Mitigation Fellowship

OCFW seeks a bright, enthusiastic, committed mitigation fellow for a
mitigation investigation position.

This is an excellent opportunity for entry-level candidates who are
interested in capital mitigation investigation to gain training and
experience in the field, early-career investigators who are interested in expanding
their capital mitigation skill set, and for other candidates who wish to
gain on-the-ground capital mitigation investigation experience in Texas.

The mitigation fellow will work as part of a team, alongside attorneys,
mitigation specialists, and paralegals to provide holistic post-conviction representation to clients in state post-conviction proceedings through investigation.

Aspects of this work include:
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• Identifying and locating witnesses, and traveling across the state
  and country to interview them in their homes. Witnesses include complaining witnesses, law enforcement and eyewitnesses, the
  client’s friends, family, teachers, neighbors, coworkers, etc.
  Depending on the needs of a case, mitigation specialists may
  perform both mitigation and culpability investigation.

• Conducting a culturally competent social history investigation by
  establishing on-going relationships with the client and family, and interviewing witnesses who are knowledgeable about the client
  at every phase of his or her life, and maintaining a close
  relationship based on trust and rapport with multiple clients. Our clients are usually housed at the Polunsky Unit prison in
  Livingston, Texas. Each member of the team visits clients frequently.

• Gathering and analyzing relevant records and anecdotes to
  develop information concerning the circumstances of the alleged

• Working independently by managing the competing priorities and deadlines of multiple cases. The mitigation fellow will create and implement their own investigation plans after consulting with other team members.

• Working as a member and facilitating the success of
  interdisciplinary teams of multiple attorneys, other mitigation
  specialists, supervisors, and experts. As a full member of each
  client’s case team, mitigation specialists collaborate in
  developing theories of the case and case strategies and
  providing litigation support to the team.

 

Given the nature of the work, the mitigation fellow should expect to
work some evenings, weekends, and holidays. Travel throughout Texas is required.

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