Research Attorney - Appellate Division

Orange County Superior Court; United States; A distancia; USD 90.000 - 140.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Orange County Superior Court seeks an Appellate Division Research Attorney to join the research team. You will research legal issues in civil and criminal appellate matters, review writs and briefs, and draft clear memoranda and proposed opinions for appellate judges.

The role requires active California Bar membership, at least three years of appellate experience, excellent writing, and strong time management to meet short deadlines.

Formación

• Minimum 3 years of appellate law experience.
• Active California State Bar membership.
• Excellent writing and analytical skills.

Responsabilidades

• Research legal issues in civil and criminal law.
• Review and analyze writs, appellate briefs, trial records, and other documents.
• Draft clear, concise memoranda and proposed opinions.
• Attend judicial case conferences and appellate argument hearings.
• Provide timely recommendations on issue resolution to the court.
• Collaborate with judicial officers and staff; edit and revise work.

Conocimientos

Legal research

Appellate law

Legal writing

Time management

Interpersonal skills

Educación

California Bar admission

Herramientas

Westlaw

LexisNexis

MS Word

Adobe Acrobat

Descripción del empleo

ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT

The Orange County Superior Court was established in 1893 and maintains jurisdiction over a wide range of matters, with our flagship location being the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, with additional courthouses located in Orange (Lamoreaux), Newport Beach (Harbor), Fullerton (North), and Westminster (West), as the fifth-largest trial court in the United States and the third-largest court of general jurisdiction in California. We have more than 140 judicial officers and over 1,500 staff with an operating budget of nearly $280 million.

Our court is recognized for innovation, resource advancements, and community focus while managing over half a million case filings annually and serving a population exceeding three million. The Court's Judges, Commissioners, and employees are recognized for their high standards of achievement, integrity, modernization, and diversity. The Court is committed to ensuring equal access to court services and enhancing public confidence in the court system.

To learn more about the Superior Court of California, County of Orange, visit our homepage at www.occourts.org.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Appellate Division Research Attorneys work under the direction of the Appellate Panel Judges and the General Counsel and report to the Supervising Research Attorney. They are responsible for researching legal issues in both civil and criminal law; carefully reviewing and analyzing writs, appellate briefs, trial records, and other case documents; drafting clear, concise, accurate, and well-organized memoranda and proposed opinions; attending judicial case conferences and Appellate Division oral argument hearings; and making timely recommendations regarding the resolution of legal issues before the court. Additional responsibilities include the ability to discuss issues thoroughly with judicial officers, receive and implement constructive feedback, and work collaboratively to edit and revise one’s work. Excellent analytical, writing, and research skills are required. These positions are responsible for a high-volume of work, often with short deadlines for the completion of assignments and require exceptional self-direction and time management skills, as well as excellent judgment and the performance of duties with the highest degree of integrity in order to uphold the public’s trust and confidence in the administration of justice.

Note: Although most Research Attorney positions are assigned to our Civil Division, our current need is in the Appellate Division, and this recruitment has specifically been opened to fill that need. Attorneys may be reassigned at any time to General Civil, Complex Civil, Criminal, Family Law, Juvenile, or Probate Departments, depending on the needs of the Court.

BAR MEMBERSHIP

Active membership in good standing with the California State Bar.

EXPERIENCE

At least three (3) years of post-California Bar appellate law experience or experience as an appellate judicial staff attorney, or comparable position is required.

WRITING SAMPLE

Applicants must submit a self-edited writing sample with their application. A preferable writing sample consists of an appellate specific brief directed to an appellate division or appellate panel.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five (5) years of experience practicing in one or more of the following areas:Appellate practitioner, an appellate judicial staff attorney, or comparable position emphasizing legal writing and analysis
• Familiarity with appellate practice and writ practice and procedures
• Proficiency in online and windows-based legal research applications, as well as in using MS Word and Adobe Acrobat.
• Excellent research and writing skills are essential, along with the ability to work independently on a wide variety of legal issues of varied complexity, to effectively manage one's time in order to meet stringent time constraints, and to interact professionally with Judicial Officers, colleagues, and court staff.