2nd Circuit Staff Attorney Available

The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is accepting applications for a term Staff Attorney position, to begin immediately and to continue through August 2026. The Staff Attorney’s Office provides legal advice to the judges of the Second Circuit on a variety of matters, including habeas corpus applications, pro se appeals and motions, counseled motions, immigration appeals, Anders motions, and other types of motions that arise frequently in federal court. On these matters, staff attorneys function as law clerks to the Court: they review case records and filings, conduct legal research, draft bench memoranda and opinions and orders, and provide three-judge panels with recommendations as to the appropriate disposition of matters.

Staff Attorneys develop expertise in prisoners’ rights, civil procedure, constitutional law, employment discrimination, immigration, federal and appellate procedure and jurisdiction, social security, and criminal law and sentencing. Staff Attorneys on the immigration team handle a docket that includes challenges to the denial of applications for asylum, withholding of removal, or relief under the Convention Against Torture, as well as issues relating to the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. Staff attorneys are expected to track developments in Second Circuit and Supreme Court law. During the two-year term, staff attorneys may work on the full range of cases handled by the Office.