, and Manager, Criminal Justice & Civil Liberties, at the R Street Institute. “We hope to discuss reforms dealing with how we hold officers accountable as well as how officers are being recruited and trained. Further, we believe that equipping officers with more appropriate tactical tools and decreasing the militarization of local departments is critical to reform.”

The signatory organizations strongly urge the Virginia General Assembly to make serious and lasting improvements to the Commonwealth’s policing practices and its criminal law. The people of Virginia deserve no less. These groups are prepared to assist the General Assembly as it takes up this critically important work.   

Signatory Organizations

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)

Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL)

Due Process Institute

Equal Justice USA

Fines & Fees Justice Center

Human Rights for Kids

Innocence Project

Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP)

R Street Institute

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