Champaign County
Job Description

Job Title: Assistant State's Attorney
Department: State's Attorney
Reports To: State's Attorney
FLSA Status: Exempt
Prepared Date: April, 2004

SUMMARY Performs responsible functions in the areas of court case litigation and/or legal research. May specialize in litigation such as domestic violence cases, child support, traffic offenses or other specific areas and performs general duties as an Assistant State's Attorney.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

May perform or direct prosecutions in a variety of cases such as traffic offenses including misdemeanors of driving under the influence, driving with a revoked license, speeding, etc., or may deal with litigation in other specialized areas of law.

Determines which cases are to be prosecuted by plea or trial or dismissed. Gathers and analyzes evidence in the case and represents the interests of the County at arraignment, bench trial, jury trial or sentencing hearing.

Reviews police reports and determines criminal charges, secures additional information from law enforcement personnel, when required.

Secures witnesses, prepares them for trial, assembles case data including reports from a variety of law enforcement or regulatory agency records to determine trial strategy.

Engages in pre-trial negotiations, when appropriate, in order to dispose of cases prior to the trial date and reduce the court docket and expenditures. May assign legal research and bench trial preparations to law students.

May prosecute traffic, misdemeanor, felony and child abuse/neglect cases, coordinating witnesses, preparing them for court, gathering evidence, developing trial strategy, preparing for pre- and post-trial motions, subpoenas and other legal documents. May seek alternative placement for juvenile victims.

May specialize by working with Child Support cases where the goal is to establish paternity, set support for custodial parents, enforce court orders on payment support and prosecute non-custodial parents who fail to comply.

Meets regularly with and works extensively with a variety of government, social service and law enforcement organizations and special committees. May advise law enforcement personnel regarding legal requirements for arrest or search warrants and represent the County at weekend and holiday bond court.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES Periodically may directly supervise one to three employees depending upon the project or case. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the County's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising work performed and resolving problems.

QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE Law degree and licensed in Illinois; have legal research experience and have exposure to jury trial preparation and litigation work.

LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read, analyze, and interpret legal documents and interpretations, technical journals and financial data. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from the general public, regulatory agencies, or other attorneys. Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format. Ability to effectively present information to judges, public groups, and other attorneys.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume.

REASONING ABILITY Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical information or instructions and deal effectively with several abstract and concrete variables.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS Licensed in Illinois.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk; or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and color vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Normal office conditions. Potential problems may exist with clients or defendants exposed to stressful situations. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.