Assistant Attorney General - Criminal Appeals (Capital)

Job Posting Title

Agency

Supervisory Organization

Job Posting End Date (Continuous if Blank)

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.

Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)

Full/Part-Time

Job Type

Compensation

Job Description

Title:  Assistant Attorney General (Capital)

Salary Range: Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Location:  Oklahoma City, OK or Tulsa, OK

The Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General is currently seeking a full-time Assistant Attorney General for the Capital team in our Criminal Appeals Unit.

Position Summary:

The Criminal Appeals Unit represents the State in the criminal appeals process to ensure that the just and lawful decisions rendered by judges and juries are upheld in the appellate courts. The successful candidate will be responsible for representing the State in criminal appellate cases before the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and representing prison wardens in federal habeas actions, as well as representing the State before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. The incumbent in this capital position will maintain a largely capital caseload, although non-capital cases may be assigned as needed. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Essential Functions:

• Agree to participate and cooperate in the Criminal Appeals Unit’s (“the Unit”) multiple-level review process, which includes review of all court filings (with the exception of non-substantive filings such as extension requests) and submissions to other entities (e.g., the Pardon and Parole Board) by the Capital Director, the Deputy Attorney General of Criminal Appeals (“Deputy”), and (for all capital or otherwise complex or especially important matters) the Solicitor General.
• Make edits as directed during the review process. Respectfully discuss any changes regarding which there is disagreement or confusion with the Capital Director and/or Deputy as appropriate.
• Meet all internal deadlines for peer review—specifically, briefs, other pleadings, or any other document being reviewed should be submitted to the Capital Director at least one week prior to the document’s external deadline (e.g., the filing deadline set by the court).
• Complete all assigned cases such that cases do not have to be reassigned.
• Manage sometimes competing deadlines and formulate plans and goals to meet both short- and long-term deadlines.
• Correctly analyze, interpret, and apply case law.
• Read appellate records thoroughly and carefully and prepare notes of the record.
• Write briefs coherently and at the standard required by the Unit’s leadership. Specifically, at the time drafts are submitted initially to the Capital Director, the draft shall have been thoroughly researched, clearly and effectively written, and carefully proofread to the point that the draft is virtually free of typographical errors.
• Meet or exceed the Unit’s average productivity level—for non-capital matters, three briefs or one special assignment (such as an oral argument) per month; for capital matters, one brief or one special assignment (such as an oral argument or clemency packet) per month.
• Assignments are within the sole discretion of the Deputy, and the employee must be willing to accept and work on a variety of types of case assignments (whether capital or non-capital, regular briefs or special assignments, etc.) with a positive attitude.
• Must work well as part of a team and have the ability to show patience and empathy with other members of the capital team.
• The position requires interaction with family members of murder victims, which must be carried out with the utmost professionalism and empathy.

Other Duties:

• Represent the State in criminal appellate cases before the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.
• Represent prison wardens in federal habeas actions before the Oklahoma federal district courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
• Represent the State and prison wardens before the United States Supreme Court on certiorari review from both state and federal proceedings.
• Represent the State in any other capital matter as assigned by the Deputy, including, but not limited to, evidentiary hearing or other proceedings in state district court, civil actions related to criminal issues (e.g., method of execution challenges), etc.
• Maintain a largely capital caseload, although non-capital cases may be assigned as needed.
• Moot other capital attorneys as needed for oral arguments and Pardon and Parole Board presentations.
• Complete other special projects as assigned.
• Maintain integrity and confidentiality of information of the Attorney General’s Office.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Applicants must be, or be eligible to become, licensed attorneys in the State of Oklahoma. Strong writing, research, and oral advocacy skills are required. Prior federal habeas corpus experience is strongly preferred. Prior oral argument or courtroom experience is preferred.

All applicants must agree in writing to complete, and satisfactorily pass, a background investigation.

The Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General is an equal employment employer and does not make hiring decisions on the basis of race, sex/gender, color, age, national origin, genetic information, religion, or disability, so long as the disability does not render the person unable to perform the essential functions of the position for which employed with a reasonable accommodation. If reasonable accommodations are needed to apply for this position, please contact OAG Human Resources at (405) 521-3921 or HR@oag.ok.gov. All employees of the Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General are “at will” employees.

Equal Opportunity Employment

The State of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of genetic information, race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.

Current active State of Oklahoma employees must apply for open positions internally through the Workday Jobs Hub.