Staff Attorney - Military veterans preferred

The Maryland Judiciary offers a generous benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, tuition assistance, continuing education programs, employee assistance programs, and State Retirement and Pension plans. Telework, up to 2 days per week, may also be available. Telework eligibility is based on job functions and the approval of the Administrative Head.

Main Purpose of Role:

The Staff Attorney position is assigned to the Clerk's Office in the Appellate Court of Maryland.  The incumbent will have two major functions:

Manage the workflow of motions filed with the Court, which involves reviewing and analyzing motions, conducting research, applying statutes, rules, caselaw, and Court policies to prepare recommendations for the Chief Judge, other judges, and for Panels of judges of the Court.  Presentations to judges may be made both orally and in writing.  The employee drafts orders for judge's review and signature.

Assists in the review of Opinions prior to filing to check for formatting, typographical, citation or other errors. The employee will work with judges to make necessary corrections to Opinions prior to filing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Analyze motions, conduct legal research on issues raised, review record materials as needed to provide a complete picture of issues raised, and apply statutes, Rules, caselaw, and Court policies to determine appropriate treatment and proposed resolution on the motions.

Prepare oral presentation and/or written memoranda to the judges of the Court outlining the issues raised by the motion, providing an analysis of the issues and an appropriate recommendation to the Court together with a draft proposed order for the review and signature of the judges.

Review Opinions submitted for filing for formatting, grammatical, typographical, citation, or other errors for correction prior to filing. Communicate with judges concerning corrections to Opinions. 

Other duties as assigned (e.g. review records, review briefs, draft correspondence, contact parties and/or counsel as directed by the Court, review mandates prior to issuance by the Clerk, etc.)

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: Juris Doctorate and a member in good standing of the Maryland Bar

Experience: Two (2) years legal work experience to include legal research, analysis, and writing.

Preferred:  Three (3) years of experience in the legal profession following graduation from law school. Prior appellate experience, legal clerkship, or other related experience preferred. Experience in providing concise oral presentations of legal issues, analysis, and recommendations. Experience with public service preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge: Maryland legal resources (Statutes, case law, and Rules) and the appellate process sufficient to prepare memoranda for the Court on assigned cases.

Skills: Use of word processing programs (e.g. Word) to draft memoranda and proposed orders for judges and appellate panels.  Use of legal research tools (e.g. Lexis/Westlaw/library resources) to conduct legal research on issues presented by the litigants and the record.  Citation formatting using standard citation references (e.g. Bluebook). Independently write concise and clear legal analysis with grammatical precision. 

Deal appropriately with lawyers, court staff, and litigants. Respectfully and calmly explain oftentimes complex legal situations. Identify and analyze case administration issues and solutions. Identify and analyze evolving issues impacting appellate issues.

Abilities: Analyze legal issues, the record, and arguments of the parties and apply independent legal research to reach conclusions resolving issues raised on appeal.  Work independently with little or no supervision to track motions workflow, prioritize work, determine the appropriate treatment of motions, prepare comprehensive analyses both orally and in writing to the judges of the Court, provide a recommended resolution to the judges, prepare proposed orders for judges. Self-edit independent work. 

Selection Process:

Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration. It is essential that you provide complete and accurate information on your application. Please report all related education, experience, dates, and hours of work. If you have held more than one (1) position at the same employer, you must list each position that you held, the length of time that you held each position, and the corresponding duties. Description of duties that state, "see resume" will negatively impact consideration for this position. Applicants will not be contacted for additional information. Only applicants considered for this position will be contacted.

Complete applications must be submitted by the closing date. Information submitted after this date will not be added. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application.

For further information please contact Talent Acquisition at .

The Maryland Judiciary is an equal-opportunity employer committed to fostering a workplace culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, familial status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. Applicants who need an ADA Accommodation during the application and/or interview process should send their via email to or call 410-260-1732. The Maryland Judiciary is a drug-free workplace. Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.

Please find the Maryland Judiciary's equal employment opportunity policy here: .