Open Positions

Squire Patton Boggs (U.S.) LLP ("SPB") and the SPB Public Service Initiative Team (the "PSI Team") hereby announce the launch of a Public Service Initiative Fellowship (the "Fellowship"), a six-month paid position offered to a qualified attorney.

Over the course of this Fellowship, the PSI Fellow will work full-time with our globally recognized PSI Team on a number of criminal justice-focused pro bono matters.

About Us

With lawyers, public policy advisors and a talented team of professionals spanning more than 40 offices across four continents, SPB has one of the legal industry's broadest international platforms. SPB also has a long-standing commitment topro bonoservices that promote equal justice and support those with limited resources.

The PSI Team, which was founded 15 years ago and sits in our New York office, is a reflection of the firm's steadfast pro bono commitment. PSI Team members work full-time providing free legal services to indigent people, most of whom are incarcerated, whose cases present egregious miscarriages of justice. The PSI Team is a friendly and collegial practice group dedicated to handling the most challenging constitutional criminal justice issues including, for example, death penalty, juvenile resentencing, and wrongful conviction cases.

Representative examples of the PSI Team's recent successes include:

• Litigating the federal habeas claims of a client on Alabama's death row, where the district court recently ruled that he has made a sufficient showing (based on exculpating DNA and other evidence), of actual innocence as to overcome procedural bars to relief;
• Litigating the federal habeas claims of a client who was originally sentenced to Arkansas's death row, where the magistrate judge recently issued a report and recommendation that the client's conviction should be overturned based on racial discrimination in jury selection;
• Winning state postconviction relief for two clients who had already served 24 years and 39 years of life sentences, which will result in their release before the end of this year.

Fellowship Program

This is a six-month program, beginning December 1, 2024. The PSI Fellow will work closely with the PSI Team on a current docket of capital and postconviction cases in the South. The PSI Fellow will have the opportunity to gain valuable, broad-ranging, and intensive public service experience in the criminal justice sector. The Fellow will thereby develop skills that will make them more competitive for long-term employment within that field.

The responsibilities of this role will include developing litigation strategy and delivering work product which executes on that strategy for cases you are assigned; and communicating on a timely and diligent basis with various stakeholders including, for example, clients, the family of clients, external co-counsel, other PSI Team members, and opposing counsel.

The duties of this position require approximately 40 hours of work per week to be performed in-office/remotely, plus evening and weekend work as needed.
Travel to visit clients, investigate cases, and appear in court as expected is required. While it isn't possible to predict with certainty, trips are usually brief (1 to 2 days), and may be required once or twice a month.

This Fellowship is a short-term temporary assignment.

Compensation for this role is highly competitive, and will range between $80 and $100k for the 6-month term (equivalent to $160,000 - $200,000 annually), commensurate with experience. SPB also offers excellent benefits packages, with options for individual health, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending and health savings accounts, and transportation benefits.

The PSI Team is based in the firm's New York City office, and the ideal candidate would be based either in SPB's New York or Washington D.C office. The PSI Team currently operates on a hybrid in-office/remote basis, with an expectation that two- three days a week will be spent in-office. However, other arrangements may be considered (including for candidates who are based in Southeastern cities, or any city where PSI clients are already located).

Academic and Professional Qualifications

• A juris doctorate degree from an ABA-approved law school is required.
• Active and in good-standing state bar membership is required.
• A record of outstanding academic and/or professional achievement is required; preference will be given to candidates who graduated in the top 10% of class, who maintained a GPA of 3.5 and above, or who have comparable academic honors.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

The ideal candidate will be a mid-level litigation attorney with at least five years of experience and a demonstrated interest in public interest/criminal justice work, alongside:

• Strong legal research, writing, and advocacy skills, as well as an ability to construct cogent legal arguments, are required.
• An ability to travel (PSI Team cases typically are in the American South including, for example, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas), and a valid driver's license, are required.
• A demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity within workplace and/or academic settings is preferred; an appreciation for differences with regard to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance is required.
• Familiarity with habeas corpus doctrines is a plus.
• Judicial clerkship experience is a plus.
• English language skills are required. Additional language skills are welcomed.
• All candidates must be already legally authorized to work in the U.S.

How to Apply

Please apply online by November 8th, 2024 to be considered for this position. Resumes should be accompanied by recent writing samples for which you are the principal author - eg. excerpt of legal brief, motion, article or blog post (5-10 pages)) - and a cover letter explaining your interest in this role and how this role would fit into your longer-term career goals.

Squire Patton Boggs is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion or creed, sex, national origin, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or any other condition protected by applicable law. This non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment.

#LI-JM1 #LI-Hybrid