Staff Attorneys

Job Description

Job Description

California Appellate Project (“CAP”) is accepting applications for two staff attorneys. CAP is a nonprofit legal resource center funded by the Judicial Council of California to implement the constitutional right to counsel for indigent death row inmates challenging their convictions and sentences on direct appeal and through habeas corpus proceedings. These Staff Attorneys will work with 3 CAP teams, gaining broad exposure to the diverse aspects of capital litigation.

Unrepresented Team Role and Responsibilities
Staff attorneys on CAP’s Unrepresented Team manage a caseload of incarcerated individuals sentenced to death who do not yet have appointed counsel. Their work includes ongoing record collection, regular client communication, and monitoring legal developments that may impact cases. This role requires exceptional communication skills to effectively interact with a wide range of individuals, including clients, family members, court and records clerks, correctional staff, legal colleagues, and subject-matter experts.

Staff attorneys also develop specialized knowledge of laws governing access to public and confidential information (such as CPRA, FOIA, and HIPAA). Travel to correctional facilities throughout California is required for in-person client visits.

Appellate Team Role and Responsibilities
Staff attorneys on CAP’s Appellate Team work closely with court-appointed counsel to support effective representation in capital direct appeals. Responsibilities include assisting in issue development, reviewing pleadings at various stages of the appeal process, and providing legal resources, training, and constructive feedback. Staff attorneys also help prepare for oral arguments and support counsel in managing timelines and meeting deadlines. The role requires strong legal skills, attention to detail, and the ability to collaborate with professionalism and diplomacy.

Habeas Team Role and Responsibilities
Staff attorneys on CAP’s Habeas Team oversee and track capital habeas cases in the California Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal, and Superior Courts. They collaborate with appointed counsel on case strategies, issue development, investigation, pleading drafts, and hearing preparation. The role requires strong analytical skills to identify constitutional violations, excellent research and writing abilities, and effective communication with a diverse range of individuals.

Effective case management skills are essential, including the ability to coordinate with appointed counsel, investigators, experts, and other specialists, while managing large, complex cases with multiple deadlines.

Collaborative Legal Strategy on Emerging Reform Measures
CAP staff members from all teams work together to develop strategic legal responses to a variety of recent criminal justice reforms that affect our clients. These include the Racial Justice Act, SB 1437, AB 333, AB 600 and others. The cross-team collaboration allows CAP to maintain consistency in approach, share resources and insights, and ensure thoughtful, legally sound application of new statutory rights.

Our new staff members can anticipate being involved in these efforts at all levels and stages of litigation.

Minimum Qualifications
1. Admission to the California Bar.
2. A minimum of two years’ experience in criminal law practice, preferably in California.

Experience with capital litigation and/or Racial Justice Act (RJA) litigation is strongly preferred.
3. Superior legal analysis and writing skills.
4. Commitment to vigorous advocacy on behalf of indigent defendants along with a deep commitment to working toward anti-racism and improving the criminal justice system.
5. Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Word Perfect, and legal research databases (e.g., Westlaw, Lexis).
6. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple litigation tasks in the face of time constraints.
7. Exceptional communication skills – both written and oral, including the ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with outside counsel, clients, clients’ families, witnesses, expert consultants, court personnel,…