Position: Staff Attorney

Salary Range: $78,424 to $101,595
Opening Date: Currently accepting applications
Closing Date: Position open until filled
Area of Consideretion: All Sources
Organization Location: District of Columbia Sentencing and Criminal Code Revision Commission, 441 4th St., NW, Suite 830 South, Washington, DC  20001
Phone: (202) 727.8822

 

The District of Columbia Sentencing & Criminal Code Revision Commission is an independent agency of District of Columbia government consisting of twenty members. The agency staff presently consists of 7 employees. The Commission developed and implemented sentencing guidelines used by judges in felony cases in the Superior Court in the District of Columbia. The Commission monitors compliance with the guidelines and evaluates reasons for authorized and unauthorized departures, provides training to judges and practitioners on guideline application, and conducts research on sentencing in the Superior Court. The Commission is also responsible for reform of the Criminal Code to create a uniform and coherent body of criminal law in the District of Columbia. Additional information about the Commission can be accessed via the Commission’s website at http://sentencing.dc.gov

 

Duties and Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the Staff Attorney include legal, technical and policy support to the Commission and assisting the Commission in monitoring sentencing guidelines for the District and revising the District’s criminal code.  Legal support entails legal services and legal advice regarding criminal sentencing practices in the District and criminal code reform. Technical support includes monitoring guideline reporting and compliance, conducting guidelines training, addressing questions about the correct application of the sentencing guidelines, participating in preparation and annual amendment of the agency’s Sentencing Guidelines Manual and portions of the annual report and drafting proposed legislation. Policy support entails preparing and presenting Commission policy findings to policy makers.  Answering questions regarding guidelines implementation from defense attorneys, prosecutors, presentence report writers and the Court based on the guidelines manual and the stated policies of the Commission is the primary responsibility of the staff attorney.  The attorney must also recognize when a question poses a novel issue for Commission consideration and work with the relevant Commissioners to achieve resolution.

 

Mandatory Education and Qualification Requirements
Applicants must possess a law degree (JD) from an accredited law school.  Applicants should have a law license in the District of Columbia or be eligible to waive into the District.  (The applicant will be expected to submit his/her application to waive into the District within 90 days of assuming the staff attorney position.)  Applicants must have excellent skills in legal research, analysis, writing, and editing.  Applicants also must be highly organized and able to keep track of how questions and issues have been resolved.  Applicants must also possess the ability to express, orally and in writing, complex issues in clear and succinct language so that the concepts are understood by both lawyers and non-lawyers.  In addition, applicants must possess effective presentation skills in business meetings and public forums and have the ability to serve as a spokesperson for the agency and to develop and maintain harmonious and effective working relationships with a diverse group of organizations and key individuals.     

 

Highly competitive applicants will have education and/or experience in the following areas:
(1) Sentencing policy, practice and guidelines in the District of Columbia and/or elsewhere;
(2) Criminal law and procedure in the District of Columbia and/or elsewhere;

 

Residency Requirement
The person hired for this position must be, or must within 180 days of assuming the position become, a resident of the District of Columbia.

 

How to Apply: To be considered, applicants must submit by mail or e-mail (1) a cover letter; (2) a resume; (3) a DC form 2000, and (3) a legal writing sample of 5-10 pages.  If the applicant graduated from law school in May 2007 or later, an official law school transcript should also be submitted. 

 

To submit application materials via e-mail:
Kelley.Thomas@dc.gov

 

To submit application materials by mail
Send to:
Kelley Thomas, HR advisor
District of Columbia Sentencing & Criminal Code Revision Commission
441 4th St., NW  Suite 830 South
Washington, DC  20001
Phone: 202.727.8822
Fax: 202.727.7929
webpage: http://sentencing.dc.gov