Assistant Chief - Appellate Division

Montgomery County (PA); Norristown (Montgomery County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Montgomery County District Attorney's Office seeks an Assistant Chief of the Appellate Division to support the Division Chief. The role involves supervising attorneys, mentoring staff, and advancing appellate post-conviction work.

The candidate drafts briefs, argues in high courts, and helps maintain conviction integrity. The position requires a law degree, PA bar admission, and solid appellate/criminal litigation experience, with strong leadership and writing skills.

Qualifications

• Law degree and PA bar admission required.
• Strong supervisory and leadership capabilities.
• Extensive appellate and criminal litigation experience.
• Excellent written and spoken communications.
• In-depth knowledge of PA criminal justice standards.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and mentor Appellate Division Attorneys; monitor performance.
• Draft briefs and legal memoranda; argue cases in state and federal courts.
• Prepare and present criminal cases before PA appellate courts and US courts.
• Identify administrative issues; implement best practices in appellate work.
• Maintain case statistics and file division reports as required.
• Review recent decisions/rules; ensure prosecutor compliance.
• Provide guidance on appeals and post-conviction strategy.
• Collaborate with Professional Standards Deputy District Attorney on policy.
• Organize trainings to ensure staff compliance with ethics and law.
• Assign appeals and post-conviction matters to staff as directed.

Skills

Leadership

Appellate advocacy

Legal writing

Criminal litigation

Legal research

Policy development

Mentoring

Communication skills

Time management

Multi-tasking

Education

Juris Doctor (Law Degree)

Pennsylvania Bar Admission

Job description

The Assistant Chief of the Appellate Division provides managerial support to the Division Chief in that this position (1) directly supervises, trains, monitors, and mentors Assistant District Attorneys in the Unit; (2) cultivates and implements best practices in the post-sentencing and appellate stages of litigation; and (3) identifies administrative issues in the post-sentencing and appellate pipeline and problem-solves to ensure efficient and fair prosecution in the post-sentencing and appellate phases. The Assistant Chief is also responsible for the preparation and presentation of criminal cases before the state appellate courts of Pennsylvania, the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. More specifically, the Assistant Chief drafts briefs and other legal memoranda; argues cases before the state trial and appellate courts and the federal trial and appellate courts; handles post-conviction evidentiary hearings cases in both state and federal courts; and, at the direct of the Division Chief, edits briefs and post-conviction responses prepared and filed by Appellate Division attorneys.

• Monitoring and evaluating performance of Appellate Division Attorneys and providing guidance as needed.
• Working to teach Assistant District Attorneys in the Division by objectively assessing adequacy of case on appeal and making recommendations regarding brief-writing and appellate advocacy.
• Taking necessary action to ensure conviction integrity.
• Make oneself available to Assistant District Attorneys during all hours to assist and advise them in their challenges with appeals or post-sentencing matters.
• Identify ineffective and/or unsuitable Division procedures.
• Collaborate with Professional Standards Deputy District Attorney to identify, establish, and enforce policy designed to promote best practices.
• Growing and honing knowledge of appellate advocacy and complex legal issues to become an expert in the field and provide sound guidance to Assistant District Attorneys. This includes but is not limited to keeping abreast of statutory changes, evolving case law, available investigative tools, and oral advocacy techniques.
• Participating in community partnerships through individual relationships with various community agencies and committee meetings.
• Implementing training and educational programs in conjunction with Division Chief and Professional Standards Deputy District Attorney to ensure staff compliance with applicable ethical and legal obligations.
• Assigning appeals and post-conviction matters to Appellate Division Assistant District Attorneys, as directed by the Appellate Division Chief.
• Drafting appellate briefs in all types of criminal matters and arguing the cases before the Pennsylvania Superior Court, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
• Preparing responses, arguing, and litigating evidentiary hearings in opposition to Post Conviction Relief Act petitions on behalf of the Commonwealth in the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County.
• Preparing responses, arguing, and litigating evidentiary hearings in opposition to petitions for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of the Commonwealth in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Philadelphia.
• Providing guidance to trial prosecutors regarding legal issues that arise before, during, or after trial to ensure a record is adequately preserved to ensure Commonwealth's success in the event of an appeal or post-conviction action.
• Reviewing new court decisions and new court rules and recommending internal changes to meet requirements.
• Regularly reviewing both the Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure to ensure that all prosecutors are in compliance with those rules.
• Advising the District Attorney on potential Commonwealth appeals in the state and federal appellate courts and litigating those appeals when pursued by the Commonwealth.
• Researching legislative issues.
• Reviewing applications for clemency and requests for pardons filed with the Board of Pardons and recommending dispositions.
• Assisting with maintaining case statistics; preparing and filing division reports as required.
• Reviewing defendants' filings to ensure the integrity of the conviction.
• Summarizing recent case law for Law Enforcement Newsletter distributed to local police departments.
• Conducting legal research and preparing legal memoranda offering guidance to attorneys throughout the Office.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.

• Law Degree and Pennsylvania Bar admission.
• Supervisory/Management experience.
• Minimum of five years’ criminal prosecution and/or appellate experience.
• Good communications skills, both oral and written.
• Strong decision‑making skills.
• Analytical skills.
• Strong research and writing skills.
• Appellate advocacy skills.
• Trial advocacy skills.
• Knowledge of the criminal justice system.
• Knowledge of Pennsylvania legal and ethical standards applicable to prosecutors.
• Familiarity with District Attorney's Office structure, mission and policies.
• Ability to multi‑task and prioritize tasks.
• Time management skills.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; and talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands or arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision and depth perception.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.