Staff Attorney - Criminal Courts

Travis County • Austin, TX

18h • Onsite

About The Position

This is a staff attorney position for the criminal courts in Travis County. Practices civil or criminal law for Texas County or District government. This classification handles cases and matters that are moderately complex and that may result in moderately severe consequences without supervision.

Requirements

• J.D./LL.B. from an accredited law school
• Six (6) years licensed attorney work experience.
• Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas.
• Knowledge of jurisprudence, criminal and civil law and procedures, including constitutional and statutory law.
• Knowledge of Federal, State, Local and County applicable laws, rules, regulations and guidelines.
• Knowledge of methods and practices of pleading cases and of effective techniques for presentation of cases in court or to effectively present facts and precedents verbally and in writing in law related matters.
• Knowledge of policies, practices, procedures and legal terminology related to court system.
• Knowledge of computer equipment to include word processing, spreadsheets, databases and a variety of software packages.
• Knowledge of business letter writing, grammar and punctuation, and report preparation.
• May be required to develop knowledge of and adhere to federal and state laws requiring the confidential handling of certain health information.
• Skill in problem-solving and decision-making.
• Skill in analyzing and appraising facts, policies, procedures and legal precedents in area of specialty.
• Skill in both verbal and written communication, including presentations.
• Ability to conduct legal research and analysis, both manually and electronically.
• Ability to present facts, precedents and arguments verbally and in writing and apply negotiation skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to manage time well and perform multiple tasks, and organize diverse activities.
• Ability to work well under pressure and exercise tact in trying situations.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with departmental clientele, representatives of outside agencies, other County employees and officials, and the general public.

Responsibilities

• Performs legal research.
• Searches resources and studies legal records and documents to obtain information applicable to case or issue under consideration.
• Drafts briefs, motions, orders, jury charges, and other legal documents, as well as correspondence and reports.
• Coordinates legislative matters for the District Court Judges which includes monitoring relevant criminal-justice legislation and drafting potential new legislation or amendments to existing laws.
• Reviews and makes recommendations on all post-conviction writ applications and DNA motions.
• Reviews and responds as appropriate to inmate mail.
• Promptly informs and alerts the district judges about any relevant case law decisions possibly impacting the criminal district courts and the decision-making process.
• Consults with the Court Administrator regarding legal options and legal matters related to the operations of the Criminal Courts.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level