[Hiring] Deputy Director of the Legal Division @U.S. Courts

Role Description

The Legal Division of the Office of the Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, has an opening for a highly qualified attorney to serve as a Deputy Director of the Legal Division. The Legal Division's principal responsibility is to recommend to the court the disposition of substantive and procedural motions, appeals decided without oral argument, and emergency matters. Some telework available.

• Supervises, develops, and mentors staff attorneys and support staff.
• Responds to inquiries from chambers, the Clerk's Office, the public, and members of the bar.
• Develops and implements personnel policies and conducts performance evaluations.
• Performs special projects as required by the Director of the Legal Division and Clerk of Court.
• Provides after-hours supervisory duty for emergency matters.
• Provides guidance, advice, and assistance to staff attorneys regarding substantive and procedural legal issues.
• Reviews the legal work of staff attorneys, including draft memoranda and proposed orders.
• Attends formal conferences at which staff attorneys present their recommendations to three-judge panels.
• Conducts research on general legal questions posed by judges and the Clerk and prepares memoranda on the results of the research.
• Provides guidance to court staff on local and federal rules and procedures.
• Assists the Director of the Legal Division with matters concerning the management of the office.
• Provides back-up to the Director in the Director's absence.
• Screens cases for jurisdictional issues and assesses the difficulty of the appeal and the necessity for oral argument.
• Oversees cases dealing with national security, which require special handling of classified materials and other sensitive information.
• Ensures a stable operation of the Legal Division and participates in hiring decisions.
• Prepares orders disposing of procedural motions.
• Provides advice to the Clerk's Office Operations Unit regarding the processing of motions, preparation of vote sheets, and drafting of orders.

Qualifications

• Ability to analyze complex legal issues quickly and communicate clearly, both orally and in writing.
• Prior experience working for a federal court, especially in a Clerk's Office, or a Staff Attorney Office, is preferred.
• A judicial clerkship, law review membership, or comparable legal research and writing experience is helpful.
• Litigation experience and graduation in the top 25% of your law school class are desirable.

Requirements

• Employees are subject to strict confidentiality requirements due to the nature of cases handled.
• Continued employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background records check.
• A full background investigation for a security clearance will also be required.
• The successful applicant must be a United States citizen or eligible to work in the United States.

Benefits

• For information about the Judiciary's benefits, visit this link .

Company Description

This position is an excepted appointment and is "at will." The United States Court of Appeals is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The successful applicant will be subject to mandatory electronic transfer of funds for payment of net pay. The United States Courthouse is a smoke-free building.

• The first year of employment is considered a probationary period.
• Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government.
• Passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.