The San Bernardino County Public Defender offers excellent careers for attorneys, investigators and clerical staff wishing to handle exciting criminal defense cases. Upon joining our office, each staff member will find him or herself part of a professional litigation team with supportive formal and informal mentoring, comprehensive training and state of the art equipment.
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Law Clerks
The San Bernardino County Public Defender offers Summer and Post Bar Clerkships.
Under attorney supervision, and after a training program designed for the position, a Summer or a Post-Bar Law Clerk performs legal research and assists our attorneys. Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Researching, writing and filing appeals, petitions and motions
- Preparing pleadings, memoranda and other legal documents
- Maintaining and organizing case and legal reference files
- Litigating motions in the San Bernardino County Superior Court
To qualify to be a Summer Clerk, or “Law Clerk I,” a student must have completed his or her first year of study at an ABA or State Bar of California accredited school.
To qualify to be Post-Bar Clerk, or “Law Clerk II,” a student must have graduated from an ABA or State Bar of California accredited law school and meet the requirements of a Certified Law Student as defined by the State Bar of California.
The San Bernardino County Public Defender recruits Summer and Post-Bar Law Clerks each year between August and May. Offers are made to Law Clerks on a rolling basis. Our Summer Clerkships begin in late May and conclude in late August, and our Post-Bar Clerkships begin in late August and conclude in early December.
Law Clerk Internship recruitment for 2025 is now open: Click here to apply.
Paralegals
Social Service Practitioners provide support and intervention to Public Defender clients by ensuring clients have access to the available social services the county and state offer. Social Service Practitioners meet with indigent clients in their home, jail, prison, state hospitals or other settings to develop and implement treatment plans to improve social functioning, perform biopsychosocial assessments requested by attorneys, and recommend and make appropriate referrals for clients who are in the criminal justice system.
The work of a Public Defender Social Service Practitioner requires investigating and/or supporting cases involving clients who may have physical or psychological issues. Public Defender Social Service Practitioners may appear and testify in court to support client cases and appear in San Bernardino County’s Special Attendance Review Board (SARB) in efforts to end truancy.
Paralegal Internship recruitment for 2025 is now open: Click here to apply.
Social Service Practitioners
Social Service Practitioners provide support and intervention to Public Defender clients by ensuring clients have access to the available social services the county and state offer. Social Service Practitioners meet with indigent clients in their home, jail, prison, state hospitals or other settings to develop and implement treatment plans to improve social functioning, perform biopsychosocial assessments requested by attorneys, and recommend and make appropriate referrals for clients who are in the criminal justice system.
The work of a Public Defender Social Service Practitioner requires investigating and/or supporting cases involving clients who may have physical or psychological issues. Public Defender Social Service Practitioners may appear and testify in court to support client cases and appear in San Bernardino County’s Special Attendance Review Board (SARB) in efforts to end truancy.
Social Service Practitioner Internship recruitment for 2025 is now open: Click here to apply.