The Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Pennsylvania is accepting applications for trial counsel in a federal capital case. This position is fully remote, and candidates may reside anywhere in the United States. It is open to full-time or part-time work. This is a term appointment expected to last for the duration of the case.
Trial counsel will represent a client facing the federal death penalty as a member of a capital defense team that includes co-counsel, investigators, mitigation specialists, paralegals, and experts. Regular responsibilities include building and maintaining a relationship of trust with the client; digesting voluminous discovery, including forensic evidence such as DNA, fingerprint, digital and cell-site, and medical examiner findings; developing the guilt-phase and penalty-phase strategy; supervising the fact and mitigation investigation; researching and drafting pretrial, evidentiary, and constitutional motions, including challenges to the reliability and admissibility of the government’s forensic evidence under Rule 702; retaining and working with defense forensic, mental health, and other experts; litigating evidentiary hearings; conducting capital voir dire; and trying both phases of the case to a jury if required. Representation must meet the standards of the ABA Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Penalty Cases.
A strong preference will be given to candidates with prior federal capital trial experience. We are especially interested in candidates who bring expertise in areas such as forensic science litigation, mental health and intellectual disability litigation, and capital jury selection. Excellent research and writing skills are required.
The successful applicant must be a graduate of an accredited law school and a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, or the District of Columbia, and must possess excellent research, writing, and oral advocacy skills and a demonstrated commitment to indigent defense. Experience litigating forensic evidence in homicide cases, including work with defense forensic experts, is strongly preferred. Candidates who satisfy the qualifications for appointment as learned counsel under 18 U.S.C. § 3005 are especially encouraged to apply. Proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese is preferred but not required.
The applicant should be prepared to devote the time and attention required to a federal capital prosecution and to work outside regular business hours as the case demands. This position requires regular travel for client visits, team meetings, hearings, and trial, which will involve extended stays, and to wherever witnesses, experts, and records are located. Travel expenses are reimbursed in accordance with federal judiciary travel regulations. Applicants must have a suitable, private workspace and reliable high-speed internet access; the office will provide necessary computer equipment and secure access to office systems.
Interested applicants are invited to apply by submitting a single pdf document that includes a cover letter, resume, and writing sample via email to the attention of: Elisa A. Long, Federal Public Defender, [email protected], Subject: 2026-13. Please indicate in your cover letter whether you are seeking full-time or part-time work, and describe your capital trial and forensic litigation experience, including the cases in which you served as lead or co-counsel and their outcomes.
Please see our careers page for full information: https://paw.fd.org/employment
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