Pro bono work is an important part of every attorney's practice, and if you want a chance to argue cases before the Second Circuit, pro bono work is a great vehicle for helping people, and gaining valuable trial experience.
Last week, the Second Circuit announced that it is accepting applications for service on the court's Criminal Justice Act Panel, whose members represent habeas corpus petitioners, as well as indigent criminal defendants. If accepted, the term of membership on the CJA Panel is from one to three years. If an attorney is currently a member and is seeking reappointment, she must first wait for her current term to expire.
Requirements
The CJA Committee's Attorney Advisory Group will review applications, and applicants' qualifications, who will then recommend membership decisions to the Panel. The Group is looking for attorneys with "superior experience and proven competence in federal appellate criminal defense work." Finally, all applicants must be admitted to practice before the Second Circuit.
How to Apply
Send an original signed application, along with one copy of your appellate briefs, three paper copies of the signed application, resume, as well as digital copies of your resume and application on CD by Monday, April 7, 2014 at 5 p.m. to the Clerk of Court:
Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk of Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse
40 Foley Square
New York, New York 10007
212.857.8702.
You can download the Application for Appointment to CJA Panel by clicking here. Best of luck on your applications.
Attorney's Suspension Affirmed
And while you are all being model attorneys by applying for Appointment to the CJA Panel, last week, the Second Circuit affirmed a Connecticut Superior Court order suspending an attorney from practicing law before the court. Though the suspended attorney raised several arguments on appeal, the Second Circuit found them all without merit.
Related Resources:
- Year in Review 2013: Highlights From the Second Circuit (FindLaw's U.S. Second Circuit Blog)
- The Fat Lady Has Not Yet Sung: Stop and Frisk Drags On (FindLaw's U.S. Second Circuit Blog)
- Supreme Court Grants Cert in Aereo and Argentina Cases (FindLaw's U.S. Second Circuit Blog)
