Staff Attorney

National Legal Aid & Defender Association; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The California Appellate Project (CAP) is accepting applications for a Staff Attorney position with the Unrepresented Condemned Inmate Project (UCIP). The UCIP Staff Attorney will oversee a caseload of unrepresented incarcerated capitally sentenced people and provide vigorous advocacy on their behalf.

The UCIP attorney will manage intake, record collection, client communications, and collaboration with trial counsel, court staff, and other legal experts.

Qualifications

• Experience with capital cases and habeas corpus proceedings preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a caseload of unrepresented incarcerated capitally sentenced individuals.
• Perform intake and initial record collection; draft Case Information Reports.
• Coordinate with trial counsel, records clerks, court personnel, and other legal experts.
• Maintain regular communication with clients and families; locate witnesses and gather life history records.
• Support administrative appeals and related prison issues as needed.
• Supervise law and paralegal students; contribute to RJA and second look investigations.

Job description

Position Description

California Appellate Project ("CAP") is accepting applications for employment as a Staff Attorney on CAP's Unrepresented Condemned Inmate Project ("UCIP"). The UCIP Staff Attorney will oversee a caseload of unrepresented incarcerated capitally sentenced people and provide vigorous advocacy on their behalf. CAP is a nonprofit legal resource center funded by the Judicial Council of California to implement the constitutional right to counsel for indigent death row inmates challenging their convictions and sentences on direct appeal and through habeas corpus proceedings.

Role and Responsibilities

The UCIP Staff Attorney will be responsible for overseeing a caseload of unrepresented incarcerated capitally sentenced people whose cases require ongoing record collection work, communications with clients (and client advocacy in certain instances), and vigilant attention to applicable changes in the law. Most clients will be without appellate or habeas counsel; some may have appellate counsel; and clemency clients may be included as office priorities require. The UCIP attorney must have superior communication skills to work with a range of people - including clients, client family members, records clerks, court clerks, correctional facility personnel, colleagues, trial counsel, and both in-house and sister agency legal experts who may be called upon to advise on the complex issues arising in capital cases in light of recent legislation.

Specific Duties Include

• For new clients, conducting intake and initial record collection, working with trial counsel, collecting the trial file, and drafting Case Information Reports.
• For all clients, including Morgan petitioners, becoming familiar with the facts of each case and any briefing; evaluating cases for Racial Justice Act review and the applicability of second look sentencing; and reviewing transcripts or supervising law student interns who do so.
• Maintaining regular, ongoing contact with clients, client families, and other witnesses; gathering records and life history documents; and locating witnesses and collecting, or supervising the collection of, their records.
• Assisting incarcerated clients with administrative appeals and other prison issues as needed.
• Training and supervising law and paralegal students to meet RJA and second look legislation needs, record collection and life history investigation goals, and UCIP publications goals.
• Serving as the UCIP's and the office's research attorney on legal questions concerning document gathering and records collection. As part of this responsibility, the UCIP attorney develops expertise in the law governing public and non-public information (e.g., CPRA, FOIA, and HIPAA).
• Preparing for and participating in CAP's New Case Trainings for clients on the caseload as counsel is appointed.
• Conducting interdisciplinary research and continuing education (historical, cultural, psychological, medical, and legal) through reading and attending training events.
• Assisting with urgent, time-sensitive projects that arise for the UCIP or the CAP office.

Working Conditions

CAP's office is in downtown San Francisco, close to public transportation. The position requires some time in the office, and a hybrid schedule is available.