CRIMINAL STAFF ATTORNEY

Position: Criminal Staff Attorney

Salary: $87,000/year ($41.8269/hour)

First Review Date: Friday, December 20, 2024. Position open until filled.

Position Summary

The Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, is accepting applications for a full-time criminal staff attorney on its central legal staff. Primary duties will be researching and writing legal memoranda and draft decisions in connection with criminal appeals, including Anders appeals and petitions for post-conviction relief.

The successful candidate must be able to work independently, analyze the criminal appellate record and legal issues, undertake legal research, draft proposed appellate decisions for the court, participate in judicial conferences, and answer judges’ questions. The ideal candidate will have strong attention to detail, excellent writing skills, experience with criminal litigation, and a high degree of comfort with legal research.

Minimum Requirements

The applicant must be a member in good standing of the State Bar of Arizona and must have excellent research and writing skills, strong academic background, and at least two years of criminal litigation or similar experience. Applicants should be proficient with Microsoft Word and Outlook.

Selection Process

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Only applicants whose backgrounds most closely meet the needs of the position may be invited to interview. The Selection Process may include first and/or second round panel interviews.

Requests for special accommodation to participate in the interview process should be made at the time you are contacted to schedule an interview.

Benefits

The court offers an excellent benefits package, including a choice of plans for optional medical and dental insurance, deferred compensation, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long and short-term disability, discounted bus fares, and an employee assistance program. Participation in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) is required. In addition, the court’s leave policy includes ten paid holidays and annual accrual of vacation and sick leave, based on length of service.

Apply

Review the full job posting and apply here: https://www.azcourts.gov/coa1/CareerVolunteer/jobs.aspx

The following must be submitted with your application. Applications missing any of these items will be considered incomplete.

• Letter of interest
• Resume
• Writing sample

Essential Functions*:

• Analyze the record and legal issues and undertake legal research in selected appeals.
• Draft proposed written decisions for the court and submit to the judges.
• Participate in conference, answer judges’ questions, and attend oral argument, if necessary.
• Draft memoranda and prepare proposed orders to dispose of motions.
• Provide assistance to the Clerk of Court and the Chief Judge, upon request.

* To perform this job successfully, the staff attorney must perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s (B.S./B.A.) Degree
• Law Degree
• State Bar of Arizona Membership
• Two years of experience in the practice of law
• A strong academic background and superior legal writing and research skills.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• High degree of verbal and written comprehension.
• Ability to express thoughts clearly, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to thoroughly research complex legal issues.
• Ability to be self-motivated.
• Skilled in efficient time management.
• Ability to work well with others and under pressure.
• Ability to grasp concepts quickly and react to change rapidly.
• Effective communication skills.
• Knowledge of automated word processing.
• Skilled in online legal research.
• Skilled in citation formatting.
• Familiarity with court rules and policies.
• Skilled in the preparation of legal documents.

Physical Requirements, Reasoning Ability, and Equipment Operations*:

• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out oral or written instructions.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several variables in standardized situations.
• Extended use of a computer is required.
• Ability to read, scan, complete, and analyze a variety of forms on a regular basis.

Work Environment:

While performing the essential functions of this job, the employee will encounter a typical office setting with frequent contact with other staff attorneys, administrative staff, judges, and judicial staff. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.

Supervisory Responsibility

• This position has no direct supervisory responsibility.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work only. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other similar duties may be added, or the description amended at any time.