Appellate Brief Writer

The Office of the Bronx District Attorney; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Pre-tax health and dependent care

Annual and sick leave

Deferred compensation

NYC Employees’ Retirement System

Additional benefits

Job summary

The Office of the Bronx District Attorney in New York seeks a skilled Appellate Brief Writer to perform substantive legal research, drafting appellate briefs, and provide litigation support. This role emphasizes independent management of assignments and high-level analytical writing.

Ideal candidates will have strong experience in researching complex legal authorities and producing clear advocacy. Legal education and New York Bar admission are not required for this position, and the office

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or J.D. and demonstrated superior analytical and persuasive writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear, concise, well-organized, and compelling written work.
• Experience conducting research and analyzing complex records, sources, and authorities.
• Exceptional attention to detail and superb organizational skills.
• Ability to independently manage writing assignments and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency with Word, Excel, Outlook, and Adobe Acrobat; familiarity with Westlaw or Lexis.

Responsibilities

• Draft appellate briefs, motions, memoranda, and other legal documents under supervisor guidance.
• Assist with filing motions and briefs; proofreading, cite-checking, and table generation.
• Conduct legal and legislative history research using Westlaw and other resources.
• Format documents for court filing in compliance with rules and guidelines.
• Maintain digital files and case-tracking databases.

Skills

Legal research

Analytical writing

Persuasive writing

Time management

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

J.D., LL.B., LL.M. or equivalent

Tools

Westlaw

Lexis

Microsoft Word

Legal research platforms

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

The Bronx District Attorney’s Office is seeking well-qualified staff whose diverse backgrounds reflect an ability to serve the over 1.4 million members of the Bronx County community and pursue a safer Bronx through fair justice. The Appeals Bureau seeks a highly skilled Appellate Brief Writer to provide substantive legal research, writing, and litigation support under the supervision of an Assistant District Attorney. This experienced-level position is designed for exceptional writers and critical thinkers who can analyze complex legal and factual issues and produce clear, persuasive written advocacy.

The successful candidate will independently manage substantive research and writing assignments, prepare comprehensive drafts of appellate briefs and other legal documents, and support specialized appellate and post-conviction litigation. Candidates from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds are encouraged to apply; legal education and New York Bar admission are not required.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Specific duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Draft appellate briefs, motion responses, memoranda, and other substantive legal documents under the supervision of an Assistant District Attorney.
• Assistattorneys with all aspects of filing motions and briefs, such as proofreading, cite-checking, and generatingtables of contents and tables of authorities.
• Conduct legal and legislative history research using Westlaw and other resources.
• Format and prepare documents for filing in compliance with court rules and bureau guidelines.
• Maintain digital files and case tracking databases.
• Coordinate aspects of federal habeas corpus litigation, including case tracking and record preparation.
• Coordinate and manage the Appeals Bureau’s moot court schedule.
• Provide litigation support to Assistant District Attorneys in appellate, post-conviction, and related matters.
• Fulfil defense requests for exhibits.
• Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university orJ.D., LL.B., LL.M., or comparable legal degreeand demonstrated superior analytical and persuasive writing skills
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear, concise, well-organized, and compelling written work.
• Demonstrated experience conducting research and analyzing complex records, source materials, legal authorities, or other information.
• Exceptional attention to detail and superb organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage writing assignments, exercise sound judgment, and meet competing deadlines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, and legal research platforms such as Westlaw or Lexis, or demonstrated ability to develop proficiency with legal research tools quickly.

BENEFITS

• medical, dental, and vision coverage
• pre-tax health, dependent care, and transit spending account options
• annual and sick leave
• deferred compensation
• membership in the NYC Employees’ Retirement System pension plan
• additional employee benefits

LOAN FORGIVENESS

The federal government provides student loan forgiveness through its Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PLF) to all qualifying public service employees. Working with Bronx District Attorney’s Office qualifies you as a public service employee and you may be able to take advantage of this program while working full-time and meeting the program’s other requirements. Please visit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program site to view the eligibility requirements: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.