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Staff Attorney – Midwest Innocence Project

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.

Midwest Innocence Project seeks a Staff Attorney with the following qualifications and characteristics:

Education and Experience:

• Juris Doctor and admission to the Missouri Bar or qualified for admission by examination or motion to the Missouri Bar.
• Some experience or knowledge of post-conviction procedure either in a practice setting or a law school clinical setting.
• Successful experience in actual practice, moot court or clinical settings is highly desirable.
• Adept using modern computer tools for legal research, communication, writing, and case management. 
• 0 – 4 years of legal experience, preferably in post-conviction law or criminal law.

Characteristics of Successful Candidate:

• A self-starter who can take initiative. 
• Dedication to innocence work and the rights of the wrongly convicted.
• Resourceful – the ability to devise appropriate mechanisms to accomplish goals with limited resources.
• Stamina and the ability to work hard in a difficult legal area in which much is at stake.
• The candidate will have the flexibility to work in a wide range of situations with a great diversity of people.  Ability to work with volunteers, other attorneys, prosecutors, as well as to  represent the Midwest Innocence Project at public functions or in speaking engagements is desirable. 
• Excellent research and writing skills are essential.
• The successful candidate will need “street smarts.”  Some understanding of how police and prosecutors investigate cases will be useful.  Must have the ability to learn and assimilate the key elements of DNA testing and other forensic science issues.
• Ability to relate the very complex area of post-conviction remedies to the real-life situations of our constituent clients.

Salary range is $40,000 to $55,000, depending upon experience.  Interested candidates should send a letter of interest highlighting their background in relation to the desired qualifications and a resume to:  jobs@themip.org .  Applications should be submitted before June 15, 2013.

Volunteers Needed!

We need your help!  MIP could not function without its team of dedicated volunteers.  Want to volunteer on a weekly or bi-weekly basis?  We have a spot for you!  Want to volunteer at a special event?  We have a spot for you too.  Volunteer opportunities include:

• Digital scanning of documents and other administrative tasks
• Preparation for our fundraising events
• Set up on the day of our events
• Attorneys and paralegals can also assess questionnaires and help us make decisions on whether to investigate new cases.

If you are interested in applying for a volunteer position, please download the Volunteer Form, fill it out, and email it to Office@TheMIP.org.

Recent Opportunities

Our Freedom Friday session on April 20 was a great success!  17 questionnaires were reviewed and two documents were digested, which is a big help!  Professor Sean O'Brien gave a one hour CLE about ethics and wrongful convictions.

             Volunteer attorneys and MIP staff