Washington County’s public defender told the Public Safety Committee on Aug. 26 that the office is understaffed and asked the committee to approve creating a paid legal‑intern position to help with casework and recruitment.
The public defender estimated a paid intern would cost about $20,000–$25,000 annually (part‑time, typically concentrated in summer months), and said the county may be able to use additional contract funding that the state Indigent Legal Services (ILS) has proposed to allocate to counties (the county has been told ILS may add about $80,000 across cycles). The public defender said a paid intern could perform supervised discovery and intake work and free attorneys to handle court work, and that such internships can assist recruitment into permanent in‑house positions.
Committee members noted that an intern would not by itself restore caseload standards for the office; the public defender said two vacant attorney positions would be needed to meet caseload standards. The committee approved the request to send the paid‑intern concept to personnel so staff can develop job details, eligibility and a specific funding plan before a personnel hearing.
No specific hourly rate was set at the meeting; staff said the hiring grade would likely align with existing county grade 12 hourly positions and that detailed terms will be developed for personnel review.