Counsel to the Clerk

Job Description

Overview of the Position The Clerk's Office of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia is seeking a highly qualified, licensed attorney to serve as the Clerk's Office's principal legal advisor. Reporting to the Chief Deputy Clerk, the Counsel to the Clerk functions in a role like an internal, general counsel, providing procedural and substantive legal advice regarding court operations, fiscal law, local rules, and compliance with judiciary guidelines, policies, and procedures. While the selected candidate will report to the Chief Deputy Clerk and work closely with the Clerk of Court, the attorney will serve a number of internal clients. The Counsel to the Clerk also manages the Court's Criminal Justice Act (CJA) program, overseeing the day-to-day administration of the CJA Panel of attorneys to support timely and high-quality representation of criminal defendants and ensuring accountability in the accurate and prompt payment of CJA vouchers, in addition to overseeing the CJA-related activities of the Administrative Technician. The incumbent also serves as the Court's primary Employment Dispute Resolution (EDR) Coordinator, including oversight of the annual EDR training requirement, and as alternate EDR Coordinator for other courts as requested. This position may require occasional travel away from the Court, as needed. The Clerk's Office of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia has points of holding court located in Beckley, Bluefield, and Huntington, with the main office located in Charleston, West Virginia. The Clerk's Office is comprised of 40 employees, who support five active Article III judges, one senior Article III judge, and three full-time magistrate judges. We are part of the judicial branch, one of the three separate branches of the federal government. We independently set our own employment policies, such as remote work and performance management.