Job o’ the Day: Entry-Level Staff Attorney with the Midwest Innocence Project in Kansas City, Missouri
According to the Midwest Innocence Project (MIP), recent studies conservatively estimate that between 2% and 5% of all inmates in America are falsely convicted. Some estimates reach up to 7%. In plain language, these stats mean that somewhere between 2,000 and 7,000 citizens in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Arkansas are locked away – sometimes for life – for crimes they did not commit.
MIP is a nonprofit legal organization dedicated to the investigation, litigation and exoneration of wrongfully convicted men and women in six states throughout the region. Founded a decade ago through the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law, MIP is a part of the National Innocence Network. The Kansas-City based organization is currently seeking a staff attorney to join its ranks.
From the PSJD job listing:
The mission of the Midwest Innocence Project is to advocate for and obtain the exoneration and release of wrongfully convicted people in the Midwest (Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Iowa and Nebraska). The Midwest Innocence Project is a member of the Innocence Network, a group of approximately 50 innocence organizations.
The Staff Attorney works with the Legal Director, the Lead Investigator and Office Manager to review, investigate, and litigate post-conviction exoneration cases. Demand for the Project’s services greatly exceeds its resources so the ability to work efficiently is critical. The Staff Attorney will confer closely with the Legal Director and, at the same time, maintain forward progress on cases. The ability to prioritize, communicate, adjust processes, and otherwise become a fully functional and contributing member of the team is critical. In short, we seek someone who gets things done — someone who is focused on the needs of our constituents, understands the service orientation that is required, works in a fully engaged and purposeful manner, and can think independently, creatively, and communicate those ideas to the team.
The application deadline is June 15, 2013 and applicants can have from 0-4 years of legal experience, preferably in post-conviction law or criminal law.For more information on qualifications, salary and application instructions, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).