Deputy Director of the Legal Division

About the role

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 work may be done remotely.

What you will do

• A Deputy Director 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; and 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, ensuring that the quality of the work comports with court standards.
• 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, including the evaluation of short- and long-term institutional goals and strategies.
• 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 votesheets, and drafting of orders.

Requirements

• Because the D.C. Circuit entertains a large number of high-profile and sealed cases, employees are subject to strict confidentiality requirements.
• Your 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.

Education

A judicial clerkship, law review membership, or comparable legal research and writing experience is helpful. Other desirable qualifications include litigation experience and graduation in the top 25% of your law school class.

At a minimum, applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be a member of the bar of a state or the District of Columbia, and have at least four years of specialized experience gained after graduation from law school, including at least one year equivalent to work at the CL-30 level.

Specialized Experience Progressively responsible experience in the practice of law, in legal research, legal administration, or equivalent experience, gained after graduation from law school.

Educational Substitutions The following may be credited as one year of specialized experience: Graduation in the upper third of class from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools; Membership on the editorial board of a law review of such a school; Graduation from a law school on the approved list of the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools with an advanced degree (LLM or equivalent); or Demonstrated proficiency in legal studies which, in the opinion of the appointing official, is the equivalent of the above.

The following are examples of criteria that are considered to be acceptable as equivalent: Publication of a noteworthy article in a law school student publication or other scholarly publication; Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to Order of the Coif; Winning of a moot court competition or membership on a moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools; or Significant pre-graduation legal experience: in a law school clinical program, as a law clerk to a judge of a court of record (either full- or part- time), or as a law clerk in a private law firm or law department of a governmental agency, provided that such participation and experience were not for academic credit.

How you will be evaluated

Applicants will be evaluated based on their application and an interview.

Documents you must provide

• Cover letter Resume Law school transcript Self-edited writing sample

What to expect next

Interviews will begin immediately. Due to the large volume of applications, the court will send a letter regarding the status of an application only to those candidates scheduled for interviews. When the position is filled, a notice will be placed on the court's internet site.

Additional information

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.

TERMS: The first year of employment is considered a probationary period.