Senior Staff Attorney

JobSummary

The Senior Staff Attorney is an executive position appointed by the Chief Judge with the approval of the Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 715. The Senior Staff Attorney oversees the Eighth Circuit Staff Attorneys, supervising a staff of 23 attorneys (including 4 supervisory staff attorneys) and 3 support personnel.

LowGrade

16

HighGrade

17

PromotionPotential

None

SubAgencyName

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

OrganizationCodes

JL/JL02

Relocation

False

HiringPath

• public

MCOTags

TotalOpenings

1

AgencyMarketingStatement

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is accepting applications for the position of Senior Staff Attorney.

TravelCode

1

MajorDuties

• The primary responsibility of the Senior Staff Attorney is to ensure the high quality of all substantive legal work performed by the staff attorneys. In addition, the Senior Staff Attorney has administrative responsibility for all aspects of the office's operations, including, but not limited to, human resources management, recruitment and training, budget preparation and fiscal oversight, procurement management, establishing and managing systems and processes, and statistical reporting.

Education

Applicants must have a Juris Doctor degree from an ABA accredited law school.

Requirements

Applicants must be U.S. citizens. The successful candidate will be subject to a ten-year background investigation, and employment will be contingent upon a favorable suitability determination. Subsequent reinvestigations will be required every five years. The U.S. Courts require employees to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees. Employees are required to use the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) for payroll deposit.

Evaluations

We will review your resume and supporting documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and evaluate your relevant professional, educational, and work experiences as it relates to fundamental competencies, identified in the Qualifications section above, required for this position.

HowToApply

APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED STARTING MARCH 9, 2026 Submit materials to: ce8employment1@ca8.uscourts.gov Qualified applicants must submit each of the following to be considered: Detailed cover letter Detailed resume outlining education background, and employment and salary history Law school transcript Self-edited writing sample of no more than five pages Contact information for three professional references

WhatToExpectNext

Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. The court reserves the right to amend or withdraw the job announcement without written notice to applicants.

RequiredDocuments

Detailed cover letter Detailed resume outlining education background, and employment and salary history Law school transcript Self-edited writing sample of no more than five pages Contact information for three professional references

Benefits

The following benefits are available for this position: Health Insurance Dental and Vision Insurance Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Long-term Care Insurance Flexible Benefits Program (health and dependent care) Thrift Savings Plan Federal Employees' Retirement System Federal Holidays Paid Vacation and Sick Leave

BenefitsUrl

https://www.uscourts.gov/careers/benefits

OtherInformation

All employees of the Judiciary are "at will" employees in the excepted service. About the Eighth Circuit Staff Attorneys: The Eighth Circuit Staff Attorneys support the Court as a whole rather than individual judges. They assist the Court in its review of decisions appealed from district courts and federal government agencies, primarily in matters that will be decided by the Court on written submissions only, without oral argument, including all pro se appeals. The staff attorneys' principal task is preparation of written legal memoranda. The types of matters on which staff attorneys assist include: direct criminal appeals of convictions and sentences imposed under the United States Sentencing Guidelines; collateral attacks on criminal convictions by state and federal prisoners; civil rights actions brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983; and cases involving a variety of other areas of law, such as employment discrimination, tax, bankruptcy, immigration, and Social Security benefits. Staff attorneys play an important role in supporting the federal judiciary's mission of ensuring equal justice under the law. The Eighth Circuit Staff Attorneys do so by maintaining high standards for the research and written work performed for the Court. While the nature of the work is important and the workload is substantial, the office provides a collegial, collaborative environment. The U.S. Court of Appeals is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KeyRequirements

WithinArea

False

CommuteDistance

0

ServiceType

02

AnnouncementClosingType

01

AgencyContactEmail

CE8employment@ca8.uscourts.gov

AgencyContactPhone

314-244-2600

SecurityClearance

Not Required

DrugTestRequired

False

AdjudicationType