Lateral Trial Attorney

The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia seeks candidates interested in joining our November, 2023 trial class. Lateral attorneys are those who have practiced criminal defense for three or more years and have first-chaired at least three felony (or D.C. felony-equivalent) jury trials.
PDS Overview:
A major portion of the work of PDS consists of representing individuals in the District of Columbia’s local criminal legal system who are charged with committing serious criminal acts and who are eligible for court-appointed counsel. In the District of Columbia, public defense services are provided primarily by PDS (the “institutional defender”) and a panel of private attorneys, known ad Criminal Justice Act (CJA) attorneys, who are screened for membership on the panel and paid on a case-by-case basis by the D.C. courts. Because of its resources, well-regarded training program, and institutional practice knowledge, PDS lawyers handle the most serous criminal cases consistent with the best practices of the legal profession.
Position Description
Staff attorneys in the Trial Division zealously represent adults in criminal proceedings in the District of Columbia Superior Court (Superior Court) and children in delinquency matters. Attorneys are assigned to specific levels of cases, based on experience and performance. Those case levels are juvenile, general felony, serious felony and felony I.
As specialists who participate in complex litigation, PDS trial attorneys are expected to handle all phases of litigation in the D.C. Superior Court, including demanding and reviewing discovery, conducting legal research and analysis, writing briefs, motions and other legal documents, attending court conferences, arguing motions and conducting trials. As part of their work, attorneys communicate regularly with clients, both in the community and at the D.C. Jail and the Central Treatment Facility. Trial attorneys work on individual and co-counseled cases and direct teams that include investigators, interns and law clerks. Due to the nature of the work, trial attorneys are often required to work nights, weekends and other non-traditional schedules. This is not a remote location position.