CBJ seeks new municipal public defender

November 3, 2020 – News

The City & Borough of Juneau is seeking letters of interest from qualified attorneys or law firms to provide defense of people in need charged with criminal offenses under the municipal code. CBJ seeks to have a new contract for the municipal public defender in place by January 2021. This contract will start up at the signing of the contract and run to the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2021, with the possibility of annual renewal options. The contract administrator is the Deputy City Manager.

The segments of the caseload requiring the most resources are domestic violence and DUI. The contract does not include routine traffic cases. The public defender is assigned approximately 900 new cases annually.

CBJ’s Law Department employs two full-time municipal prosecutors.

The agreed upon contract amount is paid in equal monthly installments to cover all professional services and expenses, with the exception of discovery costs, paid directly upon receipt of vendor invoice. Once appointed to a case, the municipal public defender continues with that case until it is closed, even if the case extends past the contract term. In cases where the municipal public defender cannot represent the defendant due to a conflict of interest, conflict counsel is court-appointed and paid separately through an agreement between CBJ and counsel.

After reviewing letters of interest, one or more respondents will be interviewed. The public defender contract is not subject to competitive bidding and selection of a contractor will be by interview with the Deputy City Manager.

Letters of interest should be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on November 20, 2020 and should be addressed to:

Mila Cosgrove, Deputy City Manager
155 S. Seward Street
Juneau AK 99801
RE: Public Defender Contract

Late submissions will not be considered.

If you have any questions, please contact the City Manager’s Office at (907) 586-5240.