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Pro Se Staff Attorney

Judicial Branch
U.S. Courts
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

Summary

The Richmond Division of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is currently accepting applications for a full-time Pro Se Staff Attorney. The Pro Se Staff Attorney carries primary responsibility for managing Social Security appeals by conducting legal research and preparing draft reports and recommendations, or memorandum opinions and orders, including cases involving self-represented claimants. Preference given to candidates able to start as soon as possible.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$78,009 - $170,806 per year
Pay scale & grade
JS 11 - 14
Promotion potential
14
Learn more about pay scale and grade
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
FY26-35R
Control number
886220200

This job is open to

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

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Duties and responsibilities include:

  • taking primary responsibility for the Court's social security docket;
  • taking primary responsibility for a portion of the Court's immigration and pro se prisoner docket;
  • providing substantive legal analysis of pleadings and making recommendations directly to the judges regarding the disposition of motions;
  • drafting appropriate reports and recommendations, orders, and opinions for review by judges;
  • efficiently managing the flow of the Court's social security, immigration, and pro se prisoner litigation;
  • providing information to judges and Court staff on legal issues unique to social security, immigration, and pro se prisoner litigation;
  • evaluating existing procedures and developing and implementing improved processes for the adjudication of the Court's social security, immigration and pro se prisoner litigation;
  • preparing periodic reports for judges on trends in the respective dockets;
  • conducting legal research and keeping abreast of developments in the law including but not limited to social security appeals, prisoner immigration cases, ยง 1983 cases, and capital habeas cases in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court;
  • reviewing voluminous administrative and state court records and trial transcripts;
  • collaborating with other staff attorneys and chambers law clerks; and
  • performing other duties as assigned.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Employees must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.
  • Employees will be hired provisionally pending the results of a background investigation.
  • Employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.
  • Employees are required to use Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) for payroll deposit.
  • Positions with the United States District Court Clerk's Office are Excepted Service appointments.

Qualifications

JSP Grade 11 ($78,009 - $101,417): Law school graduate (top quarter or law review required) with less than 1 year of legal work experience after the JD.

JSP Grade 12 ($93,499 - $121,551): At least 1 year of legal work experience after the JD. Must be a member of the bar of a state, territorial, or federal court of general jurisdiction.

JSP Grade 13 ($111,183 - $144,540): At least 2 years of legal work experience after the JD. Must be a member of the bar of a state, territorial, or federal court of general jurisdiction.

JSP Grade 14 ($131,385- $170,806): At least 3 years of legal work experience after the JD. Must be a member of the bar of a state, territorial, or federal court of general jurisdiction.

Education

Law school graduate (top quarter or law review required).

Additional information

  • Excepted service appointments are at will and can be terminated with or without cause by the Court.
  • To view the full job announcement please visit our website at www.vaed.uscourts.gov/jobs.

The United States District Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

All applications will be reviewed to identify the best qualified candidates. Only applicants selected for an interview will be notified. Applicants not selected for an interview will not receive notice concerning the status of their application.

U.S. Courts

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is part of the judicial branch of the federal government. There are 94 U.S. District Courts in the country with at least one in every state and in all U.S. territories.
Virginia is bifurcated geographically and consists of two Districts - the Eastern District and the Western District. The Eastern District of Virginia has four divisions: Alexandria, Norfolk, Newport News, and Richmond. There are approximately 6.5 million residents within the Eastern District of Virginia's jurisdiction.
Federal courts hear cases involving the constitutionality of laws, disputes between states, and criminal cases originating from various federal agencies with law enforcement authority.

Agency contact information

Human Resources
Email
Mara_Shingleton@vaed.uscourts.gov
Address
US District Court and US Probation Office - Eastern District of Virginia
701 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at U.S. Courts, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/jobs

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