Pro Se Staff Attorney - US District Court District of Maryland

POSITION: Pro Se Staff Attorney OPENING DATE: March 30, 2020
DUTY STATION: Baltimore or Greenbelt, depending on court needs; CLOSING DATE: Open Until Filled
applicants should be prepared to work in either division. with first preference given to those
who apply by April 13, 2020*
SALARY: JSP 11 = $72,030 graduation from an accredited law school
JSP 12 = $86,335 one year of post-law school graduation experience and bar membership
JSP 13 = $102,663 two years of post-law school graduation experience and bar membership
JSP 14 = $121,316 three years of post-law school graduation experience and bar membership
The Pro Se Staff Attorney works directly under the supervision of a supervising staff attorney and the Chief
Judge. The Staff Attorney provides assistance to all the district court judges regarding substantive legal and
procedural review of prisoner civil litigation, instituted with or without an attorney, including state and federal
prisoner habeas corpus petitions and civil rights complaints and also provides assistance to all the district court
judges regarding substantive legal screening and initial processing of non-prisoner pro se civil litigation. Pro Se
Staff Attorney positions are subject to available funding provided by the Administrative Office of the United States
Courts, dependent upon annual court filings.
Duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
 Substantive screening of petitions and complaints.
 Drafting appropriate opinions and orders for review by District Judges, including motions to dismiss and for
summary judgment, and final habeas opinions.
 Case management, including monitoring dockets to assure the proper progress of cases.
 Providing information, guidance, and advice to judges and chambers law clerks on legal issues relating to
prisoner cases.
 Assisting staff with interpretation of pleadings filed by self-represented litigants.
 Performing other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Requirements:
Required:
 Strong academic background and demonstrated research and writing ability.
 Strong verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to work effectively with a variety of
people either in person or on the phone.
 Excellent organizational skills and experience handling multiple tasks and projects.
 Ability to work with strict deadlines and in a fast-paced environment.
 Maturity, good judgment, and high ethical standards.
 Ability to work independently and as a team player, with a positive work attitude.
Preferred:
 Working knowledge of prisoner and constitutional law.
 Clerkship experience.
 Two years of legal work experience.
Federal Benefits:
 10 paid holidays per year.
 Paid annual leave in the amount of 13 days per year for the first three years; 20 days after three years;
and 26 days after fifteen years of federal service.
 Paid sick leave in the amount of 13 days per year.
 Mandatory participation in the Federal Employees Retirement Program and the Social Security
program.
 Optional participation in the Thrift Savings Plan, the Federal Employees Health, Dental, Vision and Life
Insurance programs, the Long-Term Disability Plan, Long-Term Care Insurance and Flexible Benefits
programs and the Commuter Benefit program.
How to Apply:
Submit resume, writing sample, AO-78 Application for Federal Employment and a cover letter stating the
reason for your interest in the position as a single PDF document to: [email protected] Include the
job title for which you are applying in the subject header of the email.
Failure to submit a complete and signed cover letter, writing sample, resume and AO-78 will result in
immediate disqualification. The Description of Work section of the AO-78 must be completed to include salary
information; merely indicating “see resume” is not acceptable. Incomplete and/or unsigned applications will
not be considered, returned or retained. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted and must
travel at their own expense.
**To ensure first consideration, all information must be received at the above email address on or
before 5:00 p.m. on April 13, 2020. Incomplete packets will not be considered.
*******************************************************
 Due to the volume of applications received, the court will only communicate with those individuals
invited for an interview.
 The United States District Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applications will be reviewed to
identify the best qualified candidates.
 In the event a position becomes vacant in either division and in a similar classification within a
reasonable time from the original announcement, the Clerk of Court may select an appointee from the
candidates who responded to the initial announcement without posting the vacancy.
Conditions of Employment:
 Applicants must be a United States citizen or national or a permanent resident who is seeking
citizenship in the United States. Successful candidate for this position is subject to a full fingerprint and
background records check and mandatory electronic direct deposit of salary payment.
 This is a sensitive position within the Federal Judiciary. The selected candidate will be hired
provisionally, pending the successful completion of the required background investigation and favorable
employment suitability determination.
 Selected applicant will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. Failure to successfully
complete the probationary period may result in termination of employment. Positions in the United
States Courts are excepted appointments, are not under the Civil Service System, and are “at will”
employees.
 Employees must adhere to the Code of Conduct of Judicial Employees which is available at:
http://www.uscourts.gov/RulesAndPolicies/CodeOfConduct.aspx
 The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the job
announcement, and/or to commence interviews immediately, any of which actions may occur without
prior written or other notice.