Investigator - NDS Texas - Hays County

Neighborhood Defender Service Texas Hays County Investigator

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

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 retrieving 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. Maintain the integrity of NDS' computer databases, which includes providing training and support to team members.

5. Testify at trial.

6. Document investigative work in the case management.

7. Respond quickly and communicate clearly with clients, their families, and case workers.

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

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

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. Must be familiar with chain-of-custody requirements necessary for the admissibility of evidence in court and competent to fulfill those requirements

13. Must possess experience working in an interdisciplinary setting

14. Must be comfortable in a court and / or jail environment

15. License preferred but not required

16. Must possess a bachelor's degree or higher

17. Spanish language fluency is highly preferred

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.

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.