The Office of the Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, has an immediate opening for a highly qualified attorney to serve as Special Counsel to the Clerk. A member of the Clerk's Office senior management team, the Special Counsel interacts frequently with judges and chambers' personnel.
The caseload of the D.C. Circuit involves virtually every area of federal law and is unique in the number of cases filed against the executive branch. Because the Special Counsel must be able to advise the judges, Clerk, and others on difficult, varied, and important legal issues, the Court is highly selective in its hiring. The court is looking for an experienced attorney who has demonstrated the ability to analyze complex legal issues quickly and to 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. Other desirable qualifications include litigation experience and graduation in the top 25% of your law school class.
Providing procedural and substantive legal advice to the Court and Clerk's Office staff. Conducting research on legal questions posed by judges and the Clerk and preparing memoranda on the results of the research. Supervising a paralegal. Advising and assisting the Calendar Clerk and Opinions Clerk. Administering the attorney and amicus curiae appointment process. Overseeing the handling of post-dispositional petitions and motions. Drafting and proofreading per curiam orders and judgments and Clerk's orders. Responding to inquiries from chambers and the public. Reviewing electronic and paper submissions to the Court to determine where to transmit them for disposition. Coordinating en banc matters. Handling out-of-circuit assignments and Special Master appointments. Directing the preparation of correspondence to attorneys, litigants, other courts, and the public concerning requests for action or information. Serving as liaison to the district court and Supreme Court. Providing after-hours supervisory duty for emergency matters.