SUPERVISORY TRIAL ATTORNEY

General Job Information

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 Section.

The Public Safety Division handles all cases where young people commit a law violation in the District of Columbia and prosecutes selected adult misdemeanor cases.

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 Section facilitates conferences between the young people who commit crime and the victim, where the victim is interested.

The Public Corruption Section prosecutes offenses related to fraud that undermine the public trust.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia is seeking candidates for the position of Assistant Section Chief for the Juvenile Section of the Public Safety Division (PSD).

The selected candidate will work under the supervision of the Juvenile Section Chief, two Assistant Deputy Attorneys General of the PSD, and the Deputy Attorney General of the PSD.

The Assistant Section Chief will support the Section Chief with the direct supervision of up to 20-line attorneys and 4 non-attorneys.

The Juvenile Section is responsible for all juvenile prosecutions in the District of Columbia under its jurisdiction. These cases are brought in the Family Court of the District of Columbia Superior Court.

The attorneys manage all aspects from intake and charging, through motions and trial practice, to sentencing and placement.

The Section also participates in many interagency law enforcement and juvenile justice initiatives, participates in crime reduction programs, and works closely with the Restorative Justice Section and the Domestic Violence and Special Victims Section to ensure fair and just treatment of victims and witnesses in juvenile cases.

The Assistant Section Chief will have a leadership role in many of these interagency and internal projects.

The primary responsibilities of the Assistant Section Chief include assisting with the supervision of staff and all other aspects of management related to a demanding criminal practice.

The Assistant Section Chief supervises all aspects of a criminal litigation practice, including evaluation of line attorneys, reviewing written motions, and assisting with trial preparation and litigation strategy.

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 criminal and juvenile systems, are desirable.

Responsibilities of the Assistant Chief will be set by the Deputy Attorney General for PSD and the Chief of the Juvenile Section and may include, but are not limited to, assisting with :

• 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 search warrant applications and charges and providing guidance and training to law enforcement officers.
• Reviewing and approving pleadings, motions, memoranda, and correspondences.
• Providing advice, guidance, and supervision to attorneys in investigations, charging, litigation, and trial strategy.
• Reviewing litigation outcomes and making timely recommendations where appellate review is needed.
• Regularly monitoring progress by staff in assigned cases and other matters / projects.
• Carrying their own juvenile caseload of between 5-10 cases.
• Working closely with the Chiefs of the Domestic Violence and Special Victims Section and the Restorative Justice Section to coordinate the victim and witness assistance program and the restorative justice program.
• Participating in high-level meetings regarding policies and practices in the juvenile justice arena.
• Collaborating with law enforcement to promote public safety.
• Helping develop innovative juvenile crime prevention projects.
• Attending community meetings related to concerns about juvenile crime and its prevention, quality of life, 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 : The successful candidate must possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities :

• 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 staff.

QUALIFICATIONS : The Incumbent must have a law degree and be a member of the District of Columbia Bar or eligible for waiver into the bar.

Must remain a member of the DC Bar in good standing throughout tenure as an attorney. It is preferred that the incumbent have five or more years of experience as a prosecutor and some managerial experience, as well as familiarity with the District’s criminal and juvenile systems.

The ideal candidate should also know District of Columbia criminal law and procedure and have some familiarity with Title 16 of the Code and rules governing Family Court proceedings.

In addition, the candidate must have excellent interpersonal skills, outstanding oral and written communication skills and litigation skills, and the ability to manage in a fast-paced environment.

ELIGIBILITY : The successful candidate must have a law degree and be an active member in good standing of the bar of any jurisdiction.

If not a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the candidate must be sworn into the District of Columbia Bar within 360 days of his / her initial appointment with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

LICENSURE / CERTIFICATIONS : The incumbent must be a member of the District of Columbia Bar or eligible for waiver into the bar.

The incumbent must be sworn into the District of Columbia Bar within 360 days of his / her initial appointment with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS : Interested candidates must apply online. All applications must include (1) cover letter stating why you are interested in the position, (2) resume, and (3) list of three references.

Please upload all required materials as 1 document so that we receive all materials.

Candidates will be able only to submit the application once and will not be able to return to add attachments or make any changes to their application once it has been submitted.

PAY PLAN, SERIES, AND GRADE : LX-0905-1

SALARY RANGE : $124,568 - $152,500

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT : Management Supervisory Service (MSS) : At-will employment applies to the MSS. All positions and appointments in the MSS serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and may be terminated at any time with or without cause.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNIT : This position is outside of the collective bargaining unit.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTS

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

PRIORITY CONSIDERATION : Displaced Employee Priority Placement : Candidates who are eligible for the District of Columbia’s Displaced Employee Program (DEP) and Agency Reemployment Priority Placement Program (ARPP) will be given priority consideration for this position if found qualified.

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS : Selectee will be eligible for health and life insurance, annual (vacation), and sick leave and will be covered under the District of Columbia government’s retirement plan.

However, if the selectee was previously employed in the District of Columbia’s government under an appointment for which he / she was eligible for Civil Service Retirement (CSR), contributions to CSR will resume upon re-employment.

RESIDENCY PREFERENCE : A person applying for a position in the Career Service, Education Service, Management Supervisory Service, an attorney position in the Legal Service (series 905) other than in the Senior Executive Attorney Service (SEAS), or an attorney in the Excepted Service (series 905) who is a bona fide District resident AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION for the position, may be awarded a 10-point residency preference over non-District residents’ applications, unless the person declines the preference points.

If selected, the person shall be required to present proofs of bona fide District residency and maintain such residency for 7 consecutive years from the effective date of the appointment.

Failure to maintain bona fide District residency for the 7-year period will result in forfeiture of employment.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE : Applicants claiming veterans’ preference must submit official proof at the time of application.

DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE : Pursuant to the requirements of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1998, the individual selected to fill this position will, as a condition of employment, be required to notify his / her immediate supervisor, in writing, not later than five (5) days after the conviction of or a plea of guilty to a violation of any criminal drug statute occurring in the workplace.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER : All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, physical disability, matriculation, genetic information, credit information, or status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION : In accordance with the Human Rights Act of 1977, as amended, Official Code, Section et. seq.

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