SUPERVISORY TRIAL ATTORNEY

DC Department of Human Resources; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 117,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia seeks a Section Chief for the Juvenile Specialty Courts and Truancy Section within the Public Safety Division. This role oversees attorneys and non-attorneys, guiding the juvenile delinquency and truancy practice with emphasis on intake, charging, motions, and placement matters.

The candidate must have a J.D. and DC Bar eligibility, with 5–10 years of prosecutorial and managerial experience, and a proven ability to lead fast-paced,

Qualifications

• J.D. required from ABA-accredited law school.
• Active DC Bar member or able to waive in within 360 days of appointment.
• 5–10 years of prosecutor and managerial experience desirable.
• Knowledge of District truancy, criminal, and juvenile systems; strong leadership and supervision skills.

Responsibilities

• Establish policies and priorities related to litigation within the Section for internal consistency and public accountability.
• Review and approve pleadings, motions, memoranda, and correspondences.
• Provide guidance and supervision to attorneys in investigations, charging, and litigation.

Skills

Leadership

Staff supervision

Legal advocacy

Oral and written communication

Case management

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.) from ABA-accredited law school

Job description

Job Summary

Located in the nation’s capital, The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is the chief legal office of the District of Columbia. The OAG enforces the laws of the District, defends, and provides legal advice to the District’s government agencies and protects the interests of the District’s residents. This position is located in the Public Safety Division within the Juvenile Specialty Courts and Truancy Section (JSCT).

The Public Safety Division consists of six sections. The Domestic Violence and Special Victims Section and the Mental Health Sections protect victims of domestic violence, incapacitated adults who are being abused, and mentally ill adults who need emergency psychiatric care. The Restorative Justice and Victim Services Section facilitates conferences between the young people who commit crime and the victim, where the victim is interested. The Juvenile Section holds young people who commit crimes accountable, protects the community, and assists in the rehabilitation of those individuals. The Criminal Section prosecutes certain adult misdemeanor offenses. The JSCT Section, described more fully below, handles specialty courts for juveniles and various truancy programs.

Duties And Responsibilities

The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia is seeking candidates for the position of Section Chief for the Juvenile Specialty Courts and Truancy Section of the Public Safety Division (PSD). The selected candidate will work under the supervision of the Assistant Deputy Attorney General of the PSD, and the Deputy Attorney General of the PSD. The Section Chief will oversee the direct supervision of up to two line attorneys and 11 non-attorneys.

JSCT has five primary responsibilities. JSCT handles the Juvenile Behavioral Diversion Program (JBDP), which is the mental health court for eligible youth with cases brought in the Family Court of the District of Columbia Superior Court. The attorneys manage all aspects from intake to graduation including motions practice and stakeholders meetings.

JSCT is responsible for all Person in Need of Supervision (PINS) prosecutions which includes youth who exhibit truancy, runaway, and curfew behaviors in the District of Columbia. For non-court involved matters, JSCT manages all aspects of the case openings and screening process like pre-charging decisions and referrals to evidence-informed, community-based interventions. For court involved matters, the attorneys manage all aspects from intake and charging, through motions to sentencing and placement for youth charged with PINS.

JSCT handles criminal referrals against parents or guardians who fail to ensure their minor children’s school attendance in violation of the District’s Compulsory School Attendance Act. JSCT manages all aspects of the pre-charging process which includes operating OAG’s Addressing Truancy Through Engagement and Negotiated Dialogue (ATTEND) Program. ATTEND is an in-house program designed to reduce chronic absenteeism of younger students (ages 5 to 12) and provide prosecution alternatives (diversion) for parents through case management and mediation services.

The JSCT Section also participates in many interagency law enforcement and juvenile justice initiatives, participates in truancy reduction programs, and works closely with the Restorative Justice Section and Victim Services to run PSD’s Master of Social Work Internship Program which supports various division operations. Additionally, the Section Chief facilitates coordination between ATTEND and OAG’s Family Services Division to implement long term strategies and interventions for families being considered for criminal and neglect court proceedings. The Section Chief will have a leadership role in many of these interagency and internal projects.

The primary responsibilities of the Section Chief include supervision of staff and all other aspects of management related to a juvenile delinquency/criminal practice and truancy initiatives. The Section Chief supervises all aspects of a criminal litigation practice, including evaluation of line attorneys, reviewing written motions, and assisting with litigation strategies. The Section Chief supervises all aspects of the non-litigation functions of the Section, including evaluation of non-attorneys, daily work processes, truancy program development and implementation. Good judgment, strong written communication skills, and experience working in a fast-paced environment are critical. Five to ten years’ experience as a prosecutor and managerial experience, as well as familiarity with the District’s truancy, criminal, and juvenile systems are desirable.

Responsibilities

• Establishing policies and priorities related to litigation of the cases within the Section’s purview to ensure both internal consistency and public accountability.
• Reviewing and approving pleadings, motions, memoranda, and correspondences.
• Providing advice, guidance, and supervision to attorneys in investigations, charging, and litigation.
• Reviewing litigation outcomes and making timely recommendations where appellate review is needed.
• Providing oversight and direct assistance of ATTEND in elementary and middle schools across the District.
• Regularly monitoring progress by staff in assigned cases and other matters/projects.
• Working closely with the Chiefs of the Juvenile Section, Restorative Justice Victim Services Section, and the Domestic Violence and Special Victims Section.
• Participating in high-level meetings regarding policies and practices in the juvenile justice and truancy arenas.
• Collaborating with law enforcement to promote public safety.
• Collaborating with agency partners and stakeholders to promote school attendance district wide.
• Helping develop innovative, evidence-based truancy prevention projects.
• Attending community meetings related to concerns about truancy and its prevention, and public safety issues.
• Collecting, maintaining, and distributing timely, accurate, and up-to-date data on the Section’s activities, including collecting and tabulating various statistics.

KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION

• Comprehensive knowledge of the mission, functions, organization, policies, and system requirements of the District and Federal governments, as well as the mission and work processes of the Office of the Attorney General.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the concepts, theories, principles, practices, and techniques of legal processes sufficient to supervise and direct representation of the office.
• Knowledge of precedent court cases.
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative analytic methods and techniques to analyze data and to identify and isolate controlling legal issues from complex factual situations.
• Knowledge of the current automated systems to identify required data.
• Knowledge of management and organizational techniques, specification for extraction of ad hoc reports from automated systems, and other procedures that can be applied in the conduct of a wide variety of analytical studies and special projects related to legal matters.
• Knowledge of and the ability to ensure the application of Equal Employment Opportunity regulations and requirements.
• Knowledge of legal advocacy tactics and strategies as well as pre-trial techniques.
• Skill in oral and written communication to ensure effective and efficient communications on legal matters.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with individuals and groups interested in or affected by the function of the Office.
• Ability to lead and supervise a subordinate legal and social services staff.

Qualifications And Education

Incumbent must have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school at the time of appointment.

Prior Managerial Experience Is Preferred

LICENSE AND CERTIFICATION

The incumbent must be an active member in good standing of the District of Columbia Bar or have the ability to waive in and be admitted within 360 days of appointment.

Other Significant Factors

Pay Plan, Series and Grade: LX-905-01

Salary Range: The starting salary for this position is negotiable up to $130,000. depending on qualifications and availability of funds.

Number of Vacancies: One (1)

Tour of Duty: Monday-Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

In-person reporting with limited telework or flexible work schedules available upon eligibility.

Promotion Potential: No known promotion potential.

Collective Bargaining Unit: This position is not in the collective bargaining unit.

GENERAL SUITABILITY SCREENING: The selected candidate will be subject to a background investigation including reference checks.

RESIDENCY PREFERENCE: Applicants claiming “Residency Preference” will be required to maintain residency in the District of Columbia for a minimum of (7) years. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of employment.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: The District of Columbia Government does not discriminate or retaliate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, family responsibilities, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, homeless status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, participation in a legally protected activity, parental status, matriculation, personal appearance, credit information, status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, sexual offense, or stalking, military service, or other non‑merit factor.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION: In accordance with the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977, as amended, D.C. Code

2-1401.01. et. seq., (the Act) the District of Columbia does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, disability, genetic information, source of income, or place of residence or business. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that is also prohibited by the Act. In addition, harassment based on any of the above-protected categories is prohibited by the Act. Discrimination in violation of the Act will not be tolerated. Violators will be subject to disciplinary action.

OFFICIAL JOB OFFERS ARE TO BE MADE ONLY BY THE HUMAN RESOURCES SECTION OF THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL