Judicial Staff Attorney

City-of-Suffolk; Suffolk (VA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

City employee benefits

Job summary

City of Suffolk seeks a Judicial Staff Attorney licensed in Virginia to perform professional legal services for the Judges of the Fifth Judicial Circuit. Duties include reviewing civil and criminal motions, drafting memoranda, and preparing civil orders and opinions for the Court.

The role requires advising on procedural issues, researching statutes, and supporting court operations. The position reports to the Chief Circuit Court Judge and requires strong research, writing, and communication

Qualifications

• Virginia law knowledge and admission to the bar.
• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school.
• 1–2 years of civil and/or criminal practice preferred.
• Strong research, writing, and analytical skills.
• Proficiency with Westlaw and Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Review motions for compliance with procedural requirements.
• Contact non-compliant attorneys to bring motions into compliance before motions day.
• Provide statutes and rules to judges for review on simple issues.
• Write bench briefs involving legal research and analysis on complex issues.
• Assist with and attend motions arguments in court.
• Draft opinion letters for the judges as requested.
• Review Orders, Petitions and Motions for compliance and respond to parties/counsel.
• Prepare draft Orders including pro se matters and orders related to various motions or dismissals.
• Coordinate with Circuit Court Clerk’s Office for matters involving Pro se parties; respond to inquiries.
• Attend/review docket recordings to note rulings or party agreements.
• Coordinate hearings and Orders when judges are assigned to special Virginia matters.
• Perform legal research and analysis for habeas corpus petitions and draft opinions.
• Prepare responses to correspondence from prisoners or counsel.
• Prepare civil support guidelines for Pendente Lite hearings.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Skills

Virginia Bar

Legal Research

Legal Writing

Court Procedures

Oral Communication

MS Office Suite

Education

Juris Doctorate

Tools

Westlaw

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

The Judicial Staff Attorney is a Judicial appointed position that qualifies for City employee benefits

The Judges of the Fifth Judicial Circuit seek a Virginia licensed attorney to perform professional legal services for the Judges including the reviewing of civil and criminal motions, researching whether matters are properly served and noticed, conducting legal research, and drafting legal memoranda, prospective civil orders and legal opinions for the Court. The law clerk/staff attorney will work within broad policy and organization guidelines established by the Judges of the Fifth Judicial Circuit. The Employee’s function is necessary to ensure that the Circuit Court serves the public in an effective and efficient manner. Employee must also exercise tact, courtesy, and discretion in frequent contact with attorneys, public officials and employees, and the general public. Reports to the Chief Circuit Court Judge.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.

Serves as staff attorney for the four (4) Circuit Court Judges.

• checking each motion for compliance with procedural legal requirements
• calling non‑compliant lawyers/legal staff, to enable them to bring their motions into compliance before motions day
• providing the judges with statutes and rules, for their review, on simple legal issues
• writing bench briefs involving legal research and analysis on complex legal issues
• assisting with and attending motions arguments in court
• drafting opinion letters for the judges as requested

Reviews a variety of Orders, Petitions and Motions, submitted daily to the Judges, to address compliance with statutory and other legal requirements, and responds to the parties and their counsel regarding such Orders. Examples of cases requiring such Orders are City tax sales, Church petitions for appointment of trustees and acquisition or disposition of real property, Adoptions, Orders pertaining to support, custody, visitation, and disposition of marital property, Rules to Show Cause and enforcement of prior Orders, Final divorce decrees, Name changes, Appointments of Guardians ad litem, and Garnishments.

Prepares draft Orders for various matter, including but limited to Orders for matters involving Pro se parties and Orders related to concealed weapon permits and Orders to vacate, dismiss, remand and continue.

Coordinates with Circuit Court Clerk’s Office as needed, including but not limited to questions regarding files on behalf of Pro se parties. Responds to emails and telephone inquiries by unrepresented parties or attorneys, concerning procedural matter, or to review Orders to determine their compliance with statutory and/or court requirements. Attend and/or review recordings of dockets, per Judge’s request, to note the Judge’s ruling or to record Pro se parties’ agreement to incorporate.

Coordinate hearings and Orders for Judges, when Judges are appointed to special Virginia Supreme Court matters, included but limited to, Virginia State Bar Three-Judge Panels, Election Recount Courts and Supreme Court Commission assignments.

Performs legal research and analysis of legal issues for habeas corpus petitions, including writing bench briefs, and drafting legal opinions regarding the same.

Prepares and/or reviews proposed responses to correspondence received by the Judges and the Clerk of the Court from prisoners and/or their counsel, including requests for sentence reconsideration, requests for approval of in forma pauperis status, requests for documents, complaints, and other miscellaneous requests.

Ability to prepare civil support guidelines for Pendente Lite hearings.

Performs other related duties as required.

Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school; License to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia; with 1 to 2 years of experience in the practice of civil and/or criminal law preferred. Requires a valid driver's license.

Applicants MUST also attach a writing sample upon application in order to be considered.

• Knowledge of Virginia criminal law and procedure.
• Knowledge of Virginia civil law and procedure.
• Knowledge of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
• Knowledge of the rules of evidence and professional responsibility.
• Ability to interpret and apply laws and court decisions, and to use legal source material in technical research.
• Ability to express ideas effectively, orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
• Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving assignments and/or directions from superiors.
• Ability to read a variety of reports, letters, and memos, contracts, deeds, ordinances, resolutions, legal briefs, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, legal briefs, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style.
• Requires proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Proficiency in the use of legal research tools such as Westlaw.
• Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.
• Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems; and to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables.
• Ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract totals; to multiply and divide; and to determine percentages and decimals; understand and apply the theories of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, descriptive statistics, and statistical inference.