Job Details for Supervising Pro Se Staff Attorney
| Court Name/Organization | Maryland District Court |
| Overview of the Position | The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland invites applications for the position of Supervising Pro Se Staff Attorney. This position will be available in August 2026. The Supervising Attorney is responsible for supervision of the Pro Se Staff Attorneys, office administration, and maintains a substantive legal work caseload. The Pro Se Attorneys assist all judges in handling prisoner civil rights complaints and state and federal prisoner habeas corpus petitions including case screening, research, and drafting opinions and orders. All Pro Se Staff Attorney positions are subject to available funding from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, dependent upon annual court filings. |
| Location | Baltimore, Greenbelt , MD |
| Opening and Closing Dates | 06/18/2026 - Open Until Filled |
| Appointment Type | Permanent |
| Classification Level/Grade | JSP 15 |
| Salary | $169,279 - $197,200 |
| Link to Court Careers Information | https://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/employment-opportunities |
| Link to Job Announcement | |
Position Description
Duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Supervising the substantive legal work of pro-se staff attorneys, including assigning and reviewing work
- Training and mentoring attorneys
- Overseeing administrative staff and section functions
- Maintaining own caseload that includes the substantive screening of petitions and complaints and drafting opinions and orders for review by District and Magistrate Judges, including on motions to dismiss and for summary judgment and final habeas opinions
- Editing opinions and orders drafted by attorneys
- Developing work standards and conducting attorney performance evaluations
- Conducting staff meetings to discuss substantive legal work and office procedures
- Keeping current on the law and legislation affecting prisoner litigation and implementing necessary adjustments
- Evaluating present procedures and implementing innovations to increase case handling effectiveness
- Maintaining awareness of available funding including the current staffing formula and associated work measurement efforts. Monitoring pro se and death penalty filings used to calculate annual staffing levels
- Making recommendations regarding employee appointments, promotions, discipline, and separations
- Participating in court committees to provide input on pro se litigation
- Compiling statistics and preparing reports to reflect the status of cases and to monitor staffing in conformity with guidelines set by the Administrative Office of the Courts
- Case management, including monitoring dockets to assure the proper progress of pro se cases
- Providing information, guidance, and advice to judges and chambers law clerks on legal issues relating to prisoner cases
- Assisting with interpretation of pleadings filed by self-represented litigants
- Performing other duties as assigned
Qualifications
At the time of appointment, the candidate must possess the following minimum requirements:
- Qualified applicants will be a law school graduate and have at least four years of experience as a judicial law clerk, pro se staff attorney, and/or the equivalent.
- Qualified applicants should demonstrate one or more accomplishments or proficiencies or the equivalent in the following:
- A strong academic background and demonstrated research and writing ability
- Experience in prisoner and constitutional law
- Experience in federal litigation and procedure
- Experience supervising legal work
- Excellent organizational skills and experience handling multiple tasks and projects
- Experience directing the workflow within an office
- Experience providing review of other law clerks’ drafts prior to submission to a judicial officer
- Experience training attorneys on standards of performance and substantive legal work
- Clerkship experience
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to work effectively with a variety of people
- Ability to carry a robust caseload and work with strict deadlines in a fast-paced high-volume environment
- Maturity, good judgment, and high ethical standards
- Ability to work independently or as a team player, with a positive work attitude
Note: This list is not all-inclusive; determination of an acceptable equivalence rests with the Chief Judge or their designee. The position is subject to a one-year probationary period.
Employee Benefits
- Health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance programs available
- Flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care available
- Vacation/annual leave (13-26 days increasing with years of service), sick leave (13 days per year) and paid holidays (11 days)
- Paid parental leave (12 weeks) for the birth or adoption of a child after one year of employment
- Retirement (FERS - Federal Employees Retirement Program) with employer and employee contributions as well as matching contributions in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) 401K style plan
- Parking is available near the courthouse at no cost as funding allows as well as the option to participate in the commuter benefit programs.
- The U.S. District Court is a qualifying employer for possible Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Additional information about the federal judiciary’s benefits can be found at www.uscourts.gov/careers/benefits.
Miscellaneous
- All applications will be reviewed to identify the best qualified candidates
- In the event a position becomes vacant in either division or in a similar classification within a reasonable time from the original announcement, the Clerk of Court may select an appointee from the candidates who responded to the initial announcement without posting the vacancy
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national or a permanent resident who is seeking citizenship in the United States. Successful candidate for this position is subject to a full fingerprint and background records check and mandatory electronic direct deposit of salary payment.
- This is a sensitive position within the Federal Judiciary. The selected candidate will be hired provisionally, pending the successful completion of the required background investigation and favorable employment suitability determination.
- Selected applicant will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. Failure to successfully complete the probationary period may result in termination of employment. Positions in the U.S. Courts are excepted appointments, are not under the Civil Service System, and are "at will" employees.
- Employees must adhere to the Code of Conduct of Judicial Employees
- The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, withdraw the job announcement, and/or to commence interviews immediately, any of which actions may occur without prior written or other notice
For more information on the United States District Court, for the District of Maryland, please visit our website, www.mdd.uscourts.gov.
Application Info
Qualified applicants should submit one document in PDF format via email to jobs@mdd.uscourts.gov that includes the following:
- A cover letter addressing the qualifications, skills and experience necessary to perform the job
- A current resume, including a list of professional references
- A completed AO78 Form, Application for Federal Judicial Branch of Employment, which can be found on the Employment Opportunities page of the court’s website
- A writing sample of at least five pages is required
Failure to submit a complete and signed cover letter, resume, AO78, and writing sample will result in immediate disqualification. The Description of Work section of the AO-78 must be completed to include salary information; merely indicating “see resume” is not acceptable. Incomplete and/or unsigned applications will not be considered, returned or retained. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted and must travel at their own expense.
To ensure first consideration, applications should be received by July 16, 2026. Include the job title for which you are applying in the subject header of the email.
Applications will be reviewed, and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis. This position may close without notice once a qualified candidate is selected. Due to the volume of applications received, the Court may communicate only with those selected for an interview.
The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.