Description:
Job Summary:The Senior Staff Attorney, Appointed is a career-track court professional, conducts legal research, drafts court orders and memoranda, advises the judge on legal issues as required. This position functions as part of a cross-trained team responsible for litigation processing and docket management. This position is appointed by an elected official to serve in a “highly intimate and sensitive position of responsibility”, under the direct supervision of the elected official.
Essential Duties:
- The staff attorney performs legal research and drafts proposed orders for an assigned judge. Provides legal advice and opinions to judges and court staff. Prepares legal summaries of facts and arguments for cases brought before the court.
- Drafts legal memoranda, proposed orders, and jury charges on court cases and specific points of law as required by the assigned judge. Reviews legal opinions and various legal publications for research purposes.
- Stays current on relevant laws, regulations, and court processes and procedures. Provides legal analysis of appellate opinions, motions, jury charges and court documents and monitors for compliance with established court rules and procedures.
- Applies training and experience to caseload to identify and ensure emergency issues are addressed in a timely and appropriate manner. Supervises other court personnel within chambers at the discretion of the assigned judge.
- Provides information, guidance and direction to attorneys, patrons of the court, other court employees and other agency representatives regarding applicable case management policies and procedures. Provides information to attorneys and other concerned parties regarding cases on court calendar.
- Trial judges responsible for litigation processing and docket management are supported by a three person team of court professionals. Team members provide lead direction and guidance to lawyers and litigants navigating the litigation process before the judge. The team functions collaboratively to facilitate orderly case management and court proceedings, including analyzing and prioritizing the flow of work relating to all case types comprising a judicial caseload.
- Areas of primary responsibility are divided among team members as determined by the judge. As part of the litigation and docket management support unit, the staff attorney may assist in case flow and litigation process management, including scheduling, caseload progression analysis, development, and implementation of strategies and procedures for management of the docket from case filing to disposition across case types or with respect to specific aspects of the litigation process such as motions practice.
Qualifications:
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Requires knowledge of theories, principles, and practices of civil and criminal procedure as well as substantive areas of criminal, civil, juvenile, and family law. Techniques used to conduct legal research. Court practices and procedures. Legal practices and procedures related to area of assignment. Legal terminology. Principles and practices of legal document preparation. Knowledge of theories, principles, and practices of differentiated case management. General office practices, procedures, equipment, and technology including court-specific software.
Requires skill in: Organizing and prioritizing substantive legal work. Reviewing and evaluating legal sufficiency and soundness of submissions to the court from litigants. Applying legal principles and theories to unique factual circumstances. Efficient, timely analysis of complex legal issues across multiple areas of substantive law. Conducting effective legal research and drafting sound legal documents. Identifying and investigating the facts of legal matters. Using spreadsheet, database, word processing, presentation, financial/accounting and other software to gather, organize, analyze, and present information. Resolving problems and making decisions. Functioning collaboratively as part of a judicial litigation/docket management team to include, understanding and applying recognized principles and techniques of differentiated case management. Understanding and using Court-specific computer applications to manage court processes, gather and analyze statistics, and create reports. Maintaining confidentiality. Building sustainable working relationships with other County personnel, officials, and the public. Communicating effectively orally and in writing with judges, coworkers, litigants, lawyers and the public.
Education and Experience:
Juris Doctorate degree required; and three or more years of experience practicing law (at least one year lead or supervisory experience is preferred).
Licensing Requirements:
Member in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia. May require a valid Georgia driver's license.
Physical Requirements:
Work is typically performed in an office-like environment. May work in high conflict situations and with difficult, sometimes dangerous parties. Positions in this class typically require sitting, standing, mobility, fingering, lifting, carrying, driving, talking, hearing, and seeing.
Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.
