Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho is now accepting applications for a Fellowship Attorney position in Spokane, Washington. This is a 1-year position, with the possibility of a 1-year extension. The primary practice areas will be before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, and United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. This organization litigates cases in four locations: Richland, Yakima, and Spokane, WA (all in the Eastern District of Washington); and Coeur d’Alene, ID (District of Idaho).
This is a fellowship attorney position, which means the attorney is less experienced and will be learning to handle criminal cases from inception (be it pre-indictment, complaint, or indictment) to either trial or sentencing – or both. Initial case assignments will be simple (e.g., supervised release violations and petty offenses), with case assignments becoming increasingly more complex as the fellowship attorney is trained. And because the organization does not have a dedicated appeals unit, the fellowship attorney will also work on appeals. The caseload is varied, but includes the following: 1) firearms offenses; 2) drug offenses; 3) immigration offenses; and 4) white collar offenses. And because the Spokane office is surrounded by several Indian Reservations, there are also many cases involving serious assaults (physical and sexual) and murders occurring in Indian Country. Regular day trips and some overnight travel is required for case investigations, court appearances, and visiting clients housed in various correctional facilities throughout Eastern Washington and North Idaho. A fellowship attorney may not engage in the private practice of law. The start date is negotiable.
Applicants must possess the following license qualifications: 1) be a graduate of an accredited law school; 2) be admitted to practice before the highest court in a state (a Washington bar license is not required); 3) be eligible for admission to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington; and 4) be eligible for admission to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Regarding experience, applicants must possess no more than four (4) years of professional attorney experience. A previous federal judicial clerkship is preferred, but not required. Spanish language proficiency is preferred, but not required.
Send resume with letter of interest to include bar license state and number, a recent writing sample (10-page limit) and 3 references by electronic submissions in PDF format only to:
Email: [email protected]
Subject Line: Fellowship Attorney - Spokane
No telephone calls: Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 31, 2016
Applications received after this date may be considered if the position is not filled. More than one position may be filled from this announcement. This position is subject to the availability of funds.